Many of Brixham's photogenic cottages above the harbour were originally inhabited by fishermen and their families. In the 1950’s Mariners was a shop. People we have spoken to and the Brixham Museum remember it being a shop, possibly a chandlery but no clear memory and it seemed short lived. We have, however, found a picture of the shop with masthead figure on the wall. This picture hangs outside the stairwell. |
The first evidence of a permanent settlement at Brixham comes from the Saxon period, with settlers possibly as early as the 6th century. The town had 39 residents in 1086 as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
In the Middle Ages the town grew and became the largest fishing port in the south-west of England. It was known as “The Mother of the Deep-Sea Fisheries. It is thought that the name 'Brixham' came from “Brioc's Village.” 'Brioc' a boy’s name meaning Mighty Prince. Saint Brioc was a Welsh Saint, and the word 'ham' is an ancient term, derived from old English, meaning home. Brixham would have been a lively, bustling place when William of Orange came ashore on 5th November 1685. The road leading from the harbour to the place where William’s men made their camp, now known as Overgang, is Dutch for ‘passage’ or ‘crossing’ and highly likely given the name by William’s men. |
If you take a stroll up the steps, you will see Castle House on Overgang. GoogleEarth very clearly shows an area which looks like a castle wall. Dinquay Cottage sits in the middle of this and an alley way runs alongside it at the rear of Overgang cottages.
The huge thick walls in the rear of the cottages are the original castle walls. We believe the fishermens’ cottages were built from the remains of the castle, which were originally from a ruin of a roman fort. |
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