This unusual building, octagonal in design, is the former harbourmaster’s hut and was built in around 1885. It post-dates the abandonment of the lime kiln which lies immediately beneath. The walls are probably of killas* construction, rendered, with a conical Delabole rag slate roof, which used to have a weathervane. It has four-pane sash windows in seven sides and a four-panel door facing landwards in the eighth. The harbourmaster assisted by a pilot took over the role of dockmaster in 1910 and the role survived until 1999. To the east of the hut is the base and anchoring rings for a flagpole used to signal ships into the outer basin; the flagpole was removed in the 2000s.
* Killas is a catch-all term including stones ranging in consistency from a soft, sandy coloured stone, used in squared pieces, to a hard, dark-grey slate stone that splits into long thin pieces and seems to have been used in the earliest surviving buildings.
Donation
£2.00