The United Kingdom as a set of offshore islands has always depended on the sea for transport, Ninety-five percent of all our trade by volume, whether imports or exports, is carried across the sea by ships. Today, such sea trade is mainly concentrated in large or specialised ports and the smaller ports have tended to decline hosting no more than inshore fishing and pleasure craft.

It was not always like this: before the advent of steamers many small places were integral to trade in and out of the British Isles. Though no longer in use, these small docks and harbours have left remains that archaeologists can utilise, with the help of records and maps, to reconstruct this rich maritime heritage.

This book is a history of port development in the United Kingdom, with examples of the main structures drawn from ports all around the coast. It includes detailed analysis of ports and harbours that date from the Bronze Age in Humberside to the major super-ports, such as Milford Haven, that are ever-developing for the mordern age.