Monument record MWX1552 - Bridport Harbour

The first records of a harbour at Bridport date from 1392, though the first structural evidence for the harbour dates from 1740-3. The harbour has undergone several periods of rebuilding and repairs. The current harbour consists of two parallel moles, built of huge ashlar blocks, partly revetted with iron and reinforced concrete. The remainder of the harbour walls have huge timber and steel piles. Some of the original stone drains remain.

Evidence for a medieval harbour, as far upstream as modern Bridport, is first derived from a reference in a Court record of 1279-80. It has been suggested that a small harbour may have existed near the confluence of the rivers, to the west of the Chantry. In 1385 there was a decision to build a harbour 'where there was none' but this location is not known. By 1450 this new harbour was in disrepair. <1> The site of the earliest moorings for Bridport are not known but are suggested at SY461910, SY464919, SY465921 and SY464924. A proper harbour was not built until the reign of Richard II. Since then it has been destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions. The present harbour layout at West Bay is due to the improvements made 1823-5 by the engineer Francis Giles, having been constructed in 1740-4.<2-3> The 'Basin' is marked on an 1840 Tithe Map. <5>

Record last edited

Dec 20 2022 4:08PM