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Weston started as a health resort in the early
18th century. As transport improved and people had more leisure
time it grew into a holiday resort.
Weston first attracted visitors in the early 18th century. They
came for medicinal sea bathing for their health and were drawn by
its isolation and unspoilt nature. The first hotel, the Royal,
opened in 1810.
The railway came to Weston in 1841 and allowed visitors from
Bristol and the Midlands to get to the town. Thousands of day
trippers came to the town by paddle steamer once Birnbeck Pier
opened in 1867. Weston became a favourite Bank Holiday
destination.
In 1862 ladies' bathing machines were at Glentworth Bay and
gentlemen's (who bathed nude) opposite the Grand Atlantic Hotel.
When Henry Hodges was fined £1 for bathing in front of a hotel, the
magistrate, whose daughter had reported the incident said, "It was
lucky his daughter couldn't see very well, or he would have fined
him more!"
Begun in 1883, the Sea Front Improvement Scheme created the
sweeping elegant limestone sea wall, parallel coastal road, beach
lawns and planted rockeries.
The improvement project flattened the sea-defending sand dunes
as far south as the West of England Sanatorium (now Royal Sands).
It was expensive and hugely controversial but made the seafront
much more attractive to visitors. The local area saw a huge rise in
rateable value and business expansion.
Since European resorts became easier to reach in the 1970s,
numbers of visitors staying in British resorts has declined.
Although more than six million tourists continue to visit North
Somerset, many of those are here just for the day.
Now Weston-super-Mare is facing a tide of regeneration and
refurbishment. Knightstone Island will open in autumn 2007 with a
mix of high quality residential apartments, retail and catering
outlets, with public open spaces displaying art and attracting the
historic Waverley and Balmoral steam boats.
Exciting plans for the
Tropicana include a multiplex cinema, hotel, indoor bowling and
a fun swimming pool. The
Weston seafront enhancements scheme will not only defend the
resort from the tide but will also give it a new promenade,
exciting lighting and street furniture and a host of new
opportunities for tourists, residents and
businesses. |