Fishing into the past
Budleigh Salterton resident Nick Loman has been using his local knowledge to piece together the history of fishing in his home town. Having been a fish merchant in Budleigh for the best part of his working life, Nick is in an ideal position to gather information from the residents of the town about their memories and the legacy of Budleigh's fishing families. Above: Sketch of Budleigh beach in 1837 "The change in Budleigh over time has been quite dramatic", Nick explains. "Now that I'm semi-retired, I felt it was important to start making a record of our history, before it disappears." In the 19th century, Budleigh was a thriving fishing town, with over a hundred boats registered to fish from there. It was small clinker-type boats that were used off Budleigh, which had a low draught so they could be dragged up the beach. Crabs were often the most popular catch and the fishing families also made their own crab pots from willow. The women helped to sell the fi...