The photograph shows that the harbour was used for trade as well as for fishing and pleasure boats for visitors. It helps us to realise that not everyone worked in the holiday trade, though of course some of the goods might be being brought in for the benefit of rich visitors. Building materials were popular cargoes at this time such as timber from Scandinavia and slate from France. Why might building materials be linked to Torquay’s continuing growth as holiday resort?

The photo shows how goods were unloaded manually. With the use of pulleys and ropes the cargo would have been lifted out of the hold and then carried to the quayside. In a busy port today we would expect to see lifting gear such as cranes to help in the arduous task of offloading heavy cargo. The photograph also shows how sailing ships were still being used for trade despite the invention of steam-powered ships earlier in the 19th century.