The Maltings Sheds at Priors Boatyard, 2016. © Michael Woolley

Burnham used to have a waterfont full of boatyards and sail lofts.

Rice & Cole, Petticrows, Stebbings, Sadlers Sails, Prior’s Boatyard, Tucker Brown’s, Kings Boatyard and Cranfield Sails are just some of the names that conjure the smells of hemp and tar, diesel, paint, glue and woodshavings and the sounds of treenails being clubbed home, sailcloth cut in long, whispering slices, and the curse of engineers dropping tools into the bilges while suspended upside down in a cramped  engine bay.

Of those magical places, only a few remain – nearly all of them have been replaced by residential development.

The Town Council’s Neighbourhood Development Plan is seeking to preserve what remains of Burnham’s historical maritime character – it is essential to the character of the town. Otherwise we risk becoming yet another sanitised Blandsville-by-the-Sea.

See also the volunteer group,  Maritime Burnham.

Click on the boxes below to learn more about existing boatyards.