A Brief History of Seahouses

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEAHOUSES

NORTHSUNDERLAND / SEAHOUSES to give the village its full title, is remembered so well as a fishing village. Alas, very little is left of that illustrious heritage of the 1800's and the village now thrives under a new veil uniquely known as "TOURISM". Initially the harbour was used for the shipment of considerable quantities of corn. Indeed during the summer of 1846 over 1000 tons of corn was shipped out. During the 1770's the quarrying of limestone and subsequent burning in the still evident lime kilns was an important industry. The quicklime was cargoed to Scotland mainly for fertiliser. The closing of the draw kilns in 1860 coincided with the upsurge of the fishing with which Seahouses is perhaps best known - Herring was king! This atmospheric period of Seahouses life brought all the wonderful innovations associated with its development. An enlarged harbour a huge visiting herring fleet, 10 herring yards, a railway to carry the herring, Woodgers kippers, even the two world wars didn't spoil the 'local' feel of Seahouses. The demise of the herring and other fishings altered the old world 'feel' of the village, but the ever resourceful inhabitants have adapted the situation to cater for the holiday maker and day tripper alike. Sea trips to the Farne Islands still provide the visitor a chance to imagine Seahouses and its historic past.