Brighton Fishing Museum facts for kids
The Brighton Fishing Museum is a special place in Brighton, England. It's a museum that tells the story of Brighton's fishing past and its seaside history. Local fishermen helped create it in 1994. You can find it near Brighton Pier, in an area called the Fishing Quarter. The museum is inside two old arches right on Kings' Road, which runs along Brighton's beach. It's free to visit, but donations are always welcome!
Inside the museum, you'll learn about the history and traditions of the fishing community. They show this through cool images, old tools, and real fishing boats. There are also old and new films, slideshows, and recordings of fishing families talking and singing. These show what Brighton and its fishing industry were like from the 1800s all the way to the 1990s.
The museum also works to fix up old Sussex beach boats and their engines. You can often see them working on these boats right outside the museum! Once they're fixed, these fishing and pleasure boats are displayed on the beach. There are also smaller model boats to see inside the museum. Every May, the museum and local fishermen team up to host the Annual Brighton Mackerel Fair. It's a fun event that celebrates fishing traditions with free entertainment for everyone!
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Brighton's Fishing Story
Brighton has had a fishing industry for over a thousand years! The arches along the seafront, where the museum is, have been used by fishermen since they were built in the 1860s. Before that, there were wooden buildings on the beach for storing nets and ropes. Fishermen used special machines called capstans to pull their boats up onto the beach. Nets were often spread out on the beach or on railings to dry.
Famous Brighton Characters
When Brighton became a popular seaside town, some fishing families started new jobs. They ran bathing machines (small changing rooms on wheels for swimming) and pleasure boats for visitors. The museum has a special area about two local heroes:
- Martha Gunn: She was a famous "Dipper," which was a woman who helped people go swimming in the sea.
- Captain Fred Collins: He was known for his pleasure boat called the Skylark.
Inside the Museum
The museum is full of pictures showing Brighton in the 1700s and early 1800s. Back then, fishing happened both in the town and on the beach. Later, the fishing industry was mostly moved to the beach. The museum shows how the beach and arches changed over time. It also displays the different kinds of fishing boats used in Brighton.
Boats and the Fish Market
You can see a small model of a classic Brighton "hog-boat" at the back of the museum. There's also a real 27-foot boat called the Sussex Maid inside. This boat shows what a Brighton beach fishing boat from the 1920s looked like, complete with an extra motor.
Further back in the museum, you'll find sections about Brighton's lifeboats, pleasure boats, and the fish market. The fish market used to be on the beach. But in 1867, a new market was built in arches next to the museum. Fish came to Brighton from all over the south-east coast of England. They even arrived by train from places as far away as Cornwall! The fish market closed in 1960. Today, Brighton fishermen sell their catch in Shoreham-by-Sea.
Community Life and Bravery
Near the front of the museum, there's an area about the everyday life and clothing of the fishing community. It shows traditional names for fishing and pleasure boats. You can also see examples of souvenirs – some brought home by fishermen, others made by them to sell to holidaymakers. Pictures of old costumes show the different jobs people had and how society was organized on the beach.
The dangers of fishing, losing loved ones at sea, and religion are also important themes. The museum's arch was once home to St. Margaret's Mission and the Brighton Sailor and Fisherman's Home, started in 1860. On the outside wall, there's a plaque remembering Sean Tierney, a Brighton fisherman who was lost at sea in 1994.
Inside the museum, near the front of the Sussex Maid boat, there's a display honoring Brighton fishermen and boatmen who helped in the heroic Dunkirk and St. Valery rescues during World War II. A total of 26 Brighton boats took part. Two of them were sunk, and two men received medals for their bravery.
