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Barbican Archive photo gallery

Fishing

From the earliest days fishing was important to the local economy of the Barbican. Even now it still plays a reasonably large part.

These pictures from the Barbican Archive record the working lives of the men who landed the catches, of ten working in family groups. Some family names occur again and again throughout the generations - Ivey, Nichols, Launder...

Whole families used to be involved at busy times. The boys were kept off school to help on the boats during the prawning season when the catch would be brought home and sorted in the family kitchen. Oilcloths were spread and the prawns sorted into small, medium and large ready for market.

A conger eel landed meant meals for the family and also the neighbours, who would call round, bowl in hand, for a share of the cooked eel.

Back to the Barbican Archive