Fishing+culture+photostudy

The first fishermen operated family enterprises from the beach. These families settled on the beach below the town cliff, a settlement described as 'The Beach Village' The houses of Beach Village were built of flint pebbles and the associated buildings for smoking herring were made of tarred wood.



The outer harbour from above the inner harbour (1881). Constructed in the 1940s and the turnpike road from the south crossed the junction between the inner and outer harbours with a swing bridge.

With the creation of the harbour the number and size of fishing smacks increased, usually going to sea together in fleets

Goods were also imported and exported through the intermediaries of fresh water wherries which entered the River Waveney system from Lowestoft's nner harbour through the Mutford Bridge lock



Trade was initiated with the continental North Sea ports and coal and timber were imported in large sailing vessels

Coal fired paddle steamers were employed in the export of livestock to Holland and Denmark. (1850)

Fish catches, mainly herring were manhandled ashore.

A special dock for the herring fleet was constructed on the northern side of the outer harbour











Town Hall, High St, before 1898











Pier Pavilion (1900)