Western Lake District
The Beacon
Find out all about the development of Whitehaven Harbour from a ‘sleepy fishing hamlet’ to a major 17th and 18th century British trading port. From around 1690, and for the next 200 years, shipbuilding became a vital factor in the Whitehaven economy. During this period nearly 1000 vessels are known to have been built in the town.
One of the most famous shipbuilders was Daniel Brocklebank who set up a shipyard in the town building 27 vessels during his lifetime. His company later built approximately 60 more vessels, and became "Cunard Brocklebank" - the oldest registered shipping line in the world.
Shipbuilding led to the development of a number of different industries. Ropes were made by hand, and timber was shaped by a hand plane or a wooden lathe to create joints, corking pegs, or mallets. Sailmakers used Irish linen and flax to create the enormous sails. All this work was extremely highly skilled. At the Beacon you can see and hear sail and ropemakers, as well as the carpenters going about their business, and talking about their work. |