Weston-super-Mare is an English seaside resort town, and civil parish, in North Somerset – part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. Its population according to the 2001 census was 71,758.
The town is situated on the Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles (29 km) south west of Bristol and has spread along the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It is well known for its sandy beaches, although at low tide the sea can be over a mile from the beach front. Weston-super-Mare is the most populous civil parish in England.
The town's motto is "Ever Forward". It is twinned with Hildesheim, Germany.
Etymology
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. Also, the town's name should be pronounced with emphasis on the word "Mare", not the word "super" (i.e. "Weston-super-Mare", not "Weston-super-Mare").
History
Early times
Weston's oldest structure is Worlebury camp, on Worlebury Hill, dating from the Iron Age. The medieval church of St John has been rebuilt but its preaching cross survives. The cellars of the adjoining former rectory are said to be 17th century. The Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront carries the date 1774; it is the surviving portion of a summer cottage built by the Revd. Leeves of Wrington.[1]
19th century
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, which had been created as an early sea wall after the Bristol Channel floods of 1607.[2] 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[3]. Construction of the first hotel in the village started in 1808; it was called "Reeves" (now the Royal Hotel).[2] Along with nearby Burnham-on-Sea, Weston benefited from proximity to Bristol, Bath and South Wales. The first attempt at an artificial harbour was made in the late 1820s at the islet of Knightstone and a slipway built from Anchor Head towards Birnbeck Island.[2]
Birnbeck Pier.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 and Exeter Railway in the area. With the opening of the railway in 1841, thousands of visitors came to the town from Bristol, the Midlands and further afield, on works outings and Bank Holidays. 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 arcades, tea rooms, funfair rides and a photographic studio. However, it now stands in a derelict state and has recently been added to English Heritage's list of endangered buildings, but is still possible for visitors to marvel at the structure from behind the barbed wire. It was designed by Eugenius Birch with ironwork by the Isia Foundry of Newport, Monmouthshire. It is a grade II* listed building.[4]
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 were built on the low 'moorland', behind the sea front in an area known as South Ward. Many of these houses have now been turned into bedsits by their owners. Most of the houses built in the Victorian era are built from stone and feature details made from local Bath Stone, influenced by local architect Hans Price.
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.
A second railway, the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway, opened on 1 December 1897, connecting Weston to Clevedon. The terminus station was at Ashcombe Road. The railway was extended to Portishead on 7 August 1907 but was closed on 18 May 1940.
20th century
Grand pierLocal 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.[5] 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. The troops and their equipment quickly vanished, in the run-up to D-Day.
Residential areas include the Oldmixon, Coronation, and Bournville estates, which exhibit many examples of early to late twentieth century architecture. Newer housing has since been built towards the east of the town in North Worle and Locking Castle, locations nearer to the M5 motorway.
The town as a whole has expanded in size considerably and at one time in the 1980s was the fastest growing municipality in Europe[citation needed]. Building continues apace, with the population being close to 78,000 in 2006, although the south side of town towards Bleadon has avoided this. Weston-super-Mare has expanded to include the established villages of Milton, Worle, Uphill, Oldmixon, West Wick and Wick St. Lawrence, as well as new areas such as St. Georges and Locking Castle. Hutton, Locking, Bleadon and Kewstoke are under threat of urban sprawl from Weston-super-Mare.
21st century
A structure known as Silica has been installed at Big Lamp Corner during 2006.[6] It is a piece of public art, an advertising sign, a retail kiosk selling newspapers and hot food (waffles and so on), as well as a bus shelter. It has been criticised by some local residents who liken it to a carrot or a space ship, although it is meant to symbolise man's harmony with the sea. This was part of North Somerset Council's ongoing civic pride initiative that has sought to revitalise Weston-super-Mare's public spaces - which had suffered a period of decline.
Other public space improvements have been made throughout the town such as improvements to the street scene in Grove Park Village. There has been some controversy in the town over whether the silica enhanced the town or was a waste of money. However, this debate centred round a misunderstanding of the government funds used to pay for the sculpture. Many local residents did not realise that the money came from central government and had to be used on public art/improvements to the street scene environment. Consequently their calls for the money to be re-directed to other public services could not be acted upon by North Somerset Council without the funding being withdrawn by central government. Some residents considered that an attractive water fountain or garden would have been a better investment of this money.
