Fisherman’s Tales

In 1748 Worthing was dubbed an “obscure fishing village”, with an industry that counts among the oldest in our town. Having one of the country’s unique beach fishing fleets, with boats having to be pushed off the pebbles to launch, Worthing’s fishing industry thrived during the late 1800’s into the early 20th century. The fleet caught mainly mackerel, herring and …

During 2017 we interviewed Worthing’s last remaining maritime tradesmen, exploring their families’ histories and experiences of the fishing trade in our town. We recorded our conversations to capture their lost knowledge and share it with you here. Go to Interviews

Between 1880 – 1930 the fishing trade in Worthing was said to be thriving. Our fantastic volunteers have plumbed a range of resources, including magazines, newspapers, photo albums, censuses, guide books and a range of other materials, to bring to life the many tales, facts and figures of this exciting time in Worthing’s maritime history. Postcards of the beach and Worthing’s fishing fleet …

Worthing’s fishing families have formed part of our town’s rich history over the centuries. The Last Fisherman Standing aims to preserve this history but also seeks to raise awareness for the struggle of small fishing fleets by working alongside Worthing fishing families such as the Bashfords, the Marchants, the Phillips brothers, John Booker and others to create a living record of the way …