Old Salcombe in original pictures

A pictorial record of Salcombe around the turn of the century taken from the photographic archives of the late A.E. Fairweather.

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Fishing and shipbuilding dominated C19th Salcombe. By 1864 1,000 men were employed in the busy yards. Trading with countries as far away as America, Newfoundland and Australia, Salcombe prospered. The Fairweathers, father and son, documented the fortunes of the town. Their rare original photographs tell the story better than words could do.

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Each photograph is in sequence as far as possible, taking the reader from Courtenay Walk along the road into Fore Street, Salcombe, through to Batson. Then the views show roads leading up and out of the town that existed around the turn of the century.

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"We lived in a time before the outsiders came and tried to change things.  I remember the soft burr of Devon voices, the friendship and the way we stood together despite the hardships. "

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James Cranch Murch, J C Murch & Sons