Weymouth celebrates 450 years
It was 450 years ago when the borough of Melcombe Regis joined with the borough of Weymouth to create the place we know and love today.
Often referred to as the English Bay of Naples, its picturesque harbour town on the Jurassic Coast is one of the sunniest locations in the UK, clocking up 1,850 hours of sunshine per year. It has a Blue Flag beach and a wealth of attractions, from the SEA LIFE Adventure Park to historic Nothe Fort, as well as sand sculptures and fossil-hunting.
But it hasn’t always been Dorset’s holiday hotspot. A fishing and trading port from the 1100s, it fell into decline after being damaged in the English Civil War and lost much of its sea trade to the larger harbour in nearby Poole. The beach was used to dump rubbish.
Its fortunes began to change in the early 18th century when sea bathing was recommended for good health. The first hotel was built on the Esplanade in 1772, and in 1789, King George III went to Weymouth to convalesce. He liked it so much he spent 13 summers there, regularly bathing in the sea.
In 1857, the railway was built, giving working people from industrial towns the chance to enjoy a seaside break.
“Bucket and spade” holidays had arrived with donkeys and Punch and Judy. Since these were Victorian times, huge numbers of bathing machines and larger bathing saloons were required to maintain decency. Some remained in use right up to the Second World War.
Its heyday was in the 1950s and early 1960s, before cheap flights to Spain. But it has remained hugely popular for family holidays because of its safe, sandy beach and climate. The donkeys are still there – as is the Punch and Judy show.
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