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{{infobox UK place||country = England|official_name= Weymouth|latitude= 50.613|longitude= -2.457|map_type=Dorset|population = 51,880Population figure is an estimate for mid 2005, and includes only the town of Weymouth—not Portland or surrounding villages.|shire_district= Weymouth and Portland|region= South West England|constituency_westminster= [South Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|post_town= Weymouth|postcode_district = DT3, DT4|postcode_area= DT|dial_code= 01305|os_grid_reference= SY6779-->

Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, United Kingdom, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, Dorset on the English Channel coast. The town is south of Dorchester, Dorset and north of the Isle of Portland. The population of Weymouth is almost 52,000.

The A354 road bridge connects Weymouth to Portland, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The history of the borough stretches back to the 12th century; including involvement in the Black Death, the British colonisation of the Americas, the Georgian era, and World War II.

Although fishing and trading are less significant employment sectors in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, tourism has had a strong presence in the town since the 18th century. Weymouth continues to be a popular tourist seaside resort, and the town's economy depends on its harbour and the beaches of Weymouth Bay. Weymouth is a gateway town situated half-way along the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Weymouth harbour is home to cross-channel ferries, pleasure boats and private yachts, and nearby Portland Harbour is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games will be held.

History .Weymouth originated as a settlement on a constricted site to the south and west of Weymouth Harbour, an outlying part of Wyke Regis village. The town developed from the mid 12th century onwards, but a settlement is not noted until the 13th century. By 1252 it was established as a seaport and become a chartered borough. Melcombe Regis developed separately on the peninsula to the north of the harbour, it was mentioned as a licensed 'wool port' in 1310.

Melcombe Regis is thought to be the first port at which the Black Death came into England, aboard a spice ship in June 1348.In their early history Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were rivals for trade and industry, but the towns were united in an Act of Parliament in 1571 to form a double borough. Both towns have become known as Weymouth, despite Melcombe Regis being the part of town in which the main beach and tourist attractions are. The villages of Upwey, Dorset, Broadwey, Preston, Dorset, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Southill, Weymouth, Radipole and Littlemoor are encompassed by the town.

.During the English Civil War (1642–51) more than 500 people were killed in the Battle of Weymouth on February 27 1645. In 1635, on board the ship Charity, around 100 emigrants from the town crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in Weymouth, Massachusetts. More townspeople British colonisation of the Americas to bolster the population of Weymouth, Nova Scotia and Salem, Massachusetts; then called Naumking, Salem became infamous for its "Salem witch trials". There is a monument to this on the side of Weymouth Harbour.

The notable architect Sir Christopher Wren was the Member of Parliament for Weymouth for 1702, and held control of nearby Portland's quarries from 1675 to 1717. When he designed St Paul's Cathedral, Wren had it built out of Portland Stone, the famous stone originating from Portland's quarries. Sir James Thornhill was born in the 'White Hart' public house in Weymouth and became MP for Melcombe Regis in 1722. He became a famous artist, and coincidentally decorated the interior of St Paul's Cathedral.

and Queen Victoria's Jubilee Clock.The resort is among the first modern tourism destinations, after George III of Great Britain made Weymouth his summer holiday residence on fourteen occasions between 1789 and 1805. A painted statue of the King still stands on the seafront, and a mounted Osmington White Horse representing King George is carved into the chalk hills of Osmington to the east of the town. The horse faces away from the town, and a myth developed that the King took offence, believing it was a sign that the townspeople did not welcome him, and that the designer subsequently killed himself.

The seafront of Weymouth's Esplanade is composed of Georgian terraces, which have been converted into apartments, shops, hotels and guest houses. The buildings were constructed in the Georgian architecture and Regency architecture periods between 1770 and 1855, designed by prominent architects such as James Hamilton, and were mostly commissioned by wealthy businessmen, including those that were involved in the growth of Bath, Somerset. These terraces form a long, continuous arc of buildings which face Weymouth Bay along the Esplanade, which also features the colourful Jubilee Clock, erected in 1887 to mark the 50th year of Queen Victoria's reign. Statues of Victoria, King George III and Sir Henry Edwards, Member of Parliament for the borough from 1867 to 1885, and two war memorials stand along the Esplanade.

march through Weymouth to board landing ships for the Battle of Normandy.In the centre of the town lies Weymouth Harbour; although it was the reason for the town's foundation, the harbour effectively separates the two areas of Melcombe Regis (the main town centre) and Weymouth (the southern harbourside) from each other. Since the 18th century this barrier has been overcome with successive bridges over the narrowest part of the harbour. The present Town bridge, built in 1930, is a lifting bascule bridge to let boats access the Weymouth Marina, one of less than ten in the United Kingdom.

Weymouth and Portland played an important role in World War II, and were subjected to bombings by German planes, as were other towns along the South Coast. Portland harbour was home to a large naval base, and Weymouth was home to Nothe Fort, together an important part of the D-Day preparations and Bouncing bomb development. The Bouncing bomb was tested in the Chesil Beach lagoon to the west of town. The history of the area is documented at the Timewalk museum in Brewers Quay; the former brewery is a tourist attraction and shopping village on the southern shore of Weymouth Harbour.

Politics and demographics The district of Weymouth and Portland was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the nearby Isle of Portland urban district. The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is David Harris (Liberal Democrats), and Tim Munro (Independent politician#United Kingdom) is Deputy Mayor. Weymouth, Portland and the Purbeck (district) district are in the Dorset South parliamentary United Kingdom constituencies, created in 1885. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament; the current MP is Jim Knight (Labour Party (UK)), the Minister of State for Schools.

Dorset South was the most marginal seat in the United Kingdom local elections, 2001, being only won by 153 votes.At the 2001 general election, Jim Knight was elected MP for Dorset South, which was the only constituency in which Labour gained votes from the Conservative Party (UK). This was helped a high-profile anti-Conservative campaign by musician Billy Bragg. Jim Knight was expecting to have a difficult 2005 election, yet he won with a margin of 1,812 votes—this was in contrast to other areas, where Labour suffered a decline in the vote.

{] was 51,880, in a built up area of , giving an approximate population density of 28 residents per hectare, in 24,622 dwellings. The population of the town has grown steadily since the 1970s, mainly as a result of migration. There is an above average number of residents aged 60–84 (23.2%), however this is less than the Dorset average of 26.2%, and the largest proportion of the population (32.4%) is between the ages of 18 to 44, above the Dorset average of 29.6%. The population is largely native to England—96.62% of residents are of White British background.

Crime rates in the borough are below average compared to the UK; Weymouth's rate of 12.0 crimes per 1000 households is lower than that of England and Wales (13.5/1000). However, the town's crime rates are above those of the South West England average of 8.9 per 1000. House prices in Weymouth are relatively high by UK standards, yet around average for most of the south of England—the average price of a detached house in 2006 was GBP289,463; semi-detached and Terraced house houses were cheaper, at £212,764 and £185,445 respectively, and an apartment or maisonette cost £161,179.These figures are for July to September in 2006, and may be affected by a low number of sales.

Weymouth has been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986, and the France town of Louviers, in the departments of France of Eure in Normandy, since 1959.

Geology, geography and ecology Weymouth is situated on weak sand and clay rock which in most places along the Dorset coast, except for narrow bands at Lulworth Cove, Swanage and Durdle Door, has been erosion and transported away. This weak rock has been protected at Weymouth by Chesil Beach and the strong Portland stone Isle of Portland that lies offshore to the south. The island affects the tides of the area, producing a double low tide in Weymouth bay and Portland Harbour.

There are two lakes in the borough, both RSPB Nature Reserves—Radipole Lake in the town centre, and Lodmoor between the town centre and Preston. Radipole lake, the largest Nature Reserve, and mouth of the River Wey, Dorset before it flows into Weymouth harbour, is a large and important habitat for fish and bird migration birds, and over 200 species of plants. Radipole is an important tourist attraction, it and Weymouth Beach are situated very close to the main town centre and shops. In total there are 48 Conservation designation#United Kingdom in the borough, including 11 SSSI covering an area of .

Weymouth is the largest town in the area, larger than the county town of Dorchester, Dorset, which lies just to the north, and hence is a centre of activity for the nearby population. A steep ridge of chalk called the Dorset Downs, separates Dorchester and Weymouth; they are less agricultural than the valleys in the centre and north of Dorset, but have dairy agriculture and arable land farms. The area contains numerous small villages, including Wyke Regis, Chickerell, and Osmington; the nearest have become the outskirts of the main town.

The sand and clay on which Weymouth is built is very low-lying—large areas are below sea level, which allowed the eastern areas of the town to become flooded during extreme low pressure storms. In the 1980s and 90s a sea wall was constructed around Weymouth Harbour and along the beach road in Preston, Dorset; a rip rap groyne in Greenhill, Dorset and beach nourishment up to Preston have created a wide and artificially graded pebble beach, to ensure that the low-lying land around Lodmoor does not flood. The defences at Preston, the extended ferry terminal and the widening of the Esplanade have changed the sediment regime in Weymouth Bay, to produce a narrowing beach at Greenhill and widening sands in Weymouth. A study conducted as part of the redevelopment of the Weymouth Pavilion has shown that the proposed marina will contribute slightly to this effect, but sand dredging#Uses out of the marina could be used to make the beach up to wider.

Climate Due to its location in the south west of England, Weymouth has a temperate climate (Koppen climate classification#GROUP C: Temperate/mesothermal climates Cfb) with a small variation in daily and annual temperatures. The average annual mean temperature from 1971 to 2000 was 10.2 to 12 Celsius. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature range of 13.3 °C to 20.4 °C, and the coolest month is February, with a temperature range of 3.1 °C to 8.3 °C. Maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year are above the England average, and as with most of England, Weymouth is in Hardiness zone#Benefits and criticisms. Areas in American Horticultural Society Heat zone 2 experience one to seven days per year with maximum temperatures above 30 °C. Mean sea surface temperatures range from 7.0 °C in February to 17.2 °C in August.



The borough of Weymouth and Portland, along with the rest of the South Coast, often has the sunniest weather in Britain. The resort averaged 1768.4 hours of sunshine annually between 1971 and 2000, which is just under 40% of the maximum possible,The maximum possible sunshine hours in one year is approximately 4476 hours. and 32% above the Climate of the United Kingdom of 1339.7 hours. December is the cloudiest month, with an average of 55.7 hours of sunshine, and July is the sunniest month, averaging 235.1 hours; sunshine totals in all months are well above the United Kingdom average. December is the wettest month, with an average of 90.9 millimetre of rain, and July is the driest month, averaging 35.6 mm. The average annual rainfall of 751.7 mm is well below the United Kingdom average of 1125.0 mm, and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average.

The low lying nature of the area, and the ameliorating effect of the lakes and mild seas that surround the town, act to keep night-time temperatures above freezing, making winter frost rare: on average eight times a year. This is far below the United Kingdom's average annual total of 55.6 days of frost. Days with snow lying are equally rare: on average zero to six days a year; almost all winters have one day or less with snow lying. It may snow or sleet a couple of times in a winter, yet it almost never settles on the ground—low lying and coastal areas in the south west such as Weymouth experience the mildest winters in the UK. The growing season in Weymouth lasts from nine to twelve months a year,The growing season in the United Kingdom is defined as starting on the day after five consecutive days with mean temperatures above 5 °C. The season finishes the day after mean temperatures are below 5 °C for five consecutive days. and the borough is in Hardiness zone 9. Areas in Hardiness zone 9 experience an average lowest recorded temperature each year between -1 and -7 °C.

Tourism and industry attracts thousands of tourists in the height of summer.Tourism has been the largest industry in Weymouth for decades, though this has declined slightly since its peak in the late 1990s. Weymouth's wide and shallow sandy Weymouth Beach is used for swimming and sunbathing during the tourist season, and for beach motocross, volleyball and handball at events throughout the year, including the International Handball Championships and the Weymouth Beach Volleyball Classic. The International beach kite festival, held in May each year on Weymouth Beach, attracts up to 40,000 spectators to the Esplanade from around the world. There are nearly a hundred other events held throughout the course of the year in the borough, including firework display, Dragon boat racing, and the annual carnival in mid-August, which attracts around 70,000 people each year. Weymouth is the only port in the world to have hosted the start of The Tall Ships' Races three times—in 1983, 1987 and 1994; the 1994 event attracting 300,000 spectators.

is one of the maritime-related museums in the town.Weymouth has two lakes (Radipole Lake and Lodmoor)—which are both RSPB nature reserves—and museums, an aquarium, a skate park and two shopping centres. There are caravan and camping sites just out of town, hotels on the seafront, and hundreds of small guest houses near the town centre. Situated approximately half-way along the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth is a gateway town to the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the site includes of the Dorset and east Devon coast that is important for its geology and landforms. The South West Coast Path runs through Weymouth and Portland, it is the United Kingdom's longest Long-distance footpaths in the UK, at .

The Weymouth Pavilion theatre was built in 1960 on a peninsula of reclaimed land between the harbour and the Esplanade, after the Ritz theatre was destroyed by fire in 1954. The Pavilion is owned and operated by Weymouth and Portland. It was announced in 2006 that the Pavilion complex and of its surroundings will be entirely redeveloped from 2007 to 2011, in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The planned complex is to include a refurbished theatre, a World Heritage Site visitor centre, a new Condor Ferries, a 120–150 bed 4-star hotel, an undercover car park, a shopping arcade, offices, luxury and low cost apartments, houses, public squares, promenades, and a marina.

As part of the urban regeneration of Weymouth and Portland, it was decided in 2007 that Weymouth's Esplanade will be redeveloped in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. Planned improvements to the Esplanade include a new public square around the statue of George III, the restoration and extension the Art Deco Pier Bandstand, a Tourist information centre and café, Victorian architecture shelters and seasonal kiosks, a Her Majesty's Coastguard Centre, and a sand art pavilion for the works of Mark Anderson. Other alterations to the promenade are considered, particularly around key areas such as the Jubilee Clock and the Pier Bandstand, including a new lighting scheme and a series of seating areas with planting, fountains and structural trees. All proposals are scheduled to undergo a period of public consultation towards the end of 2007, before accepted improvements could begin in 2008 for completion before 2012.

Weymouth harbour is long and narrow, and formed the estuary of the River Wey, Dorset, until the building of a bridge which separated the harbour's Weymouth Marina from Radipole Lake. The harbour was home to a large fishing fleet, and for centuries was an important passenger, trade and cargo port. Goods handled in the harbour included wool and spices, and in the 20th century Weymouth was a bulk importer of fertiliser. The old harbourside, near the seaward end of the harbour, still hosts a large fishing fleet, with docks, unloading areas, and a ferry terminal. Fishing and trading are less significant employment sectors in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, but Weymouth's port has the largest annual fish tonnage in England and the third largest in the United Kingdom.

The Inner Harbour was refurbished in two phases, in 1994–1996 and in 2002, to include a new Weymouth Marina with hundreds of berths for pleasure boats, cruisers and sailing boats. There are boats offering pleasure trips along the Jurassic Coast, and thrill ride trips to the Isle of Portland, and there is still a small passenger ferry service across the harbour, linking Brewer's Quay shopping centre to the town centre.

The main shopping centre in the area is in Melcombe Regis, consisting of two pedestrianised streets (St. Thomas's and St. Mary's Street), additional shops along the Esplanade, and a new precinct stretching from St. Thomas's Street to the harbourside, built in the 1990s. In 2005 the centre had 292 shops and of floorspace. There was almost of industrial estate in the area in 2005. Fashion company New Look (store) has its national head office in Weymouth, and until 2005 the company's regional distribution centre was based at the same site. Plans were approved in 2007 to develop the New Look site to include new headquarters, retail warehouses and industrial units, a hotel, a fire station, and a medical centre with ambulance station.

Transport Weymouth railway station is the terminus of the South Western Main Line London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line Westbury, Wiltshire and Bristol. Its size was appropriate for the rail traffic that came in and out of Weymouth on busy summer Saturdays, however it was oversized as trains became less popular, and was demolished in 1986. A smaller station took up part of the site, and the rest was given to commercial development. Parts of the South West Main Line west of Poole have been reduced from dual to single track; as part of preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games, local councils have lobbied the Department for Transport to relay the track and increase services to London and Bristol, and to introduce new direct services to Exeter.

('Quay Branch').An unusual feature of railways in Weymouth was that until 1987 scheduled trains ran through the public streets along the Weymouth Harbour Tramway to the Quay Station at the eastern end of the harbour, for trains to travel to the European mainland by sea. Due to declining business, goods traffic ceased in 1972, but passenger services continued until 1987, when these services ceased from lack of use. The Quay Station houses the Condor Ferries Terminal; Condor Ferries' main UK port is Weymouth, and the HSC Condor Express runs from Weymouth Harbour to the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Jersey and to the French port of St Malo.

Contracts for local bus services are held by First Group, which bought the local Southern National company. Bus services run from Weymouth to Isle of Portland, Dorchester, Dorset, Bournemouth, Wool, Dorset, Beaminster, Axminster, other villages and to the town's Holiday Parks.{{cite web ] by the Jurassic Coast Bus service, which runs along the route of from Exeter to Poole, through Sidford, Beer, Devon, Seaton, Devon, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Wool, and Wareham, Dorset. This service is convenient for walkers who can ride the bus to or from a walk along the coast.

The A354 road connects the town to the A35 road trunk road in Dorchester, and terminates at Easton, Dorset on the Isle of Portland. The A353 road runs east from Weymouth to the south of Warmwell, where it connects with the A352 road to the Isle of Purbeck and Wareham. In the 1980s the town centre was bypassed by the A354 to Portland, but the government's road building policy changed before the proposed relief road could be completed. The busy A354 follows its original route through the suburbs of Upwey and Broadwey, where traffic problems are common at peak tourist times, and particularly on event days such as the carnival.

The relief road has been held up by opposition from residents and environmentalism groups, including Transport 2000 and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, who object to the proposed route's partial destruction of a local nature reserve, which is an AONB and a SSSI. With Weymouth and Portland scheduled to host 2012 Olympic sailing events the project has reopened; the local authorities favouring a more environmentally friendly proposal than in the 1990s. On 5 April 2007, Dorset County Council granted planning permission for a modified proposal including a single carriageway running north, and a 1000 space park and ride scheme, costing Pound sterling84.5 million. Without major delays, work is expected to commence in early 2008; it was agreed that the work be completed in three years, in time for the 2012 Olympic sailing events.

Sport and recreation The local football team, Weymouth F.C. or 'the Terras', have remained outside the Football League but, in common with other non-League clubs, they became professional in 2005. The team enjoyed erratic success at their level; twice playing in the third round of the FA Cup, the highest club competition level. At the end of the 2005–06 season the team became champions of the Conference South (the sixth level of English football) meaning that they compete in the Conference National (the fifth level) for the first time since 1989. The Wessex Stadium's record attendance is 6,000 against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup 2005–2006 Season.

The Terras' ground is the out-of-town Wessex Stadium, but until 1987 the team played at a ground near the town centre, on the Asda supermarket site. The club's move pre-dated the move to new out-of-town grounds by professional league clubs, and was the first football stadium opened in England in 32 years. Motorcycle speedway racing was staged at the stadium from 1954 until the redevelopment—Weymouth's team was revived in 2003, and 'Weymouth Wildcats' play at a new track adjacent to the new stadium. In 2005 a scheme was proposed to rebuild the Wessex stadium to occupy a pitch-and-putt golf course, coincidentally with Asda building on the previous stadium site. Although the plans were to move by August 2007, the scheme was shelved before construction could begin.

Just south of Weymouth in Portland Harbour is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will take place. The main reason that the resort was chosen to be an 2012 Summer Olympic venues was because the Sailing Academy had only recently been built, so no new venue would need to be provided. However, as part of the South West of England Regional Development Agency's plans to redevelop Osprey Quay, in which the Academy is built, a new 600 berth marina and an extension with more on-site facilities will be built. Weymouth and Portland are likely to be the first in the United Kingdom to finish building a venue for the Olympic Games, as construction is scheduled between August 2007 and the end of 2008.

Weymouth Bay were credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe, and local, national and international sailing events are regularly held in the bay. These include the J/24 World Championships in 2005, trials for the 2004 Athens Olympics, the International Sailing Federation World Championship 2006, the BUSA Fleet Racing Championships, and the RYA Youth National Championships. Weymouth Bay is a venue for other water sports—the reliable wind is favourable for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The sheltered waters in Portland Harbour and near Weymouth are used for angling, diving to shipwrecks, snorkelling, canoeing, jet skiing, water skiing, and swimming.

See also image:Uk_dor_portharbour.JPG and Portland Harbour from the Isle of Portland.

References and notes External links

Photographs



{{infobox UK place||country = England|official_name= Weymouth|latitude= 50.613|longitude= -2.457|map_type=Dorset|population = 51,880Population figure is an estimate for mid 2005, and includes only the town of Weymouth—not Portland or surrounding villages.|shire_district= Weymouth and Portland|region= South West England|constituency_westminster= [South Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|post_town= Weymouth|postcode_district = DT3, DT4|postcode_area= DT|dial_code= 01305|os_grid_reference= SY6779-->

Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, United Kingdom, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, Dorset on the English Channel coast. The town is south of Dorchester, Dorset and north of the Isle of Portland. The population of Weymouth is almost 52,000.

The A354 road bridge connects Weymouth to Portland, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The history of the borough stretches back to the 12th century; including involvement in the Black Death, the British colonisation of the Americas, the Georgian era, and World War II.

Although fishing and trading are less significant employment sectors in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, tourism has had a strong presence in the town since the 18th century. Weymouth continues to be a popular tourist seaside resort, and the town's economy depends on its harbour and the beaches of Weymouth Bay. Weymouth is a gateway town situated half-way along the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Weymouth harbour is home to cross-channel ferries, pleasure boats and private yachts, and nearby Portland Harbour is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games will be held.

History .Weymouth originated as a settlement on a constricted site to the south and west of Weymouth Harbour, an outlying part of Wyke Regis village. The town developed from the mid 12th century onwards, but a settlement is not noted until the 13th century. By 1252 it was established as a seaport and become a chartered borough. Melcombe Regis developed separately on the peninsula to the north of the harbour, it was mentioned as a licensed 'wool port' in 1310.

Melcombe Regis is thought to be the first port at which the Black Death came into England, aboard a spice ship in June 1348.In their early history Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were rivals for trade and industry, but the towns were united in an Act of Parliament in 1571 to form a double borough. Both towns have become known as Weymouth, despite Melcombe Regis being the part of town in which the main beach and tourist attractions are. The villages of Upwey, Dorset, Broadwey, Preston, Dorset, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Southill, Weymouth, Radipole and Littlemoor are encompassed by the town.

.During the English Civil War (1642–51) more than 500 people were killed in the Battle of Weymouth on February 27 1645. In 1635, on board the ship Charity, around 100 emigrants from the town crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in Weymouth, Massachusetts. More townspeople British colonisation of the Americas to bolster the population of Weymouth, Nova Scotia and Salem, Massachusetts; then called Naumking, Salem became infamous for its "Salem witch trials". There is a monument to this on the side of Weymouth Harbour.

The notable architect Sir Christopher Wren was the Member of Parliament for Weymouth for 1702, and held control of nearby Portland's quarries from 1675 to 1717. When he designed St Paul's Cathedral, Wren had it built out of Portland Stone, the famous stone originating from Portland's quarries. Sir James Thornhill was born in the 'White Hart' public house in Weymouth and became MP for Melcombe Regis in 1722. He became a famous artist, and coincidentally decorated the interior of St Paul's Cathedral.

and Queen Victoria's Jubilee Clock.The resort is among the first modern tourism destinations, after George III of Great Britain made Weymouth his summer holiday residence on fourteen occasions between 1789 and 1805. A painted statue of the King still stands on the seafront, and a mounted Osmington White Horse representing King George is carved into the chalk hills of Osmington to the east of the town. The horse faces away from the town, and a myth developed that the King took offence, believing it was a sign that the townspeople did not welcome him, and that the designer subsequently killed himself.

The seafront of Weymouth's Esplanade is composed of Georgian terraces, which have been converted into apartments, shops, hotels and guest houses. The buildings were constructed in the Georgian architecture and Regency architecture periods between 1770 and 1855, designed by prominent architects such as James Hamilton, and were mostly commissioned by wealthy businessmen, including those that were involved in the growth of Bath, Somerset. These terraces form a long, continuous arc of buildings which face Weymouth Bay along the Esplanade, which also features the colourful Jubilee Clock, erected in 1887 to mark the 50th year of Queen Victoria's reign. Statues of Victoria, King George III and Sir Henry Edwards, Member of Parliament for the borough from 1867 to 1885, and two war memorials stand along the Esplanade.

march through Weymouth to board landing ships for the Battle of Normandy.In the centre of the town lies Weymouth Harbour; although it was the reason for the town's foundation, the harbour effectively separates the two areas of Melcombe Regis (the main town centre) and Weymouth (the southern harbourside) from each other. Since the 18th century this barrier has been overcome with successive bridges over the narrowest part of the harbour. The present Town bridge, built in 1930, is a lifting bascule bridge to let boats access the Weymouth Marina, one of less than ten in the United Kingdom.

Weymouth and Portland played an important role in World War II, and were subjected to bombings by German planes, as were other towns along the South Coast. Portland harbour was home to a large naval base, and Weymouth was home to Nothe Fort, together an important part of the D-Day preparations and Bouncing bomb development. The Bouncing bomb was tested in the Chesil Beach lagoon to the west of town. The history of the area is documented at the Timewalk museum in Brewers Quay; the former brewery is a tourist attraction and shopping village on the southern shore of Weymouth Harbour.

Politics and demographics The district of Weymouth and Portland was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the nearby Isle of Portland urban district. The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is David Harris (Liberal Democrats), and Tim Munro (Independent politician#United Kingdom) is Deputy Mayor. Weymouth, Portland and the Purbeck (district) district are in the Dorset South parliamentary United Kingdom constituencies, created in 1885. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament; the current MP is Jim Knight (Labour Party (UK)), the Minister of State for Schools.

Dorset South was the most marginal seat in the United Kingdom local elections, 2001, being only won by 153 votes.At the 2001 general election, Jim Knight was elected MP for Dorset South, which was the only constituency in which Labour gained votes from the Conservative Party (UK). This was helped a high-profile anti-Conservative campaign by musician Billy Bragg. Jim Knight was expecting to have a difficult 2005 election, yet he won with a margin of 1,812 votes—this was in contrast to other areas, where Labour suffered a decline in the vote.

{] was 51,880, in a built up area of , giving an approximate population density of 28 residents per hectare, in 24,622 dwellings. The population of the town has grown steadily since the 1970s, mainly as a result of migration. There is an above average number of residents aged 60–84 (23.2%), however this is less than the Dorset average of 26.2%, and the largest proportion of the population (32.4%) is between the ages of 18 to 44, above the Dorset average of 29.6%. The population is largely native to England—96.62% of residents are of White British background.

Crime rates in the borough are below average compared to the UK; Weymouth's rate of 12.0 crimes per 1000 households is lower than that of England and Wales (13.5/1000). However, the town's crime rates are above those of the South West England average of 8.9 per 1000. House prices in Weymouth are relatively high by UK standards, yet around average for most of the south of England—the average price of a detached house in 2006 was GBP289,463; semi-detached and Terraced house houses were cheaper, at £212,764 and £185,445 respectively, and an apartment or maisonette cost £161,179.These figures are for July to September in 2006, and may be affected by a low number of sales.

Weymouth has been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986, and the France town of Louviers, in the departments of France of Eure in Normandy, since 1959.

Geology, geography and ecology Weymouth is situated on weak sand and clay rock which in most places along the Dorset coast, except for narrow bands at Lulworth Cove, Swanage and Durdle Door, has been erosion and transported away. This weak rock has been protected at Weymouth by Chesil Beach and the strong Portland stone Isle of Portland that lies offshore to the south. The island affects the tides of the area, producing a double low tide in Weymouth bay and Portland Harbour.

There are two lakes in the borough, both RSPB Nature Reserves—Radipole Lake in the town centre, and Lodmoor between the town centre and Preston. Radipole lake, the largest Nature Reserve, and mouth of the River Wey, Dorset before it flows into Weymouth harbour, is a large and important habitat for fish and bird migration birds, and over 200 species of plants. Radipole is an important tourist attraction, it and Weymouth Beach are situated very close to the main town centre and shops. In total there are 48 Conservation designation#United Kingdom in the borough, including 11 SSSI covering an area of .

Weymouth is the largest town in the area, larger than the county town of Dorchester, Dorset, which lies just to the north, and hence is a centre of activity for the nearby population. A steep ridge of chalk called the Dorset Downs, separates Dorchester and Weymouth; they are less agricultural than the valleys in the centre and north of Dorset, but have dairy agriculture and arable land farms. The area contains numerous small villages, including Wyke Regis, Chickerell, and Osmington; the nearest have become the outskirts of the main town.

The sand and clay on which Weymouth is built is very low-lying—large areas are below sea level, which allowed the eastern areas of the town to become flooded during extreme low pressure storms. In the 1980s and 90s a sea wall was constructed around Weymouth Harbour and along the beach road in Preston, Dorset; a rip rap groyne in Greenhill, Dorset and beach nourishment up to Preston have created a wide and artificially graded pebble beach, to ensure that the low-lying land around Lodmoor does not flood. The defences at Preston, the extended ferry terminal and the widening of the Esplanade have changed the sediment regime in Weymouth Bay, to produce a narrowing beach at Greenhill and widening sands in Weymouth. A study conducted as part of the redevelopment of the Weymouth Pavilion has shown that the proposed marina will contribute slightly to this effect, but sand dredging#Uses out of the marina could be used to make the beach up to wider.

Climate Due to its location in the south west of England, Weymouth has a temperate climate (Koppen climate classification#GROUP C: Temperate/mesothermal climates Cfb) with a small variation in daily and annual temperatures. The average annual mean temperature from 1971 to 2000 was 10.2 to 12 Celsius. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature range of 13.3 °C to 20.4 °C, and the coolest month is February, with a temperature range of 3.1 °C to 8.3 °C. Maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year are above the England average, and as with most of England, Weymouth is in Hardiness zone#Benefits and criticisms. Areas in American Horticultural Society Heat zone 2 experience one to seven days per year with maximum temperatures above 30 °C. Mean sea surface temperatures range from 7.0 °C in February to 17.2 °C in August.



The borough of Weymouth and Portland, along with the rest of the South Coast, often has the sunniest weather in Britain. The resort averaged 1768.4 hours of sunshine annually between 1971 and 2000, which is just under 40% of the maximum possible,The maximum possible sunshine hours in one year is approximately 4476 hours. and 32% above the Climate of the United Kingdom of 1339.7 hours. December is the cloudiest month, with an average of 55.7 hours of sunshine, and July is the sunniest month, averaging 235.1 hours; sunshine totals in all months are well above the United Kingdom average. December is the wettest month, with an average of 90.9 millimetre of rain, and July is the driest month, averaging 35.6 mm. The average annual rainfall of 751.7 mm is well below the United Kingdom average of 1125.0 mm, and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average.

The low lying nature of the area, and the ameliorating effect of the lakes and mild seas that surround the town, act to keep night-time temperatures above freezing, making winter frost rare: on average eight times a year. This is far below the United Kingdom's average annual total of 55.6 days of frost. Days with snow lying are equally rare: on average zero to six days a year; almost all winters have one day or less with snow lying. It may snow or sleet a couple of times in a winter, yet it almost never settles on the ground—low lying and coastal areas in the south west such as Weymouth experience the mildest winters in the UK. The growing season in Weymouth lasts from nine to twelve months a year,The growing season in the United Kingdom is defined as starting on the day after five consecutive days with mean temperatures above 5 °C. The season finishes the day after mean temperatures are below 5 °C for five consecutive days. and the borough is in Hardiness zone 9. Areas in Hardiness zone 9 experience an average lowest recorded temperature each year between -1 and -7 °C.

Tourism and industry attracts thousands of tourists in the height of summer.Tourism has been the largest industry in Weymouth for decades, though this has declined slightly since its peak in the late 1990s. Weymouth's wide and shallow sandy Weymouth Beach is used for swimming and sunbathing during the tourist season, and for beach motocross, volleyball and handball at events throughout the year, including the International Handball Championships and the Weymouth Beach Volleyball Classic. The International beach kite festival, held in May each year on Weymouth Beach, attracts up to 40,000 spectators to the Esplanade from around the world. There are nearly a hundred other events held throughout the course of the year in the borough, including firework display, Dragon boat racing, and the annual carnival in mid-August, which attracts around 70,000 people each year. Weymouth is the only port in the world to have hosted the start of The Tall Ships' Races three times—in 1983, 1987 and 1994; the 1994 event attracting 300,000 spectators.

is one of the maritime-related museums in the town.Weymouth has two lakes (Radipole Lake and Lodmoor)—which are both RSPB nature reserves—and museums, an aquarium, a skate park and two shopping centres. There are caravan and camping sites just out of town, hotels on the seafront, and hundreds of small guest houses near the town centre. Situated approximately half-way along the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth is a gateway town to the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the site includes of the Dorset and east Devon coast that is important for its geology and landforms. The South West Coast Path runs through Weymouth and Portland, it is the United Kingdom's longest Long-distance footpaths in the UK, at .

The Weymouth Pavilion theatre was built in 1960 on a peninsula of reclaimed land between the harbour and the Esplanade, after the Ritz theatre was destroyed by fire in 1954. The Pavilion is owned and operated by Weymouth and Portland. It was announced in 2006 that the Pavilion complex and of its surroundings will be entirely redeveloped from 2007 to 2011, in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The planned complex is to include a refurbished theatre, a World Heritage Site visitor centre, a new Condor Ferries, a 120–150 bed 4-star hotel, an undercover car park, a shopping arcade, offices, luxury and low cost apartments, houses, public squares, promenades, and a marina.

As part of the urban regeneration of Weymouth and Portland, it was decided in 2007 that Weymouth's Esplanade will be redeveloped in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. Planned improvements to the Esplanade include a new public square around the statue of George III, the restoration and extension the Art Deco Pier Bandstand, a Tourist information centre and café, Victorian architecture shelters and seasonal kiosks, a Her Majesty's Coastguard Centre, and a sand art pavilion for the works of Mark Anderson. Other alterations to the promenade are considered, particularly around key areas such as the Jubilee Clock and the Pier Bandstand, including a new lighting scheme and a series of seating areas with planting, fountains and structural trees. All proposals are scheduled to undergo a period of public consultation towards the end of 2007, before accepted improvements could begin in 2008 for completion before 2012.

Weymouth harbour is long and narrow, and formed the estuary of the River Wey, Dorset, until the building of a bridge which separated the harbour's Weymouth Marina from Radipole Lake. The harbour was home to a large fishing fleet, and for centuries was an important passenger, trade and cargo port. Goods handled in the harbour included wool and spices, and in the 20th century Weymouth was a bulk importer of fertiliser. The old harbourside, near the seaward end of the harbour, still hosts a large fishing fleet, with docks, unloading areas, and a ferry terminal. Fishing and trading are less significant employment sectors in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, but Weymouth's port has the largest annual fish tonnage in England and the third largest in the United Kingdom.

The Inner Harbour was refurbished in two phases, in 1994–1996 and in 2002, to include a new Weymouth Marina with hundreds of berths for pleasure boats, cruisers and sailing boats. There are boats offering pleasure trips along the Jurassic Coast, and thrill ride trips to the Isle of Portland, and there is still a small passenger ferry service across the harbour, linking Brewer's Quay shopping centre to the town centre.

The main shopping centre in the area is in Melcombe Regis, consisting of two pedestrianised streets (St. Thomas's and St. Mary's Street), additional shops along the Esplanade, and a new precinct stretching from St. Thomas's Street to the harbourside, built in the 1990s. In 2005 the centre had 292 shops and of floorspace. There was almost of industrial estate in the area in 2005. Fashion company New Look (store) has its national head office in Weymouth, and until 2005 the company's regional distribution centre was based at the same site. Plans were approved in 2007 to develop the New Look site to include new headquarters, retail warehouses and industrial units, a hotel, a fire station, and a medical centre with ambulance station.

Transport Weymouth railway station is the terminus of the South Western Main Line London Waterloo and the Heart of Wessex Line Westbury, Wiltshire and Bristol. Its size was appropriate for the rail traffic that came in and out of Weymouth on busy summer Saturdays, however it was oversized as trains became less popular, and was demolished in 1986. A smaller station took up part of the site, and the rest was given to commercial development. Parts of the South West Main Line west of Poole have been reduced from dual to single track; as part of preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games, local councils have lobbied the Department for Transport to relay the track and increase services to London and Bristol, and to introduce new direct services to Exeter.

('Quay Branch').An unusual feature of railways in Weymouth was that until 1987 scheduled trains ran through the public streets along the Weymouth Harbour Tramway to the Quay Station at the eastern end of the harbour, for trains to travel to the European mainland by sea. Due to declining business, goods traffic ceased in 1972, but passenger services continued until 1987, when these services ceased from lack of use. The Quay Station houses the Condor Ferries Terminal; Condor Ferries' main UK port is Weymouth, and the HSC Condor Express runs from Weymouth Harbour to the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Jersey and to the French port of St Malo.

Contracts for local bus services are held by First Group, which bought the local Southern National company. Bus services run from Weymouth to Isle of Portland, Dorchester, Dorset, Bournemouth, Wool, Dorset, Beaminster, Axminster, other villages and to the town's Holiday Parks.{{cite web ] by the Jurassic Coast Bus service, which runs along the route of from Exeter to Poole, through Sidford, Beer, Devon, Seaton, Devon, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Wool, and Wareham, Dorset. This service is convenient for walkers who can ride the bus to or from a walk along the coast.

The A354 road connects the town to the A35 road trunk road in Dorchester, and terminates at Easton, Dorset on the Isle of Portland. The A353 road runs east from Weymouth to the south of Warmwell, where it connects with the A352 road to the Isle of Purbeck and Wareham. In the 1980s the town centre was bypassed by the A354 to Portland, but the government's road building policy changed before the proposed relief road could be completed. The busy A354 follows its original route through the suburbs of Upwey and Broadwey, where traffic problems are common at peak tourist times, and particularly on event days such as the carnival.

The relief road has been held up by opposition from residents and environmentalism groups, including Transport 2000 and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, who object to the proposed route's partial destruction of a local nature reserve, which is an AONB and a SSSI. With Weymouth and Portland scheduled to host 2012 Olympic sailing events the project has reopened; the local authorities favouring a more environmentally friendly proposal than in the 1990s. On 5 April 2007, Dorset County Council granted planning permission for a modified proposal including a single carriageway running north, and a 1000 space park and ride scheme, costing Pound sterling84.5 million. Without major delays, work is expected to commence in early 2008; it was agreed that the work be completed in three years, in time for the 2012 Olympic sailing events.

Sport and recreation The local football team, Weymouth F.C. or 'the Terras', have remained outside the Football League but, in common with other non-League clubs, they became professional in 2005. The team enjoyed erratic success at their level; twice playing in the third round of the FA Cup, the highest club competition level. At the end of the 2005–06 season the team became champions of the Conference South (the sixth level of English football) meaning that they compete in the Conference National (the fifth level) for the first time since 1989. The Wessex Stadium's record attendance is 6,000 against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup 2005–2006 Season.

The Terras' ground is the out-of-town Wessex Stadium, but until 1987 the team played at a ground near the town centre, on the Asda supermarket site. The club's move pre-dated the move to new out-of-town grounds by professional league clubs, and was the first football stadium opened in England in 32 years. Motorcycle speedway racing was staged at the stadium from 1954 until the redevelopment—Weymouth's team was revived in 2003, and 'Weymouth Wildcats' play at a new track adjacent to the new stadium. In 2005 a scheme was proposed to rebuild the Wessex stadium to occupy a pitch-and-putt golf course, coincidentally with Asda building on the previous stadium site. Although the plans were to move by August 2007, the scheme was shelved before construction could begin.

Just south of Weymouth in Portland Harbour is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will take place. The main reason that the resort was chosen to be an 2012 Summer Olympic venues was because the Sailing Academy had only recently been built, so no new venue would need to be provided. However, as part of the South West of England Regional Development Agency's plans to redevelop Osprey Quay, in which the Academy is built, a new 600 berth marina and an extension with more on-site facilities will be built. Weymouth and Portland are likely to be the first in the United Kingdom to finish building a venue for the Olympic Games, as construction is scheduled between August 2007 and the end of 2008.

Weymouth Bay were credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe, and local, national and international sailing events are regularly held in the bay. These include the J/24 World Championships in 2005, trials for the 2004 Athens Olympics, the International Sailing Federation World Championship 2006, the BUSA Fleet Racing Championships, and the RYA Youth National Championships. Weymouth Bay is a venue for other water sports—the reliable wind is favourable for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The sheltered waters in Portland Harbour and near Weymouth are used for angling, diving to shipwrecks, snorkelling, canoeing, jet skiing, water skiing, and swimming.

See also image:Uk_dor_portharbour.JPG and Portland Harbour from the Isle of Portland.

References and notes External links

Photographs



Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
The local council that covers both the Weymouth and Portland areas. Details included are for residents and visitors to the area.

Holidays in Weymouth and Portland the traditional seaside holiday ...
Weymouth and Portland, Dorset at the heart of the world heritage jurassic coastline the ideal place for your family holidays by the sea in a traditional seaside resort

Weymouth College
Information on courses and what the college is like to attend

The Weymouth College Stone Masonry Centre of Vocational Excellence
Home page of the Weymouth College Stonemasonry Department, providing highly acclaimed courses in Applied Architectural Stonework and Conservation to students from all over the ...

Welcome to theterras.co.uk - Home of Weymouth Football Club
The official site with news, results, fixtures, tables, match reports, squad details, photographs, and club information.

Welcome to theterras.co.uk - Home of Weymouth Football Club
latest news from the press : monday 4th august, 2008: Reality check: WEYMOUTH manager John Hollins slammed his players for an abject performance ...

BBC - Weather Centre - 5 Day Forecast in Celsius for Weymouth, United ...
The BBC Weather five day forecast for your selected town or city, showing the temperature in Celsius.

BBC - Dorset - Nature - Weymouth Weathercam
This camera looks out from Overcombe over Portland Bay - it's part of a website set up to monitor weather conditions along this part of the Dorset coast.

dean and reddyhoff - weymouth marina
Purpose built facility providing 250 permanent and visiting berths, situated beyond the town's historic lifting bridge in the inner harbour

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Weymouth
Visit BBC Sport for all the action as it happens - up-to-the-minute news, results, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC Sport covers the major events and all the ...

 

Weymouth



 
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