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A brief history of Weston-super-Mare

The oldest structure in Weston-super-Mare is the Worlebury Camp, and this can be found on Worlebury Hill. This is established in the town during the Iron Age. In addition, another old structure is Castle Batch which was overlooking the town.

Weston-super-Mare was initially a small village in the early 19th century. It was located behind a line of sand dunes, and it had around only 30 houses at that time. The local Lords of the Manor Brockley’s Pigott family also had a residence at Grove House where they spent their summer.

During the Victorian era, Weston-super-Mare flourished. The village’s first hotel, “Reeves,” was constructed in 1808. Today, this hotel is called the Royal Hotel. A lot of tourists also visited Bristol, South Wales and Bath, so Weston benefited from it.

The supervisor of the Bristol and Exeter Railway Isambard Kingdom Brunel, together with his family, also lived in Weston-super-Mare. There were thousands of visitors who flocked to Weston when the railway opened in 1841.

To provide more amusement to the visitors, arcades, rides, tea rooms and a photographic studio were made in the Birnbeck Pier. Today, visitors are not allowed to go inside the place, but they can look at it behind barbed wire.

More stone houses were then built during this time, and a second railway was also constructed which opened in 1897. However, in 1940, the railway was closed.

During the 20th century, the Grand Pier was built to have tourists come to the other parts of the town aside from its centre. Development was further made during World War I. When the Second World War came, Weston-super-Mare accommodated more than 10,000 evacuees, and 230 of these people stayed in the two for four years or more.

Weston-super-Mare played a huge role during the times of war, providing home to pump and aircraft manufacture. However, the Luftwaffe attacked and bombed the town, and large areas of Weston were destroyed.

Weston General Hospital was opened in 1986. It replaced the Queen Alexandra Memorial Hospital which opened in 1928.

In 2006, Silica was installed. It served as a bus shelter and a retail kiosk while also being a piece of publica art. In 2008, the Grand Pier’s pavilion was turned into ashes. However, reconstruction was made.

Increase in residential alcohol and drug rehabilitation treatment centres were observed around the year 2000, but by 2012, there was a reduction