Shipbuilding began at Noss in the 1880s with a new shipyard established by Simpson Strickland and Company Ltd. Philip and Son Ltd purchased the yard in 1917 – and ran it until its closure in 1999.
The variety of vessels built at Noss range from two-masted schooners and brigs launched in the 19th century, through a large number of tugs, followed by ferries, minesweepers and lightships in the 1940s and 1950s, trawlers in the 1960s and yachts such as British Steel in the 1970s.
In 1960 almost 200 people were employed in the shipyard, the plan of which is shown above. At that time the footprint of the buildings on the site covered over 13,500 square metres. Sadly, the business subsequently declined with the yard eventually closing in 1999.
A selection of pictures illustrating the history of the Noss site is shown on the left. Click on any picture for a larger version. The extent to which much of the site has become derelict since 1999 can be seen in the film on this website.
Yard workers in the 1930s
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Noss Yard in 1959
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Platers shop in the 1960s
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Noss Yard in the 1920s
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The owners of Noss have funded production of a DVD on the history of the site when it thrived as a shipyard using interviews with men and women who worked there during the 20th century. Entitled, 'Philip & Son A Living Memory' the DVD has been produced by a local film maker and newspaper reporter in collaboration with the charity Dartmouth Caring and the Dartmouth Museum. For further details, click here.