A working harbour. Boats in by mid-morning, mud at low tide.
The harbour is where the River Seabrook meets the sea, and it is a working one. Fishing boats and a few small yachts lie inside the curve of the harbour wall. Crab pots are stacked along the quay. The boats are generally in by mid-morning, and at the far end somebody is always repainting a hull.
The inlet was dredged between 1730 and 1800, and the first proper quay was built between 1800 and 1860. The fish market moved across the harbour some time ago. Marina berths were added after the war.
The western quay has Bennett’s Chandlery, the boat stores and the old fish store. Harbour Lane runs down the eastern side, and the Harbour Bridge joins the two.
The Seabrook Regatta and Lifeboat Day are held in July. For the rest of the year the harbour keeps to the tide. At low water the mud flats shine and the smell of diesel and brine is strong enough to taste. A cormorant dries its wings on a post.
Enquiries about moorings should be made to the harbourmaster’s office.
Details
- Address
- South of the High Street, at the mouth of the River Seabrook
On the map
Marked on the town map.
Appears in
- Book 0Prequel A Small Matter of a Missing Cat
- Book 1 Murder at Seabrook Pier
- Book 2 Grounds for Murder
- Book 3 The Seabrook Regatta Sabotage
What the locals say
“The tide goes out and leaves the harbour smelling of itself. You stop noticing after the first twenty years.”
