Weymouth

Description:

Weymouth  is a large resort town in Dorset  situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey  some 8 miles south of Dorchester  and 5 miles north of the Isle of Portland.

Weymouth  is connected to Portland  via the A354 road bridge and together they form the Borough of Weymouth & Portland.

Weymouth  is principally a tourist resort that is economically dependent on its harbour and visitor attractions. Weymouth  harbour is home to cross-channel ferries, fishing boats, private yachts and pleasure craft. Nearby Portland Harbour  is home to the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy  where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games will be held.

In 1702 the architect Christopher Wren was Member of Parliament for Weymouth  and at that time he controlled the quarries at nearby Portland  using the stone to build St Paul's Cathedral.

The resort became popular from 1789 when King George III began to use Weymouth  as his regular summer holiday residence. A statue of the king stands on the seafront.  As a consequence of this period the esplanade at Weymouth  is mainly composed of Georgian Terraces which have over the years become apartments, shops, hotels  and guest houses. The terraces form a continuous arc of buildings along the esplanade which face Weymouth Bay.

Also situated along the esplanade is a statue of Queen Victoria as well as the Jubilee Clock, erected in 1887 to celebrate the fiftieth year of her reign.

At the centre of the town and the reason for its foundation is Weymouth Harbour  a geographic feature which separates the two former rival north and south port areas of Melcombe Regis and Weymouth.  Despite the former being the larger they merged in the sixteenth century by Act of Parliament gradually to become over the years the one big town seen today. It is thought that in 1348 Melcombe Regis was the first port through which the Black Death entered the country, possibly by way of a trading vessel or army ship.

The history of the area is well documented at the Timewalk Museum  housed inside a former brewery but now tourist attraction known as Brewers Quay.  This tourist destination with its shopping village and various bars, cafés and eateries is situated on the southern shore of Weymouth Harbour  and is very well signposted from around the town.

Adjacent to the town centre is Radipole Lake  a large nature reserve situated at the mouth of the River Wey  before it flows into Weymouth Harbour.  It is an important tourist attraction for Weymouth  with its essential habitat for fish and migratory birds as well as over 200 species of plants.

Tourism is the largest industry in Weymouth  with its coast, beaches,  lakes, museums  such as Northe Fort,  the Sea Life Centre  aquarium, comprising the main attractions. There are two shopping centres which are more particularly featured in our article - Shopping in Weymouth. Weymouth  has a great variety of accommodation  consisting of hotels  on the seafront, guest houses  dotted around the town and caravan & camping  sites just out of town.

There are over 200 events  held annually throughout the borough including firework festivals, the beach volleyball classic, a kite festival,  the International handball championships,  motocross and dragon boat racing. There is also a very popular annual Weymouth Carnival   held in mid-August which attracts visitor numbers in excess of 70,000 people.

The borough council own and operate the Pavilion Theatre  situated on the esplanade, which not only provides seasonal "end-of-the-pier" entertainment, but has year-round shows and events. In 2006 it was announced that the Pavilion complex and the surrounding 10 acres will be redeveloped in time for the 2012 Olympic Games  to include the refurbishment of the theatre, a World Heritage Site  visitors centre, a new ferry terminal, 140-bed four star hotel, an underground car park, a shopping arcade, offices, luxury apartments, public squares, promenades and large 290-berth marina.

In addition it is proposed to redevelop the esplanade to include a public square around the King George III statue, the restoration and extension of the Art Deco pier bandstand, a beach rescue centre, a Tourist Information  centre and café, seasonal kiosks and Victorian-style shelters together with seating areas with planting and fountains.

Weymouth  railway station is terminus for twice hourly service to London Waterloo and a service to Bristol and from there into Wales. Local bus services are run by First Hampshire & Dorset.  Services run to the Isle of Portland,  Dorchester, Bournemouth,  surrounding villages and the town's local Caravan & Camping  holiday parks. Weymouth  is connected to Towns & Villages  along the Jurassic Coast  by the Jurassic Coast Bus Service  which runs along an 88 miles route from Exeter (Devon) in the west to Poole  in the east.

The A354 road connects Weymouth  to the A35 trunk road in Dorchester  and the Weymouth Relief Road  is currently under construction and is planned to be ready in time for the 2012 Olympic Games  sailing events that are taking place at Osprey Quay  on the Isle of Portland.  According to the Royal Yachting Association the waters off Weymouth  and Portland  are the best in Northern Europe for sailing and many local, national and international sailing events are regularly held in the bay. The sheltered waters of the bay are also used for angling, diving, snorkelling, wind and kite surfing, jet skiing and water skiing and well as swimming.

The town also has a football club, Weymouth FC,  nicknamed "The Terras"  who became professional in 2005.

Weymouth  also has a Cineworld multi-screen cinema in New Bond Street.