West Bay - A Little History
Why "West Bay"?
“West Bay” is a comparatively recent name for this area, invented by the Great Western Railway in 1884 as a snappy title for the station built to cater for day-trippers and freight. The GWR had hoped that our little village might grow to rival Brighton, but (perhaps fortunately) this never quite seems to have happened.
The railway to Bridport and West Bay was eventually dismantled in the early 1970s, and the track-bed between the two is now a footpath and cycleway.
Amazingly, West Bay station is still there. It was refurbished and in business as a restaurant (the West Bay Express), complete with two railway carriages alongside the platform to provide extra seating (see picture)
Regrettably however, the business has since closed, and the station now sits peacefully (complete with a new Home signal) waiting for its next train - maybe in another 50 years time?
The Harbour
The original settlement was clustered around the river-mouth, and began to develop in importance in 1388 when a local entrepreneur began to build a harbour to serve Bridport. This must have been a successful enterprise as it appears in Ecclesiastical records in 1444, when the Bishop of Salisbury agreed to support the repair of the harbour after a typical winter storm had wrecked it.
This is a recurring theme, with countless breaches of the sea defences occurring right through into the 1970s, when one storm left huge floods that recreated the former wide estuary.
Despite these challenges, Bridport harbour remained successful and much the same in appearance from 1744 until 2005, when new sea defences and a new west pier were commissioned to replace the two original south-westerly facing piers.
It has to be said
that the original design was poorly thought out, with access impossible
for boats for half the year due to the prevailing wind and swells,
giving the old West Bay harbour the reputation of having one of the most
dangerous entrances in Britain until it was replaced by the new piers.
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Leisure Pursuits
If you are a
golfer, you’ll perhaps already be a member of the Bridport
and West Dorset Golf Club on the East Cliff. You may not know that
the club’s predecessor was actually a nine-hole course set out in
Victorian times on the West Cliff where our Estate now lies. The houses
in the middle of the south side of Brit View Road are situated on what
was the second tee, but it would now require extreme dedication to play
a round on the field behind them!
The esplanade
above the West Beach where the ice-cream kiosk is situated was
constructed in 1887, and extended further west in 1969. In Victorian and
Edwardian times West Bay boasted three bathing machines; sea bathing is
still popular, although it can be very dangerous in conditions other
than a flat calm due to tide rips and the shingle beach on the East side
that can be treacherous underfoot.
Industry
West Bay relied upon shipbuilding in its early years, and was responsible for the construction of many sailing ships over the centuries, including warships for Nelson’s fleet. The last vessel was launched in 1879, and the dry dock where it was constructed is now underneath the Quay West development.
The other major industries have been gravel extraction and fishing, both of which still feature in the life of our community today. The area is now heavily dependent upon the holiday industry, with several large holiday complexes (Parkdean and Highland's End), as well as a good mix of arable and livestock farming.
