Bude Harbour

A broad vista showing Bude Harbour, looking north. Bude is today a small seaside resort town on the borders of North Devon and Cornwall but was previously a fishing and local trade port. The breakwater shown here was constructed as part of harbour works connected with the Bude Canal, opened in 1823. This canal and inclined-plane system was mainly built so that sand could be imported and moved inland for agricultural improvement, but it was also used to transport coal and other merchandise. Two local smacks with red sails are shown by the breakwater on which a number of figures are either walking, or preparing to bathe. Other smacks shown off the coast are likely to be fishing boats. The painting - which may be by an amateur or a local artist doing such views for sale - shows the empty beaches and unspoilt coastline beyond the harbour where only a few houses are visible on the headland. It is signed ‘Allan’, lower left, and is from the Macpherson Collection.