Making a living (2)

All along the cost, the sea also gave people a living in various ways.

At Beckfoot, Bill Storey carted sand and gravel from the shore. Most of it was used by local builders, some was used to repair the roads.

In Allonby, the Twentyman family operated a ship-breaking business. This reached its peak in the early 1900s, as steel replaced wood in the manufacture of new vessels.

Fifty years later, ship-breaking returned to the area; this time in Silloth. The Ardmore Steel Company started operations in the outer dock in 1965.

The sea and the docks have always been central to Silloth’s economy. There have always been large, ocean-going ships with cargoes to unload and there has always been a fleet of smaller fishing boats.

Generations of several local families have made a living from fishing the Solway’s waters.

Brothers Stanley and Cyril Akitt
with their boat the 'Anne'

One of these families, the Baxters, built the old landing stage and, in the summer months, supplemented their income from fishing by offering trips to visitors.

Even a disaster could lead to extra work for local men. Here a group of them are salvaging the wreck of the ‘Scotsman’ which ran aground in 1906.