Bridgwater was once a thriving port with an impressive ship building heritage, and associated trades such as rope making sprung up becoming an important part of the town. There were three rope walks in the town, a rope walk being where the hemp ropes were 'walked out' and laid flat and the sheds they used were long and narrow to accommodate the great lengths of the ropes.

Although there are no longer any of these industries in the town they are commemorated today by rope embedded into the floor and around the benches along East Quay beside the River Parrett as a nod to the shipping and rope making industries in the town

The last ship to be built in the town was the 'Irene' built in 1907 by F J Carver & Son and once owned by the Bridgwater Brick and Tile Company. Although now privately owned she is still in use today, and has even been used in a film about the Flying Dutchman,

The PiP gives a longer view.