Weymouth

No wonder the good citizens of Weymouth erected a Statue of George III to mark the 50th year of his reign in 1810. The troubled king had brought great kudos and prosperity to their little seaside resort by coming here to bathe in the sea water. George had been advised that sea-bathing would help cure his ‘nervous disorder’ so, between 1789 and 1805, he and his royal retinue spent a total of 14 holidays in Weymouth. Fashionable society naturally followed in his wake. The imposing statue is unusual in being painted. Not far away, at the head of King Street, his grand-daughter Victoria’s own 50th year as queen is commemorated by a colourful Jubilee Clock erected in 1887. Nearby, the picturesque harbour is always busy – fishing boats, paddle steamers, pleasure boats, catamarans servicing the Channel Islands and St Malo in France and, if you’re lucky, you may even see a Tall Ship or two.

One of the town’s premier tourist venues is Brewers Quay, an imaginatively redeveloped Victorian brewery offering an enormous diversity of visitor attractions within a labyrinth of paved courtyards and cobbled streets. This whole area, which includes the Timewalk Journey and Weymouth Museum, is being redeveloped, the plans being approved in early 2011. Proposals include a new 85-room hotel, plus a larger venue for the museum and shops. During the redevelopment the museum, which reflects the social, maritime and cultural history of Weymouth, will relocate to temporary premises until it can return to Brewers Quay. Check for information with the Weymouth Tourist Office in the Pavilion Theatre in the Esplanade. Weymouth Bay, together with Portland Harbour, will host the sailing events for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

From Brewers Quay, a path leads through Nothe Gardens to Nothe Fort, built between 1860 and 1872 as part of the defences of the new naval base being established on Portland. Ten huge guns face out to sea; two smaller ones are directed inland. The fort’s 70 rooms on three levels include many interesting displays and exhibits illustrating past service life in the fort, history as seen from the Nothe headland, and the part played by the people of Weymouth in World War II. There are also audio-visual displays and a newly furbished restaurant. The fort will be one of the best vantage points to view the sailing events in the 2012 Olympics. Nothe Fort is owned and operated by the Weymouth Civic Society, which also takes care of Tudor House, just north of Brewers Quay. One of the town’s few remaining Tudor buildings, the house originally stood on the edge of an inlet from the harbour and is thought to have been a merchant’s house. It’s now furnished in the style of an early-17th century middle class home and the guided tour gives some fascinating insights into life in those days.

Only yards from the waters of Weymouth Bay, Lodmoor Country Park is another popular attraction. Access to most of the park is free and visitors can take advantage of the many sport and recreation areas, wander around the footpaths and nature reserve, or enjoy a picnic or barbecue. Set within the park and surrounded by beautiful gardens complete with a bird aviary, Model World is a quite unique attraction which has been more than 25 years in the making. Back in 1972, Colin Sims conceived the idea of creating a model village and during the course of the next nine years constructed hundreds of finely detailed hand-made models from a variety of materials: stone, concrete, specially treated wood and plastics to withstand all kinds of weather. All built to a scale of 1:32 of life size, together the models create a complete world in miniature.

Another major family attraction in the park is Sea Life Weymouth. This is more than just an aquarium, and features both indoor and outdoor enclosures. There’s lots to see and lots of fun to be had but there is a serious side to marine conservation here. Outdoor highlights include the otter, seal and Humboldt penguin sanctuaries and Adventure Ireland with four children’s rides and Splash Lagoon, with water jets and slide. Inside features a Tropical Shark Nursery, the Turtle Sanctuary and one of the first National Seahorse Breeding and Conservation Centres. There is also an interactive rock pool, underwater walkway and Crocodile Creek log flume ride. The Shark Breeding Centre for bonnet head sharks is new for 2011.

Sharky’s, located in an 1840s warehouse, is another attraction in Lodmoor Country Park. It’s a huge, all-weather soft-play area with slides, ball pools and four floors of fun. The latest attraction in the park is Sandworld, where amazing sand sculptures, ranging from 6 to 16 feet high, and sculpted by leading international sand artists, will be showcased in a giant marquee. There is also a sand play area for budding artists.