Plymouth's vibrant 'village by the sea' is alive and kicking

A part of Plymouth close to the sea with colourful houses is often as “quiet as a village”. The area, much-loved by those living there, used to be cut off from the Barbican - and even these days it’s a “bit out the way” for some.

The Coxside neighbourhood is connected to the main waterfront by a pedestrian swing bridge - which causes fascination for visitors in tourist season. Businesses and residents have added bright paint to buildings in the area in recent years as it “looked a bit grey”.

The area is steeped in fishing history and local residents know when a fishing boat is heading back from sea - as noisy flocks of gulls circle trawlers coming in to land their catch. Nearby Fish Quay is the home of Plymouth Fisheries, but the local industry has faced challenges since the auction closed in May 2024.

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Many locals in Coxside, along with fishermen and others in the industry, are waiting for the outcome of a feasibility study - which could see the fish auction reopened.

Local skipper Steven Walker said: “It’s a big pain with the auction area closed we’re as having to work out of Brixham Fish Market a lot more to try and keep our running costs to a minimum. Hopefully once the feasibility study has been completed and Sutton Harbour agrees to the offer that will be put forward we will see some movement on the opening of a new rebranded fish market in Plymouth.”

Family-run RG Seafoods Ltd is one of several fish merchants based at Plymouth Fisheries. All seafood businesses are still trading as normal at the fisheries, but without an auction on site it can be a "logistic nightmare".

Lewis Goodacre has worked as a fisherman and he's currently working as floor manager at family-run seafood business RG Seafoods. The business is owned by Rob Goodacre (dad of Lewis) and Lewis, aged 24, is the third generation of this fishing family who run The Fish Store, a shop in Torpoint.

Lewis said: “The reason I like working in the fishing trade is because everyday is different. But Plymouth needs the auction back massively, the coast off the south west is so rich in fish and Looe fishermen also land here since they lost their market.

“At the moment everything has to go to Brixham Fish Market to be graded and then come back to us at Plymouth Fisheries. So we have to plan ahead a lot more and wait around for the lorry, so we hope the auction reopens soon.”

Many other businesses have been trading in Coxside for decades and new tradespeople have set up in the area recently. Compared to the nearby Barbican, Coxside has “lower business rates”.

Creative family-run business Atlas Graphics SW Limited is a daily hive of activity. Providing a signs & banner service, this company works closely with other businesses in Plymouth.

Owner Colin Hibbitt said that trading has gotten “busier over the years”. The 56-year-old set up Atlas Graphics SW Limited in 2004, originally trading in the Marina House which now homes Macpherson Motorcycles.

The company has provided designs for Drake Circus shopping centre, The Box and local shops and cafes. The born and bred Plymouth family now run the company from their brightly painted warehouse on Commercial Street.

Jessica Hibbit, Colin’s daughter, also works at the Atlas Graphics SW warehouse. The artistic 21-year-old has been part of the family-run team since she left college, where she studied graphic design and illustration.

She said: “We painted the building magenta and purple to fit the brand, but also because the original grey looked dull. We’d noticed that others had gone for bright paint in the area, it’s great as it looked quite concrete before. We love the colourful houses nearby - the only issue in Coxside is (a) lack of parking.

“I've worked here for three years and even in that short time technology has really taken over. As time goes by people expect us to be quicker as we have more machines so often customers want their order the same day.”

“Masters” in metal fabrication, long standing company Phoenix 316 Ltd are just over the road from Atlas Graphics SW. At Phoenix 316 they carry out mainly stainless steel fabrications specialising in boats for the leisure industry - and Princess Yachts are one of their biggest customers.

Julian King is the owner and director of Phoenix 316 Ltd, the 59-year-old has been running the business in the same spot in Coxside for over 30 years. The premises previously housed a mast manufacturer in the 1990s.

He said: “Coxside is very convenient for the local marinas and the public. There’s been a few changes in the area over the years I’ve been here, but a lot has stayed the same. The biggest change was the building of the Vue Cinema and the Plymouth Barbican Leisure Park here in 1999. But some of the roads, like Commercial Street, have barely changed.”

Nearby business Force 4 Chandlery in Queen Annes Battery (QAB) serves the leisure sailing sector which has a well known base in the Coxside marina. As well as a range of nautical greeting cards, the chandlery has its own Windward clothing range designed by Billy Booth - manager and clothing director at the shop.

Lucy Granger is a shop assistant at the chandlery and she said this corner of the city gets busy in the summer. The 23-year-old loves working right next to the sea and enjoys visiting the cafes in the area.

She said: “People from all over the world drop into the shop, especially in the summer. Then all year round we get the local yacht owners that have vessels in QAB or Sutton Harbour. Fishermen pop in for electronics too and we also get Border Force coming to get something they need.

“The clothing we sell is really popular, you don’t have to be a boat owner to wear it. We also get a lot of people buying the ropes we sell for their vessels - it’s a really niche item we sell here.”

Rope making is one of the things Coxside is historically known for, the footpath leading towards the Barbican swing bridge is known as Rope Walk. The long narrow ropewalk lane was once a place where long strands of rope making material would have been laid - before being spun by hand into rope in previous centuries.

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