Harbour Walls of old harbour

Late C18 and early C19 harbour walls; stone built with battered faces, with long slabs of stone and large natural boulders vertically aligned. The walling connects vertical rock faces along the W side of the harbour, and forms a continous face on the E side, which has a level quayside alongside. Long stretches of walling are capped with large slabs of stone and there is a rubble built, long drop privy at the far N end of the W side of the harbour; built of large stones, now with modern, single pitched, slate roof. The harbour has 2 main parts: the Upper Basin or inner harbour (at the S end) and the Lower Basin or outer harbour to the N. The Upper Basin encompasses a narrow inlet which runs down to the slipway at the far S end, and had the main industrial developments along the W and E sides; the inlet was widened towards the N end, to form docking areas, and part of the W side formed a bay for a ship-building yard. Beyond (N) of the docking areas the channel narrows to form a division between inner and outer harbours, which could be completely blocked off to provide a safe haven in severe storms. The Lower Basin or outer harbour is the seawards area to N of the narrow division. The harbour widens out and 'new' piers were erected along the W side and out from the E side (featured on the Francis map of 1828). The E pier at the N end of the outer harbour is listed separately.