Man and Boy

PORTFOLIO

A bronze statue to commemorate lives lost at sea and celebrate Brixham’s fishing heritage was unveiled in the port at the end of November 2016.

The life-size Man and Boy stands on King’s Quay, nine years after Fishermen in Sculptural Heritage was formed with the aim of creating the figure. The statue, which was created in clay by local sculptress Elisabeth Hadley before being sent to Shropshire to be cast in bronze, can seen from the inner harbour and from returning vessels for centuries to come, and it will offer local families who have lost or buried loved ones at sea a special place to reflect and remember.

FISH chairman Miriam Pymm described the unveiling as an ‘amazing day’ for the port. “The statue just looks so right,” she said. “It already looks like it has been there for 50 years which it should have been. It’s in just the right place. We always thought that having it next the bench on King’s Quay means that people can sit and reflect about their loved ones. There will also be plaques on the wall in the future to remember the fishermen and this is the perfect thing to go with it. It was an amazing day and so pleasing to see between 300-400 people turn out to witness this statue being unveiled.”

Brixham Town councillor Mike Morey, who helped unveil the statue on Saturday afternoon, said: “Nine years of funding with the help of the community has made this possible. Without them this never would have happened. This is their statue and it belongs to the people. It commemorates both the lives of people who have been lost at sea and the old fishermen who are no longer with us. It is a brilliant day for Brixham and the turnout down on the Quay was massive. Going from the initial concept to be standing here today has been a huge journey but it is a great thing for the town.”

 

FISH (Fishermen In Sculptural Heritage, registered charity number 1135142 ) was set up to raise funds for a bronze statue ‘Man & Boy’ overlooking Brixham Harbour to mark lives lost at sea and the Bay’s fishing heritage

Our voluntary committee (drawn from local businesses, seafaring families, local councillors and representatives from The Fishermens’ Mission in Torbay) have been working since 2007 to raise funds for a life-sized bronze statue to commemorate lives lost at sea and celebrate the long fishing heritage of Brixham, Devon, UK and the surrounding area of Torbay.

Fundraising began in 2008 and continued up to the grand unveiling of the statue in 2016. This is a very important date, as it marks the 150-year anniversary of The Great Storm of 1866 when dozens of fishing vessels were sunk in Torbay and over 100 seafarers lost their lives. This major event saw the birth of Torbay Lifeboat, which has continued to save countless lives since. Our statue ‘Man & Boy’ will give the Bay a focal point to remember lives lost but also to celebrate the rich and historic fishing heritage which continues today, with Brixham landing the highest-value catch in England.

Our dedicated committee worked tirelessly to raise the funds needed, supported by many local groups, businesses and residents to reach our target of placing ‘Man & Boy’ on King’s Quay, Brixham Harbour, in August 2016 – where it will remain to stand proud for centuries!

‘Man & Boy’ was being created by local Brixham artist Elisabeth Hadley. Local men, including fellow artist Peter Stride, have modelled for the figures, and the design has been based on an etching called ‘The Wheel’ by Brixham artist Arthur Briscoe (1873-1943).