Shellfishing Stories go on display at Salcombe Museum

This week we have been at Salcombe Museum hanging the ‘Shellfishing Stories’ exhibition which will be available to view from March 26th- October 31st 2018. This exhibition captures the dramatically changing face of shellfishing in South Devon through the stories of local shellfishermen and women, many of whose families have fished for generations.

The stories on show have been collected through a series of oral history interviews and collection events that enabled us to record memories and collect photographs from the shellfishing community. The stories are at times funny, breathtaking, moving and surprising… one thing’s for sue, the changes that people have witnessed within their lifetimes are staggering.

<

►

>

Exhibition at Salcombe Museum

Our colourful installation involves a series of hanging buoys (or ‘dahns’) hanging from the ceiling, with illustrated stories hung down each rope. People are invited to delve into this fascinating world of shellfish by turning over the hanging pictures to reveal the stories behind them. There is also an opportunity to hear some of the fishermen and women we have spoken to by visiting the touch screen and to watch some of the digital stories created through the project.

This exhibition is part of the ‘Guardians of the Reef’ project which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and being delivered in partnership with the South Devon & Channel Shellfishermen‘s Association.

We’ve had lots of help getting to this point and would like to say a particular thanks to…

• All the shellfishermen and women who shared their stories, objects and photographs with us
• Beshlie Pool of the South Devon & Channel Shellfishermen’s Association for all her hard work on the project
• Louise Scammell for the beautiful illustrations www.louisescammell.co.uk
• Salcombe Museum for supporting the project and hosting this exhibition
• Salcombe Fish Quay and The Cricket Inn, Beesands for hosting our collection events
• Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum for archive photographs and artefacts
• The Heritage Lottery Fund for funding the project

All the recordings captured throughout the project will later be archived in full through the Devon County Archives, Devon Rural Archives, Salcombe Museum and the Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum, preserving them for future generations.