For thousands of years, Britain's story has been written around its coastline. Long before there were motorways or railways, the sea connected our towns and cities, bringing trade, people, ideas, conflict and prosperity. Every harbour, from the great commercial ports to the smallest fishing coves, has played its part in that story. Yet many of these places are changing rapidly. Traditional industries have declined, working waterfronts have been redeveloped, and the pressures of tourism, climate change and rising sea levels mean that the future of many historic harbours is far from certain.
In this short series we'll be exploring the work of Heritage Harbours UK, the charity dedicated to recognising, protecting and promoting Britain's historic harbours and ports.
This isn't simply a story about old buildings or ancient dock walls. Heritage Harbours UK is interested in something much more ambitious: preserving living maritime heritage. These are places where fishing boats still leave before dawn, where boatbuilders continue centuries-old skills, where quaysides remain working spaces rather than open-air museums, and where communities still define themselves by their relationship with the sea.
","author_name":"The Society for Nautical Research and the Lloyds Register Foundation"}