Yacht stores/sail loft (EHER 34245)

19th century yacht store/sail loft, now workshop.

A yacht store/loft, now a workshop dating to the 19th century. It is timber framed and weatherboarded with a grey slate roof, finials to gables. It is two storeys. The west face has three vertically boarded doors to first and ground floor, and double doors to north. The east face has two single and two double vertically boarded first floor doors, two similar to ground floor and a vertically boarded door to north. It has two first floor gable end openings and a 20th century single storey extension to north. As a limb of the Cinque Port of Sandwich much of Brightlingsea's wealth has been obtained from the sea. Oyster dredging and cultivation known from earliest times and the main 18th century industry required packing sheds and boats. There are dis-used oyster pits to east of this building, and the fishing smacks were built at Brightlingsea. Sprats were caught by stowboats i.e. smacks fitted with a long open bag net, the sprats carried in by the tide. Copperas was collected by dredging. In the early to mid 19th century yacht racing, cruising and building brought renewed prosperity to the town, but only a few of the buildings related to these industries remain, q.v. 8/63, 68, 69, 70, 71. Brewers Arms, GRP Mouldings, 45 Waterside, 22 Waterside, 2 and 4 Waterside. <1><2> <3>