Weymouth History Timeline
Dates in Weymouth's History: 1900-2006
Including Timeline of Reclamation of Land
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1900 |
Primitive Methodist Chapel, Gallwey Road, Wyke Regis built; opening of the new Royal Hotel on the seafront; Sidney Hall given to the parish of Holy Trinity by Sir John Groves in memory of his son, Sidney, who had died in 1895; Portland railway line extended as far as Easton |
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1902 1903 1904 |
Weymouth Hospital at Westerhall opened Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Portland Road, Wyke Regis built St John's Gardens opened; thatched shelters in Alexandra Gardens built; electricity supply began from Sunnybank Power Station in Westham |
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1905 1907 1908 1909 |
Bus service from Wyke to Weymouth and Radipole established; Radipole Halt railway station opened Royal Navy Sailors' Home built in St Nicholas Street Pavilion Theatre opened; Wyke Regis Halt on the Weymouth to Portland Railway opened wooden railway bridge over the backwater replaced with iron-built one and Melcombe Regis station built; moving pictures began being shown at the Jubilee Hall which changed its name to Royal Victoria Jubilee Hall and Picture Palace |
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1910 1912 1913 1914 |
Belle Vue cinema opened; South Coast Laundry at Radipole gutted by fire The Palladium Cinema opened adjoining the Town Bridge The Kursaal erected around the bandstand at Alexandra Gardens Clark and Endicott (Abigail) memorial unveiled in front of the Pavilion; Sidney Hall converted for use as a military hospital during WWI |
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1917 1921 1924 1927 |
Templeman's Mill on Melcombe Quay destroyed by fire new Westham Bridge opened Kursaal at Alexandra Gardens demolished and replaced with the Alexandra Gardens Theatre Radipole becomes a parish church again; serious fire at Gloucester Hotel, an additional storey added during rebuilding; demolition of the Royal Baths in St Thomas Street/St Mary Street |
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1928 1930 1932 1933 |
Town Bridge closed and demolished new Town Bridge opened Westwey Road opened; electricity began to be supplied from the National Grid Odeon Cinema, Gloucester Street opened (demolished 2006); extension of the Borough boundaries to include Wyke Regis, Radipole, Preston, Broadwey, Upwey |
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1939 |
Market House demolished; closure of Christchurch in King Street; Fire Service moved from St Edmund Street to new building at North Quay; Pier Bandstand (near Brunswick Terrace) opened |
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1940 |
No.12 Russell Avenue became the first house demolished by bombing; Devenish Brewery badly damaged by bombing; major air raid on Weymouth with 463 houses in Hope Square, Chapelhay, Rodwell, Newstead Road damaged; Southern National (bus) Garage destroyed by bombing; Chapelhay badly hit again |
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1941 |
Chapelhay suffered further damage by bombing; Royal Adelaide Hotel, Abbotsbury Road destroyed by bombing |
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1942 |
Dorset Daily Echo offices and other properties in St Nicholas Street and the Methodist Chapel in Newstead Road badly damaged by bombing in the same raid |
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1944 |
Melcombe Avenue area including Weymouth Hospital badly damaged in air raids; Weymouth was the major embarkation port for the invasion of Normandy; Weymouth's first public library opened at Electric House |
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1947 1948 1949 1952 1954 1955 1956 1960 1961 |
the establishment of an industrial estate at Lynch Lane Weymouth lending library opened in Westwey Road King's statue painted in heraldic colours Portland railway line closed to passengers Ritz Theatre (Pavilion) burnt down extensive flooding in the villages along the River Wey after 11 inches of rainfall Nothe Fort ceased being in active service; Belle Vue Theatre closed and was converted to the Elim Church new Pavilion opened; John Groves and Devenish Breweries merged council took over the Nothe Fort; houses and other buildings along North Quay demolished; new road built across Chafeys Lake for access to Southill and Radipole |
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1962 1965 1966 1967 1968 1971 1972 |
Pilgrim House (Hope Square) opened as the first community centre in the area; Wyke Regis library opened railway line to Portland closed demolition of Melcombe Regis railway station opening of new Ferry Terminal on the pier Theatre Royal, formerly the Congregational Church in St. Nicholas Street demolished opening of Municipal Offices at North Quay by Princess Anne Weymouth Museum opened in the premises of the former Melcombe Regis School at Westham Bridge; Radipole School closed |
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1973 1974 |
a separate footbridge alongside Westham Bridge built demolition of Wyke Lodge previously known as Boulton Villa; demolition of Wyke House Hotel; demolition of Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Coneygar Lane; St John's School, Dorchester Road closed; construction of Weymouth Swimming Pool; amalgamation of the Borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis with Portland after which it became known as the Borough of Weymouth and Portland |
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1976 1980 |
The Shambles Lightship off Portland was taken out of service major extension the car ferry terminal completed; Gloucester Street Congregational Church demolished having closed in 1971 |
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1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 |
St Mary's School in School Street closed Radipole Halt closed; Weymouth hosted the start of the Tall Ships Race for the first time the Colwell Centre opened, built on the site of the former Weymouth Royal Hospital Devenish Brewery in Hope Square closed; opening of a new Ferrybridge to Portland part of the pier blown up as it had become unsafe; new railway station opened Portwey Hospital closed; Weymouth Way (A354) opened; Westham Bridge closed to traffic when a new bridge following the line of the old railway bridge was constructed; the two main streets of the town (St Mary Street and St Thomas Street) were pedestrianised; Condor service to the Channel Islands began; Weymouth hosted the start of the Tall Ships Race for the second time |
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1989 |
demolition of the Jubilee Hall; Weymouth Museum housed in the former Melcombe Regis School at Westham Bridge was closed and later demolished |
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1990 |
Town Pump moved to Old Harbour; Brewers Quay opened in the former Devenish Brewery in Hope Square; the new Weymouth Library opened |
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1991 1992 1993 1994 |
Safeway opened at the former Mount Pleasant Farm, Radipole Convent of the Sacred Heart school closed Alexandra Gardens destroyed by fire Weymouth hosted the start of the Tall Ships Race for the third time, the only port ever to have done so; 50th anniversary of the D-Day Landings |
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2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 |
New Bond Street shopping area opened Weymouth College in Newstead Road demolished to make way for housing Maiden Street Methodist Church destroyed by fire demolition of the Streamside Hotel, Preston Road demolition of the Odeon Cinema in Gloucester Street; Safeways at Mount Pleasant became Morrisons demolition of the Alexander Footbridge and replacement with a new one |
Dates of Weymouth History: 1200-1799 1800-1899
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Reclamation of land: Sea: 1721 new built extension of Melcombe Quay just past the George Inn 1723 Melcombe Quay extended further 1781 inlet known as McSaunders Hole (Weymouth side) filled in 1840 pile-pier infilled with a mixture of waste Portland stone and shingle 'concrete' built on the north side of the harbour; extensive dredging of the harbour for greater water depth 1859-60 pile-pier rebuilt and extended 1877 cargo stage added to pile-pier 1888-9 passenger stage and baggage hall built on pier for the Great Western Railway 1908 Pavilion Theatre, later known as the Ritz built on reclaimed land adjoining the pier 1932 Westwey Road opened after reclamation infilled with waste Portland stone behind a retaining wall 1933 major extension to the pier opened 1938 land reclaimed at Ferry's Corner to ease the bend of the tramway 1967 opening of new Ferry Terminal on the pier 1970s reclamation of a large piece of land of the pier began 1980s reclamation of the above land of the pier finished (this is where they intend building an 8 storey hotel!)
Backwater: 1804 east side of the backwater plan to reclaim land (infilled by the removal of a sand bar across the harbour) for a new road (Commercial Road) to be built from the Quay to Coneygar Lane (became Lower Bond Street and is now New Bond Street); to be extended as far as Gloucester Street in 1831 1834 (4th June) laying of the foundation stone of a retaining wall along the backwater as far as Black Rock (western end of modern-day Cassiobury Road) to be built and to reclaim land at the end of Coneygar Lane on the backwater side of Commercial Road. 1904/5 land reclaimed at the end of Westham Road leading onto Westham Bridge 1920s land reclaimed from the backwater for Melcombe Regis Gardens as far as the Railway Station. 1926 land reclaimed for Radipole Park Drive and Radipole Gardens |