Richmond Dock

Richmond Dock is a dry-dock built in 1856. It features dressed stone rubble revetment walls that have a noticeable concave batter and are stepped out in two stages at the top. The inner end of the dock is rounded, and there are 20th-century lock gates at the seaward end. Integral flights of steps are located at intervals along the sides and at the inner end. The floor of the dock is now made of concrete, and there is a 20th-century gantry above.

Timber was imported from North America in the early 19th century due to disruptions in supply from Baltic ports caused by the Napoleonic Wars. This trade eventually evolved into shipbuilding by James Yeo, who constructed ships on Prince Edward Island and brought them to the Torridge estuary for fitting out. Between 1843 and 1853, around 55 ships from Prince Edward Island were completed here, although they were actually fitted out on the foreshore. In 1849-50, William Yeo, James Yeo's son, decided to build a dry-dock at Richmond Yard, which was then a small creek, leading to the construction of the dock in 1856. It was reportedly the largest dry-dock in the Bristol Channel at that time.