Bridport is a market town and civil parish in Dorset, England, 1+1⁄2 miles inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing harbour also known as Bridport Harbour. The town features as Port Bredy in Thomas Hardy's Wessex novels.