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Weymouth

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                    Weymouth
                   Statistics
   Population:          51,760 (Weymouth)
                Ordnance Survey
   OS grid reference:   SY6779
                 Administration
   District:            Weymouth and Portland
   Shire county:        Dorset
   Region:              South West England
   Constituent country: England
   Sovereign state:     United Kingdom
                     Other
   Ceremonial county:   Dorset
                    Services
   Police force:        Dorset Police
   Fire and rescue:     Dorset Fire and Rescue
   Ambulance:           South Western
           Post office and telephone
   Post town:           Weymouth
   Postal district:     DT3, DT4
   Dialling code:       01305
                    Politics
   UK Parliament:       South Dorset
   European Parliament: South West England

   Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at
   the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The town is
   eight miles south of Dorchester, and five miles north of the Isle of
   Portland. Weymouth had a population of 51,760 in 2004, and is part of
   the borough of Weymouth and Portland.

   Weymouth and Portland have a history stretching back to the 12th
   Century, with the area playing a part in the Black Death, the
   settlement of the Americas, the Georgian Era, and World War II. Whilst
   fishing and trading in the port has declined in importance since its
   peak in earlier centuries, tourism has had a strong presence in the
   town since the 18th Century. Weymouth continues to be a popular tourist
   resort, and the town's successful economy depends on its harbour and
   the beaches of Weymouth Bay. Weymouth is a gateway town situated
   approximately half-way along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, a
   95 mile stretch of coast, important for its varied geology and many
   unique landforms. The South Coast of England, in which Weymouth lies,
   is very often the sunniest part of the United Kingdom. Weymouth harbour
   is now home to cross-channel ferries, pleasure boats and private
   yachts, and nearby Portland Harbour is home to the Weymouth and
   Portland National Sailing Academy.

History

   Weymouth Bay, by John Constable
   Enlarge
   Weymouth Bay, by John Constable

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

   Melcombe Regis is thought to be the first port at which the Black Death
   came into England, aboard a visiting 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 the double borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Since then both
   towns have become known simply as Weymouth, despite Melcombe Regis
   being the part of town in which the main beach and tourist attractions
   are. The town now also encompasses the outlying suburbs of Upwey,
   Broadwey, Preston, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Southill, Radipole and
   Littlemoor.

   During the English Civil War (1642-51) more than 500 people were killed
   in the Battle of Weymouth on February 27, 1645. Later, in the 18th
   Century, on board the ship "Charity", emigrants from the town crossed
   the Atlantic Ocean and settled in Weymouth, Massachusetts. More
   townspeople emigrated to the Americas to bolster the population of
   Weymouth, Nova Scotia. The first settlers of Salem (then called
   Naumking), Massachusetts, later infamous for its "Witch Trials", came
   from Weymouth, Dorset. There is now a monument to that effect on the
   side of Weymouth Harbour.

   The notable architect Sir Christopher Wren was the Member of Parliament
   for Weymouth for 1702, and also held control of nearby Portland's
   quarries from 1675 to 1717. Interestingly, when he designed St Pauls
   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 in 1722 became MP for
   Melcome Regis. In later life he became a famous artist, and
   coincidentally, decorated the interior of St Paul's Cathedral.

   The town is amongst the first modern tourist destinations, after King
   George III made Weymouth his summer holiday residence on fourteen
   occasions between 1789 and 1805. A mounted white horse representing
   King George is carved into the chalk hills of Osmington to the east of
   the town. A myth developed that, because the horse faces away from the
   town, the King took offence, believing it was a sign that the
   townspeople did not welcome him, and that the designer subsequently
   killed himself. This myth has been disproved as King George died before
   its completion.
   The promenade displays Georgian architecture Enlarge
   The promenade displays Georgian architecture

   The seafront of Weymouth's Esplanade is composed almost entirely of
   Georgian terraces, which have been converted into apartments, shops,
   hotels and guest houses. The buildings were constructed in the Georgian
   and Regency periods between 1770 and 1855, designed by prominent
   arcitects such as James Hamilton, and were mostly commissioned by
   wealthy businessmen, many of whom had already been involved in the
   growth of the city of Bath. Almost all of these terraces still survive,
   and form a long, continuous arc of buildings which face Weymouth Bay,
   along most of the length of the Esplanade.

   Weymouth and Portland were important in World War II, and were
   subjected to bombings by German planes, as were many locations 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 Fleet lagoon to the west of the town. Weymouth's history
   is documented at the Brewers Quay Timewalk museum, a tourist attraction
   and former brewery on the southern shore of Weymouth Harbour.

Politics and demographics

   Weymouth and Portland shown within Dorset
   Enlarge
   Weymouth and Portland shown within Dorset

   The district of Weymouth and Portland was formed on April 1, 1974 under
   the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger between the borough of
   Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the nearby Portland urban district. The
   Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is Howard Legg, with David Harris as
   Deputy Mayor; both are members of the Liberal Democrat party. Weymouth
   and Portland and Purbeck districts are in the Dorset South
   parliamentary constituency, created in 1885. The constituency elects
   one Member of Parliament. The current MP for Dorset South is Jim
   Knight, a member of the Labour Party, who currently holds the post of
   Minister of State for Schools.

   Dorset South was the second most marginal seat in the 2001 elections,
   being only won by 153 votes. At the 2002 general election, Jim Knight
   was elected the member of Parliament for Dorset South, which was the
   only constituency in which Labour gained votes from the Conservative
   party in that year. This may have been due to a high-profile
   anti-Conservative tactical voting campaign which was conducted in
   Dorset by MP Billy Bragg. Whilst Jim Knight was expecting to have a
   difficult 2005 election, he won with a margin of 1,812 votes. This was
   in contrast to many other areas, where Labour suffered a noticeable
   decline in the popular vote.

                                                           Year Population
                                                           1971     42,370
                                                           1981     45,090
                                                           1991     48.350
                                                           2001     50,920
                                                           2004     51,760

                                                            Age Percentage
                                                           0-15       18.3
                                                          16+17        2.3
                                                          18-44       32.4
                                                          45-59       20.8
                                                          60-84       23.2
                                                            85+        3.1

   In 2004 Weymouth's population was 51,760, in an estimated built up area
   of 1850 hectares (18.5km²). This gives an approximate population
   density of 28 residents per hectare. In 2005 there were 23,405
   dwellings in Weymouth. The population of the town has grown steadily
   over the past 35 years, mainly as a result of migration. As is the case
   with many seaside towns, there is an above average number of older
   residents (60 - 84), however the largest proportion of the population
   is between the ages of 18 to 44. The population is largely of native
   English origin, with 98.8% of residents being of white background.

   The area's crime rates are below average compared to the UK, with
   Weymouth's rate of 13.4 crimes per 1000 households lower than that of
   England and Wales (14.4/1000). However, Weymouth's crime rates are
   above those of the South West England average of 10.7 per 1000. The
   town's house prices are relatively high by UK standards, yet around
   average for most of the south of England. The average price of a
   detatched house in 2005 was £278,284, with an average apartment or
   maisonette costing £134,812.

Geology, geography and ecology

   Weymouth lies on weak sand and clay rock (dark green)
   Enlarge
   Weymouth lies on weak sand and clay rock (dark green)

   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 eroded and transported away. At
   Weymouth the weak rock has been protected by Chesil Beach and the
   strong limestone Isle of Portland that lies just offshore. The Isle of
   Portland also affects the tides of the area, producing an unusual
   double low tide in Weymouth bay.

   The borough has two lakes which are both RSPB Nature Reserves, Radipole
   Lake in the town centre, and Lodmoor near Preston. Radipole lake, the
   largest Nature Reserve, and mouth of the River Wey before it flows into
   the harbour, is a large important habitat for many species of birds and
   fish. Radipole is an important tourist attraction, as along with
   Weymouth Beach, it is situated very close to the main town centre and
   shops.

   Weymouth is the largest town in the area, larger than the county town
   of Dorchester, which lies just to the north, and hence is a centre of
   activity for many of the nearby population. Weymouth is separated from
   Dorchester by the South Dorset Downs, a steep ridge of chalk. The
   countryside surrounding Weymouth, which lies on the South Dorset Downs,
   is less agricultural than the valleys in the centre and north of
   Dorset, but has some dairy and arable farms. This area contains
   numerous small villages, including Wyke Regis, Chickerell, and
   Osmington Mills. Many of the nearest villages have become the outskirts
   of the main town.

   As Weymouth is low lying (below sea level in some areas), the eastern
   areas of the town have been flooded several times from the sea during
   extreme low pressure storms, until in the 1980s and 1990s a high sea
   wall was constructed around the harbour and at Preston beach. Beach
   nourishment and groynes ensure that the sand beach, important both for
   tourism and as a natural defence against the sea, is wide and has a
   shallow incline.

   Another effect of Weymouth's low lying nature, and the ameliorating
   effect of the lakes and the warm seas which surround the town, is that
   winter frost is rare: on average 8 times a year. Days with snow lying
   are equally rare: on average 0 to 6 days a year. Almost all winters
   have 0 or 1 days with snow lying; it may snow or sleet a few times in a
   winter, yet snow almost never settles on the ground. The town, along
   with other low lying and coastal areas in the south west, experience
   the mildest winters in the UK. The borough's growing season lasts from
   9 to 12 months a year.

   Due to its location in the south west of England, Weymouth has a
   temperate climate with a small variation in daily and annual
   temperatures. The average annual mean temperature in Weymouth from
   years 1971 to 2000 was 10.2 to 12 °C. The warmest month is July, with
   an maximum average temperature range of 12 °C to 21.7 °C. The coolest
   month is February, with an maximum average temperature range of 1.9°C
   to 9.9°C. The borough, along with the rest of the South Coast, often
   has has the sunniest weather in Britain. The resort averaged 1768 hours
   of sunshine annually between the years 1971 and 2000, and between 1990
   and 2005 there were five years in which the town had over 2000 hours, a
   rare event in the UK. Weymouth's average annual rainfall is below UK
   average at 751.7mm (see rainfall in the United Kingdom for
   comparisons).

Tourism and industry

   Nothe Fort is one of several maritime-related museums in the town.
   Enlarge
   Nothe Fort is one of several maritime-related museums in the town.

   Tourism has for a long time been the largest industry in Weymouth,
   though this has declined slightly since its peak in the late 1990s. As
   well as its large, shallow sandy beach and two lakes ( Radipole and
   Lodmoor), Weymouth has several museums, an aquarium, a skate park and a
   large shopping centre. There are several caravan and camping sites,
   mainly just out of town, as well as many hotels on the seafront, and
   hundreds of small guesthouses near the town centre. The town is also a
   gateway town situated approximately half-way along the UNESCO Jurassic
   Coast World Heritage Site, a 95 mile stretch of coast, important for
   its varied geology and many unique landforms.

   The town's theatre is built on a peninsula of reclaimed land between
   the harbour and the Esplanade. The Pavilion theatre was built in 1960,
   after the old Ritz theatre was destroyed by fire in 1954. The Pavilion
   is owned and operated by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. It was
   announced in 2006 that the Pavilion complex and surroundings will be
   entirely redeveloped from 2007 to 2011, in time for the 2012 Summer
   Olympics. The 10 acre site will include a new theatre, a World Heritage
   Site visitor centre, a new ferry terminal, a 4-star hotel, an
   undercover car park, a shopping arcade, offices, luxury and low cost
   apartments, houses, public squares, promenades, and a 300 berth marina.
   Weymouth Outer Harbour
   Enlarge
   Weymouth Outer Harbour

   Weymouth harbour is situated in the centre of the town, and although it
   was the reason for its foundation, the harbour effectively separates
   the two areas of Melcombe Regis (the main town centre) and Weymouth
   (the southern harbourside) from eachother. The harbour was historically
   home to a large fishing fleet, and for many 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 harbour is long and narrow, and formed the estuary of the River
   Wey, until the building of a bridge which separated the harbour's
   backwaters from Radipole Lake. The Inner Harbour is a recently
   refurbished marina with hundreds of berths for pleasure boats, cruisers
   and sailing boats. The old harbourside, which is near the seaward end
   of the harbour, still hosts a fishing fleet, and is a terminus for
   ferries to the Channel Islands and the French port of St Malo. There
   are also boats offering pleasure trips along the Jurassic Coast and to
   the Isle of Portland, and there is still a small passenger ferry
   service across the harbour, linking the Brewer's Quay shopping centre
   to the main town centre. In 2005 the town centre had 292 shops, 404,000
   square feet of floorspace, and the area had almost 40 hectares of
   industrial estate.

Transport

   The Weymouth Harbour Tramway (or 'Quay Branch') in 2005
   Enlarge
   The Weymouth Harbour Tramway (or 'Quay Branch') in 2005

   Weymouth railway station is the terminus of the route from London
   Waterloo and the route from Westbury and Bristol. Although its size had
   been fully appropriate for the intense rail traffic that came into and
   out of Weymouth on busy summer Saturdays, it was oversized by the time
   it was demolished in 1986. A smaller, modern station took up part of
   the site, while the rest of the old station site was given over to
   commercial development. Parts of the South West Main Line west of Poole
   have been reduced from dual to single track, reducing the capacity. As
   part of 2012 Olympic preparations local councils have lobbied the
   Department for Transport to relay the track and increase services to
   London and Bristol, as well as introducing new direct services to
   Exeter.

   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 entrance to the
   harbour, for trains to travel to the European mainland by sea. Due to
   declining business, goods traffic ceased in 1972, whilst passenger
   services continued until 1987, when these services ceased from lack of
   use as well. The Quay Station now 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.

   The town is on the A354 road, which connects the town to the A35 trunk
   road in Dorchester, and which terminates at Easton on the Isle of
   Portland. The A353 road runs east from the town to the south of
   Warmwell, where it connects with the A352 road to the Isle of Purbeck
   and Wareham. Contracts for local bus services are held by First Group,
   which bought the local Southern National company. In the 1980s the town
   centre was bypassed by the route to Portland, but the government's road
   building policy changed before the proposed relief road could be
   completed. Currently, 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 the regualar event days such as
   the town's annual carnival.

   In addition to lack of support from central government, the project has
   been held up by opposition from residents and environmental groups, who
   object to the proposed route's partial destruction of a local nature
   reserve, which is an AONB and SSSI. With Weymouth scheduled to host
   2012 Olympic sailing events the project has reopened with the local
   authorities favouring a more environmentally friendly proposal than in
   the 1990s.

Sport and recreation

   Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
   Enlarge
   Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

   The local football team, Weymouth F.C., have remained outside the
   Football League but, in common with many other non-League clubs, they
   became professional in 2005. The team have enjoyed erratic success at
   their level over the years, on at least two occasions reaching the
   third round of the FA Cup, the highest club competition level. At the
   end of the 2005-06 season they were crowned Champions of the Conference
   South (the sixth level of English football) meaning that they will play
   in the Conference National (the fifth level) for the first time since
   1989. Their current home is the out-of-town Wessex Stadium, but until
   1987 the team played at a ground near the town centre, now the site of
   an Asda supermarket. The club's move predated the move to new
   out-of-town grounds by professional league clubs, and came at a time
   when there had been no new league football stadia opened in England for
   32 years. The stadium is now set to be rebuilt again on land occupied
   by a pitch-and-putt golf course, coincidentally with Asda again
   building on the previous stadium site. Weymouth's record attendance for
   the Wessex Stadium is 6,000 against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in
   the 2005-2006 Season.

   Just south of Weymouth in Portland Harbour is the Weymouth and Portland
   National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics
   will take place. The main reason that the resort was chosen to host
   these events was due to the fact that the Sailing Academy had only
   recently been built, so little new on-site facilities were needed.
   Weymouth and Portland's waters have also been credited by the Royal
   Yachting Association as amongst the best in Northern Europe. The town
   regularly hosts local, national and international sailing events in its
   waters. These events include the J/24 World Championships in 2005,
   staging trials for the 2004 Athens Olympics, the ISAF World
   Championship 2006, the BUSA Fleet Racing Championships, and the RYA
   Youth National Championships. In addition to sailing, the waters of
   Weymouth Bay are frequently a venue for other watersports. The reliable
   sailing wind is also very useful for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The
   sheltered waters in Portland Harbour and near Weymouth are used
   regularly for angling, diving to several shipwrecks, snorkelling,
   canoeing, jet skiing, water skiing, and swimming.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth"
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