is an
English Seaside Resort town in
North Somerset , population 71,758 (
2001 census). It is situated on the
Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles (28 km) south west of
Bristol . The town has spread along the coast between the bounding high ground of
Worlebury Hill and
Brean Down . It is well known for its sandy beaches, although at low tide the sea can be over a mile from the beachfront. It is the most populous
Civil Parish in England.
''Weston'' comes from the
Anglo-Saxon for the west ''tun'' or settlement. The descriptive part of its name is unusual because it is in medieval
Latin and was first recorded by an unknown medieval church clerk, presumably to distinguish it from other Westons in the area. It is a popular myth that the description was a later Victorian invention. It means literally "on sea". It is pronounced ''mair'' rather than ''mahrey'', however.
Early in the 19th Century, Weston was a small windswept village of about 30 houses, located behind a line of sand dunes fronting the sea. The Pigott family of
Brockley , who were the local Lords of the Manor, had a summer residence at Grove House. Weston owes its growth and prosperity to the
Victorian Era boom in seaside holidays. Construction of the first hotel in the village started in 1808. Along with nearby
Burnham-on-Sea , Weston benefited from proximity to Bristol,
Bath and
South Wales .
Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his family lived in Weston, at Swiss Villa (eastern corner of Alexandra Parade and Swiss Road), for a number of months whilst he was supervising the construction of the Bristol & Exeter Railway in the area. With the opening of the railway, thousands of visitors came to the town from Bristol, The Midlands and further afield, on works outings and
Bank Holiday s. Also, many mining families came across the Bristol Channel from South Wales by
Paddle Steamer . To cater for them, Birnbeck
Pier was completed in
1867 , offering in its heyday
Amusement Arcade s, tea rooms,
Funfair rides and a
Photographic studio. However, it now stands in a derelict state and is in danger of collapsing into the sea.
Large areas of land were released for development from the 1850s onwards. Large detached villas, for the middle classes, were built on the southern slopes of Worlebury Hill. Semi-detached and terraced housing for the lower classes was built on the low 'moorland', behind the sea front.
In
1885 the first transatlantic telegraph cable of the
Commercial Cable Company was brought ashore and the company started a long association with the town, ending in
1962 .
Local traders, unhappy that visitors were not coming as far as the centre of the town, began the construction of a new pier closer to the main streets. Opened in
1904 , and known as the Grand Pier, it was originally planned to be 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. It still stands in truncated form today, although amusements and cafes have replaced the original
Music-hall theatre it supported, with the present building dating from
1933 . Further development occurred after
World War I , with the Winter Gardens and Pavilion (
1927 ), the Open Air Pool and an
Airfield all dating from the inter-war period.
Art Deco influences can be seen in much of the town's architecture from this period.
During
World War II many
Evacuees were accommodated in the town. Weston suffered several bombing raids, damaging parts of the town centre, particularly Orchard Street and Boulevard. War industries, such as aircraft and pump manufacture, were dispersed to the town. Many US troops were billeted in Weston. They and their equipment vanished practically overnight, with the run-up to
D-Day .
In the post-war period Weston suffered a large decline in popularity, like virtually all British seaside resorts. The advent of cheap foreign holidays and the break-up of large industries like mining contributed, as working communities became less likely to holiday together. The town had become a centre of industries such as
Helicopter production. Road transport links were improved with the
M5 Motorway running close by, and the town now supports several light industries and distribution depots, and functions partly as a
Dormitory Town for Bristol.
Philip Harris Ltd moved their production unit to the town in the 1970s to join their biological supplies division, which moved from Sheffield in
1965 . Some biological supplies work still continues under different owners.
The tourist traffic has never completely vanished and Weston nowadays could be considered to be weathering hard times moderately well. It has a
Shopping Centre , helicopter museum, a sea-life centre (currently called the ''SeaQuarium'') and
Miniature Railway .
Made an
Urban District in
1894 , Weston-super-Mare become a
Municipal Borough in
1937 . In
1974 , under the
Local Government Act 1972 , it was merged into the
Woodspring District of the
County Of Avon , and became a
Charter Trustees town. When Avon was split up in
1996 , it became the administrative headquarters of
North Somerset , one of the successor authorities. Weston-super-Mare regained a town council in
2000 , becoming a civil parish.
Well-known former residents of the town include author and politician
Jeffrey Archer , guitarist
Ritchie Blackmore , actor
John Cleese , author
Roald Dahl , journalist
Jill Dando , and actor
Rupert Graves . The writer
Bill Bryson had a wet time visiting, recounted in ''
Notes From A Small Island ''.
Arthur Stanley Eddington , one of the foremost
Astrophysicist s of the early 20th Century grew up in the town.
Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament Constituency)
