Net Boiling Tubs, Maidens

This is an early 20th-century boiling tub located at Maidens Harbour, Barker. The structure consists of a circular pot made of cast iron, set within a surround of common brick. A short, square-section chimney stack rises from the south-west corner. A firegrate is positioned on the north side, and a concrete ramp is built into the east side to facilitate loading and unloading of fishing nets. The upper courses of brick in the brickwork setting and the chimney stack are finished with concrete caps. The boiling tub’s purpose was to boil fishing nets and lines in bark extract, a process used to preserve them. The practice ceased when nylon replaced cotton and linen as net materials; as such, this building represents a very rare survival.