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Pilgrim BM45 is a 19th century red sailed sailing trawler that is very rare; built in 1895. She is a link, a real link from the 19th century, through the 20th to a regenerated Brixham of the 21st century. A very real link you can touch, smell, explore and use.
Because she is the oldest surviving Brixham built and rigged sailing trawler and there are just a handful still in existence today.
Pilgrim represents a great time in British history; for fishing; for boat
building and industrial development; before steam and combustion engines.
Just three men and one boy sailed and fished on these trawlers.
Buildings, art, antiques, vintage cars, steam engines, even your
granny’s old earthenware bed warmer are examples of invention and necessity;
they all have a place in our past.
We can learn from our past, it forms our present day and our future. PILGRIM could last another hundred years if she is looked after, for thousands of people to enjoy, to learn about our past and to illustrate a dimension of life from another time.
PILGRIM represents hundreds of similar sailing boats that formed a huge
fishing fleet in the 1900’s when Brixham was the largest fishing port in
Britain. Trawlers were built right on the waterfront, with timber from nearby
woodlands. These boats were very strong and fast but because they were wooden
they have all but disappeared now.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the importance of PILGRIM to
Britain’s maritime heritage and without its valuable support the restoration
would not be possible.
The original cost of building PILGRIM in 1895 was just short of £680, the amount needed to restore her is in excess of £1.3 million!!
She will be based in Brixham where it will be possible
for everyone to see, visit and sail on too if they want to, learning to
sail or just coming along for the ride. We plan to include a scaled down trawl
to demonstrate how fish were caught.
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PILGRIM will be used for educational programmes in conjunction with
Brixham Heritage Museum and Schools.
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Guided tours will be offered and other on board events will also be held.
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Charters will be available too.