West Bay, formerly known as Bridport Harbour, is situated just a couple of miles from the inland town of Bridport, which was the major rope-making industry of Britain. The harbour can be traced back to the 13th century, when sluices were erected across the mouth of the River Brit to form a navigable entrance.
Ships were built here during the Napoleonic Wars of 1799 to 1850, but ship-building eventually ceased as wooden ships were phased out. The coming of rail in the late 1800's saw a decline in the use of the harbour, and at that time was re-named West Bay. However, maritime buildings and houses expanded the hamlet and the harbour was used for import and export until the 1960s. Fishing still continues today and is also a tourist attraction as a holiday destination, as well as being part of the UNESCO Jurassic Coast World Heritage site.
These first daytime photos were taken some twenty years ago, around 2000/1, whilst on a day out with some friends. Since then, the harbour has seen some changes. Recent work has replaced the west pier and rebuilt the east pier, extending the harbour with a new slip way and outer harbour.
Having watched the wake from a boat coming in I noticed another one on its way and had a go at photographing its progress, which was quite good fun. As I use a 35mm camera a motordrive would have been handy, but it was just about doable by frantically winding the film on! ;)
The following photos were taken during a further visit in October 2009. After a ride around various places with a visiting friend, we ended up in West Bay at the end of the afternoon. After
a leisurely pint at the harbour pub, we had a walk around the harbour
and took photos just as the sun was setting and night drew in.
A lovely end to the day, with the added bonus of a full moon too!
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