Brighton Fishing Museum, Brighton, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

Brighton Fishing Museum is a small, free-standing museum tucked under the arches of Kings Road on Brighton's seafront. It tells the story of the fishing community that existed here before the resort did, using historical photographs, artefacts and a traditional fishing boat squeezed inside. It is a quick, characterful stop right on the beach.

The story behind it

Before Brighton became a seaside resort, it was a modest fishing village, and fishing was the town's original industry. That began to change as the town became fashionable, helped by the frequent visits of George IV. The arrival of the railway from London in the early 1840s made day trips and longer stays easy, and the town grew quickly into the city we know today.

The fishermen adapted. As more visitors arrived, they began taking tourists out on pleasure trips in their boats to earn extra money. The museum keeps that working past visible, and the beach in front of it is still where fishing boats are drawn up. The twisting streets of the Lanes, a short walk inland, were once part of the quarter where the fishing community lived. Today they are known for jewellers, cafes and boutiques.

What to look for

• A traditional fishing boat displayed inside the museum, which is surprisingly large for such a small space.
• Historical photographs of fishermen and the beach, which show how different the seafront looked before the resort developed.
• The arch setting itself, a working stretch of the seafront where the museum sits among other small businesses.
• The nearby kiosks selling seafood and smoked fish, which are a living link to the trade the museum documents.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 20 to 30 minutes for the museum, longer if you stop to read the photograph captions.
• It is a small space run on the seafront, so check current opening hours before you go.
• Come when you can add a bite to eat: the kiosks nearby sell seafood and smoked fish, and the beach is right in front of you.
• Pair it with a wander into the Lanes, which are a short walk from the museum and were once part of the old fishing quarter.

See it on a quest

Highlights of Brighton: Lost Letter passes the museum as one stop on a longer walk through the city. The app tells you about each place as you reach it and sets a puzzle on the spot, so the fishing story stays with you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Dorothy’s Quest: The Trials of Oz in Brighton also takes you past this stretch of the seafront on foot. You get the background on each place as you arrive and solve a puzzle in front of you, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.