Weston-super-Mare: The town and its seaside heritage

The Royal Hotel

The Royal Hotel was Weston's first hotel. It was built on the seafront between 1807 or 1808 and 1810.

Originally known as simply The Hotel, it was leased to Bristol hotelier James Needham, but a lack of custom saw it close in 1811. It didn't reopen until 1814.

By the middle of the 19th century, demand was such that the hotel was extended. The first three bays shown at the right-hand side of this photograph are the extent of the original building.

Fox's Baths

In 1828 Knightstone Island at Weston was acquired by Dr Edward Long Fox, a Quaker physician from Brislington House lunatic asylum in Bristol. Fox was an advocate of sea bathing for the treatment of mental illness and physical ailments.

Fox and his son, Dr Francis Ker Fox, opened a purpose-built bathing establishment on the island in 1832. The ground floor included a reading room and eight bathrooms. Above were sitting rooms and bedrooms. Attached to the bathhouse were vapour and shower baths, and an open seawater swimming bath.

Victoria Buildings

Built in 1840, Victoria Buildings was the first terrace of houses to be built on the seafront at Weston.

The houses were originally built for wealthy residents but were soon used as lodgings for visitors to the resort.

This photograph shows that since their construction, an extra storey has been added to all but two of the houses in the terrace.

Former Baptist Chapel, Wadham Street

Weston's first Baptist chapel opened in 1850. In 1862, Hans Price was engaged to increase the building's capacity. Price's extension added a further 400 seats for the congregation.

Magdala Buildings

Hans Price's Magdala Buildings was built in 1870. In 1905, the angled, corner section of the building housed the Shaftesbury Hotel, a 'high-class temperance' hotel.

Board School, Walliscote Road

A school board was established in Weston in 1893 and Hans Price was appointed its architect.

The board's first school opened on 30 July 1897. An architectural competition had been held but the selected design was overruled and Price's own design chosen in its stead. This was somewhat controversial as Price's design had initially been disqualified for breaching the conditions of the competition.

Gaslight Company Workshops and Stores

Weston's first gasworks was built in 1841. A new, larger gasworks replaced it in 1856.

The town's Gaslight Company built workshops and stores in 1912. It is the last known work designed by Hans Price, and it now houses the town's museum.

Birnbeck Island and Pier

Weston-super-Mare boasts two piers. The high tidal range of the estuary restricted steamer services and so plans emerged in the 1840s and 1850s to construct a pier designed for landing tourists.

However, it was not until 1867 that Weston's first successful pier opened. Designed by the renowned pier engineer Eugenius Birch, Birnbeck Pier used Birnbeck Island at the pier head to house a multitude of facilities for visitors.

In the early 20th century, the pier amusements included a water chute, switchback railway, shooting gallery, helter-skelter and merry-go-round.

In the second half of the 20th century the pier went in to decline. By 1994 it was in such a poor state of repair that it was closed to the public.

Grand Pier

Weston's Grand Pier opened on 11 June 1904. It was designed by Peter Munroe and constructed by Mayoh & Haley of London.

The pier's pavilion was destroyed by a fire in 1930. A replacement opened in 1933, followed by a cafe a ballroom in 1935.

Another fire caused considerable damage on 28 July 2008. A new building, pictured here, containing a range of attractions and facilities, opened on 23 October 2010.

The Grand Atlantic Hotel

In 1859 a private boys' school called 'the College' moved to new seafront premises on Beach Road. The school moved out in 1889 and the building was enlarged to create The Grand Atlantic Hotel.

Public Lavatories, Marine Parade

These seafront public lavatories date to 1905. The building features a central portico decorated with strapwork and arabesque ornamentation.

A cafe and shop were later incorporated into part of the building.

Marine Lake

An area of Glentworth Bay at Weston was successfully enclosed by 1929 to create a relatively safe bathing area.

The barrage between Knightstone Island and the mainland retains a large expanse of seawater, regardless of the state of the tide.

Odeon Cinema

Weston-super-Mare's magnificent Odeon Cinema opened on 25 May 1935.

It was designed by the Nottingham architect T Cecil Howitt and was constructed by C Bryant & Son Ltd of Birmingham.

When built, it had 1,174 seats in the stalls and 633 in the balcony. In 1973 it was divided into three screens and a fourth was created by 2001.

Open-Air Pool

Weston-super-Mare's seafront open-air bathing pool opened in July 1937.

A central, two-storey entrance block is flanked by single-storey changing rooms with roof terraces for sun bathing.

The pool's three-tier diving platform was demolished in 1982 and the pool closed in 2000. Since then the site has hosted a number of events, including artist Banksy's Dismaland in 2015.

Weston-super-Mare: a Heritage Action Zone

In March 2017 Weston-super-Mare was chosen as one of the ten successful bids for support from Historic England through its Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) scheme.

The HAZ scheme provides funds, research expertise and advice to help breath life back into historic places and to stimulate economic growth.

In Weston, this has included the completion of a historic landscape characterisation, a review of Weston's listed buildings and a review of the town's conservation areas.

Find out more about our Heritage Action Zones scheme