Things to see & do > Weymouth Town Walk
More things to see and do in and around Weymouth
You may purchase printed copies of this walk for 50p when you come to stay with us. All proceeds from the sale of this walk go towards the Nothe Fort Restoration Fund.
As you come out of our bed and breakfast, turn to your right and walk down Carlton Road South, passing by the side of the B&B. Follow the road round the first bend; on your right is the old Convent of the Sacred Hearts School, built in 1909. The school closed in 1992 and was converted into flats; a new housing development was built on the school's hockey field opposite.
By the second bend you will see a footpath going off to the left. Follow this footpath to the end (be careful as it is can be quite overgrown) then walk straight on. You will see the Alexander Bridge ahead of you; use this to cross the railway line.
As you come to the bottom of the steps, turn to your right into the Princess Diana Memorial Gardens. As you enter the gardens, turn to your left and stroll along the main path in the direction of the town. These Victorian, tree-lined gardens are a haven of tranquillity where you can sit and watch the world go by. At the far end of the gardens, cross the main road (Radipole Park Drive) and continue walking towards the Swannery car park. On your right is Radipole Lake RSPB Reserve. Radipole Lake is considered to be one of the most important areas for migrating birds on the whole of the south coast of England. It was declared a bird sanctuary in 1929 and has been managed by the RSPB since 1976. It is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The reedbeds at Radipole Lake are now home to many rare birds, including Cetti's warblers, bearded tits and bitterns.
Princess Diana memorial Gardens
Once you get to the car park (on the right), follow it round the edge to the underpass under the road bridge. Go through it and walk along the water's edge where you can feed the ducks (although mind out for the swans and geese - they can get a bit pushy when food is involved). Pass the Palm House Plant Centre and Tea Room on your left and the Gurkha Restaurant on your right.
Continue walking towards the bridge ahead of you (Westham Bridge). You will notice there are actually two bridges; one a footbridge and the other now a car park. The older bridge is in fact a dam controlling the water level in Radipole Lake that is fed by the River Wey, which is of course where Weymouth takes its name.
On reaching the bridge carry straight on (actually a left then an immediate right) along the new Marina Walkway that runs parallel to Weymouth harbour. This new walkway was completed in May 2001 and provides an accessible walkway along the marina's edge. Weymouth Marina provides moorings for a thousand boats and is a thriving part of the local community.
Go under the bridge, turn left up the steps and cross the bridge. Once on the other side, turn left and continue along Trinity Road where the elegant bow-fronted houses date from the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Continue walking along the harbourside to the town pump, which has been re-erected here and was once an essential part of town life.
If you look to your right you will see Trinity Street, home to Trinity House, a fine Georgian brick building, and next to it is an Elizabethan town house, which became part of Weymouth's first Assembly Rooms in the 1760s, when a new wing was added at the rear for balls and concerts. Opposite is the classically designed Hope Chapel built in 1862. Also in Trinity Street is Tudor House, one of Weymouth's few remaining Tudor Buildings. The building once stood on the harbour edge and was built at the end of the 16th century.
Continuing on from the town pump, walk along the harbourside, passing the terraced cottages of Cove Row, which were built in about 1810. Again, look to your right. Hope Street was also once on the water's edge of the 'ope' or cove that ran back into what is now Hope Square and had houses on both sides, some right by the water. The ope was filled in 1782 across the mouth of the inlet. Despite its relatively modern appearance, No 21 Hope Street dates from the 16th century or earlier; however, No 22a was built in 1977.
Continue to the left along the harbourside past Nothe Parade. This delightful terrace of houses contains a mix of late Georgian and Victorian architecture. As you walk along here you will see an iron bridge that crosses a slipway used for boat repairs. This is an old established yard, the slipmasters house with its balustraded steps dates from about 1780. Continue along the path passing the Lifeboat Station and shop.
Once at the top of the steps turn to your left and you will see Nothe Fort in front of you. The Nothe Fort is built at the head of the Nothe peninsula which forms one side of Weymouth harbour and commands stunning views of the Dorset coast from St Aldhems Head to the town of Weymouth, and the Isle and harbour of Portland. Situated between the Fort and the town centre are the Nothe Gardens, once part of the military establishment but now a popular landscaped garden. Nothe Fort's museum and archives contain an extensive collection of items relating to coastal defence, the history and defence of Portland Harbour, the life of a garrison soldier from 1860 to 1960 and the experiences of the civilian population of Weymouth during World War II.
With the fort in front of you, turn to your right and follow the coastal path. As you walk along, take time to look at the view across Newton's Cove and Portland Harbour - the second largest man-made harbour in the world.
At some steps, follow them up to the right and follow the road to the corner. Continue down Horsford Street passing a fine pair of cottages dating from the 1800s. At the bottom of the hill turn right into Hope Square. As you enter the square turn to your right and see the newly converted flats built on the site of the early 19th century Malthouse and standing above that is the late 18th century Red Barracks and Wellington Court. As a contrast to these modern redevelopments a little way down to your right is No 6 Hope Street, an 18th century Portland stone town house with probably the best stone façade in Weymouth.
On your left is the imposing front of the Devenish Brewery, now known as Brewer's Quay. This very interesting complex dates variously from 1869 to the grand Dutch gabled façade of 1904. The complex now houses a unique shopping village set in the paved courtyards and cobbled streets. Brewers Quay is packed with shops dedicated to arts and crafts, collectables, china, glass and all things nautical. The Village Store has one of the most extensive ranges of real ales in the region, along with country wines and liqueurs, all complemented by fine cheeses, pasties and pies from the delicatessen and jams, chutneys and sauces from the Dorset area. It is also home to a restaurant, pub, various visitor attractions and its very own micro-brewery carrying on 600 years of tradition on the site. Across the square you can see Pilgrim House, dating from 1640 but rebuilt as an elegant Georgian house.
On leaving Hope Square bear to your left up the steep hill; at the top turn right into Herbert Place, then turn right in to Hartlebury Terrace. From here follow the path to the left into Trinity Terrace. These small houses, dating from the 1830s, look from their bow windows over the original Borough of Melcombe Regis (on the far side of the harbour) and northwards across Weymouth Bay towards White Nothe and the chalk cliffs. In the immediate foreground are the backs of the late Georgian houses fronting Trinity Road and the harbour. As you walk along Trinity Terrace, look carefully above each door - every carving is different. At the end of Trinity Terrace there are good views over Weymouth Marina and towards the Ridgeway in the distance. Turn right here and walk down the steps behind the church to the bottom.
Trinity Church is now in front of you. Designed by Philip Wyatt and built in 1836, it was extended by the local architect G R Crickmay in 1886. [The famous author Thomas Hardy, who used to work for G R Crickmay, lived for a while at No 3 Wooperton Street in Weymouth (Budmouth Regis), not far from where Wilkinson's store is today.] When first built, the church had its altar on the east wall and galleries set back on either side. When it was enlarged the altar was set on the south and two large transepts formed the east and west. The north front faces the former Melcombe Regis and dominates the approach to the Town Bridge.
At the bottom of the steps you will see you are back at the Town Bridge. From here you can take a small detour to visit Weymouth's oldest pub, The Boot Inn, and the old Town Hall. Both are located to your left along North Quay past the Council Office on the left-hand side.
Cross back over the Town Bridge and walk down the steps on your right. You are now on Custom House Quay, which runs parallel to the Old Harbour, down towards the Pavilion Theatre. The second road on your left is Maiden Street and if you look up the road on the left you will see a cannonball embedded high in the wall of the Stuart building at the junction of St Edmund Street, a reminder of the ferocious fighting that took place here during the English Civil War. On the corner of Custom House Quay and Maiden Street is the fish market which dates from 1855 and was built to enable local fishermen to market their catch more satisfactorily than on the quayside. This is still the place to buy locally caught fresh fish in Weymouth.
As you walk along, you will pass a building that is now a bistro/restaurant bearing a plaque indicating that this area is where a trading vessel berthed in 1348 and brought the Black Death to England. Further along, the Royal Dorset Yacht Club occupies a mid-19th century gothic-style, chapel-like building and was formerly an institute for seamen, known as the Sailor's Bethel. Before that, the 18th century Baths were here.
All along Custom House Quay you can see how bow windows are a feature of many late 18th century houses in Weymouth. The Deep Sea Adventure, originally a 19th century warehouse, is also located here. Despite some demolition, many warehouses still remain and have been converted to other uses. The Custom House is a fine red brick Georgian house with deep bow windows that was built in the late 18th century by a merchant to enable him to oversee his shipping interests from his home. It was the Custom House from the early 19th century until 1985. Nowadays the building is the office for the Harbour Master. The other distinctive features of Custom House Quay are the old railway lines running along the road. Trains used to carry passengers and freight direct to the ferries but they stopped running along the line in 1994.
At the end of Custom House Quay is the Pavilion Theatre. The original theatre, the Ritz, opened in 1908 and was the centre of the local entertainment scene until 1954 when a huge fire completely destroyed the building. The current Pavilion Theatre opened in 1960 and still continues the tradition of staging many different types of entertainment from the Christmas pantomime to the summertime specials.
From the Pavilion, turn left and walk along the seafront Esplanade. Look out for the Sand Sculptures and the Punch & Judy show. Weymouth's popularity as a seaside resort began in the 1780s and continued with King George III regularly visiting Weymouth from 1789 to 1805. It was the King himself who started the tradition of sea bathing here in Weymouth. Today Weymouth is still a 'Classic Resort' with the Esplanade being one of the finest Georgian seafronts in the country. A statute of King George III can be seen by the Tourist Information Centre. Keep walking along the Esplanade towards the Jubilee Clock.
From the Jubilee Clock, which was erected to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, you can take the shorter route back to the B&B or the slightly longer, more scenic route.
If you want to go the quickest way back, turn inland from the Jubilee Clock along King Street. Turn right just before the railway station into Queen Street and then first left into Ranelagh Road. This area of Weymouth is known as the Park District; it was purchased in the latter half of the nineteenth century by the Conservative Land Agency and you will notice than many of the streets are named after contemporary Tory politicians. Follow this road right to the end. The modern buildings on your right stand on the site of the R Cox & Sons Foundry, which moved here at the end of the 19th century as the Park District redeveloped. The works were originally known as the Park Foundry and then the Paragon Foundry when they changed hands in the 1920s. In the 1950s and early 60s, it was the Vixen Forge, producing elaborate wrought ironwork and by the mid-60s it had become an engineering works. Proceed up the steps and at the top, do NOT turn right but go straight on along the footpath. At the end of the footpath, turn right into Carlton Road South and Oaklands is ahead of you on the left.
To follow the more scenic route, continue along the Esplanade until you reach the old, art-deco style Pier Bandstand. This first opened in 1939 and many events including wrestling, beauty pageants and summer evening dances were held on its open air deck. The pier section was demolished in 1986 but the bandstand buildings still remain with a Chinese restaurant now occupying the top floor.
From here, cross the road and turn right towards St Johns Church and the old Dorchester Road (signposted Dorchester A354). The architect of St John's Church was Thomas Talbot Bury who, as a young man, had worked on the detailing of the present Houses of Parliament buildings.
By the pedestrian crossing, stop and look across to the grand, yellow-brick Victorian buildings on the far side of the road. These were once a boys' grammar school and more recently part of Weymouth College. In the last couple of years the College has been relocated and the buildings converted into luxury apartments.
Turn left by the pedestrian crossing in to Carlton Road South, passing the Rose Gardens on your left dating back to 1904. Proceed up the road and you will see Oaklands ahead of you on the right hand side.
