Description and History of Site:-
From the mid 14th century to the mid 19th century, Barking was the base for a major fishing industry which supplied the London market. At its height, in the early 19th century, more than 200 fishing smacks were based at Barking, which when not at sea, were moored on the Thames around Creekmouth and would only come up the Creek to the town for caulking and refitting.

The industry supported many trades including ropemaking, on the site of the present Town Hall (443839), netmaking and sailmaking as well as boat-building and repair yards.

Fisher Street, now the southern end of Abbey Road, contained many building associated with the industry, but today all that remains is one small icehouse converted to paint manufacture (441835), set behind the 20th century Fishing Smack public house. Although there is again a boatyard on the site of a former 19th boat-building yard (439836).

Barking Parish Church, St Margaret's (441839), contains memorials to the Barking fishermen in the form of a glass window, c 1928, and several small statues of fishermen and fishing saints. The church also has a memorial window to the Hewett family whose family tomb is in the adjacent graveyard. The Hewett family were the major fishing-fleet owners of Barking. They began a fleeting system where vessels stayed out in the North Sea fishing, while fast cutter brought each day's catch to market. Their fleet was the Short Blue Fleet with a plain square blue flag and by the start of the 19th it was the largest in the country employing over 500 men and boys.

Barking's importance as a fishing town ended in the mid 19th century with the coming of the railways to the East Coast ports and much of the industry re-located to Gorleston/Yarmouth area with only some boat-building and repair yards remaining in Barking until about the beginning of the 20th century.

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Key Words :- fishing

Address :- Abbey Road, Barking, London, Greater London
Grid Ref :- TQ 440 836
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.532949 , Long 0.074692
Local Authority :- Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Essex
Contributor :- John Lewis - 2 June 2018

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Lewis