Brixham

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Brixham
Brixham as seen from the harbor
Brixham as seen from the harbor
Coordinates 50 ° 24 ′  N , 3 ° 31 ′  W Coordinates: 50 ° 24 ′  N , 3 ° 31 ′  W
Brixham (England)
Brixham
Brixham
Residents 19,600
administration
Part of the country England

Brixham is a small town in southwest England, it is located at the southern end of Torbay Bay and has 19,600 inhabitants.

Brixham used to belong to the county of Devon , but has been part of the Unitary Authority Torbay since 1997 . Brixham is known for its fishing port, which is one of the main sources of income along with tourism.

On November 5, 1688, the future King Wilhelm III landed . von Orange-Nassau with his Dutch army in the course of the Glorious Revolution in Brixham. A statue of Wilhelm III. is located directly at the port of the city. Many residents of Brixham have Dutch surnames. The road from the harbor up to the steep hill on which the Dutch had set up their camp is still called Overgang - Dutch for transition.

On an isthmus are the remains of an old fort from Napoleonic times.

During the Second World War , Brixham was one of the loading ports for the Allied invasion of Normandy , which demanded a lot from the small town. The ramp on which the vehicles drove into the ships can still be seen. In one of the parks there are gun emplacements from the Second World War.

The fishing -dominated life in Brixham more than 900 years; Brixham is mentioned as an important fishing port in the Domesday Book (1086). In 1850 the city had the largest fishing fleet in England with 270 ships and 1,600 sailors. Brixham is considered to be the city where the trawler was invented, the Brixham trawlers were fast and ocean-going sailing ships.

After the First World War the fishery almost completely collapsed; In 1939 there were fewer than half a dozen fishing boats. It was not until the 1960s that fishing recovered in Brixham.

Until the 1960s, Brixham had a railway connection as a tourist destination, but this branch line has now been closed.

Sons and Daughters of Brixham

  • William Hodges (* 1744 London, † 1797 Brixham, Devon), painter and participant in the second Cook Expedition

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Web links

Commons : Brixham  - collection of images, videos and audio files