Old Harbour & Brewery

The Old Harbour is today one of the most attractive parts of the resort, lined with bow fronted cottages and buildings, some of which date back to the 1600s.
The harbour is formed from the mouth of the River Wey, which rises near Upwey, flows down through Radipole into Radipole Lake and the Backwater, and then out to sea.

Originally two separate communities grew up on either side of this river mouth. On the south side the town of Weymouth developed under the shelter of Chapelhay and the Nothe between Boot Hill and Hope Square. On the north side, the town of Melcombe Regis developed from a few houses by the water's edge only accessible by tracks over the sandbanks from the north.

Very little is known about the early days of these two settlements. It is believed that they may have come into existence in the days of the Anglo-Saxons. What we do know is that by the 1200s the two towns had become small but important ports, often supplying ships and men for the Kings of the time and their many wars. Both towns developed trade on their separate sides of the river. Melcombe exported wool from English sheep and Weymouth imported wine from France.

As both towns had to share the same stretch of water for their livelihood, it is not surprising that they soon quarrelled over it. As early as 1284 the people of Melcombe Regis accused Weymouth men of interfering with their right to load and unload ships.

This conflict continued for centuries until 1347 when they managed to patch up their differences long enough to provide 20 ships for the siege of Calais, at the start of the Hundred Years War. The following summer brought catastrophe. A mariner from Europe afflicted with plague landed at Melcombe. This was no ordinary plague. The Black Death spread rapidly and spared no one, and by the time the final graves had been dug it had claimed the lives of a third of the population: perhaps three million. This was followed by numerous French raids on the port, which virtually wiped out trade, and reduced the area to poverty.

It was during the days of Queen Elizabeth I that the squabbles over the harbour, and the profits they could get from it, became very bitter indeed. Not only did both towns constantly complain to the Queen about each other, but also their quarrels often ended in violence. At last the Queen was so exasperated that, with the advice of her ministers, she declared that these two small towns were to become one united town. This was done by an Act of Parliament in 1571. The town was known thereafter as the Borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.

In 1594, as if to symbolise their union, a wooden bridge was built over the harbour, replacing the rope - ferry and permanently linking the two communities. This was known as the first Town Bridge and allowed the harbour to develop its future trade in peace and help to increase the prosperity of the united town.

However, by the time of the Civil War in 1642, the town was again embroiled in conflict. Parliamentarians based on the Melcombe side were under attack from Royalists from Portland who were attacking from the Weymouth side. There is still a canon ball, allegedly from that conflict, embedded in the gable end of an old Tudor building in Maiden Street.

After the Civil War, improvements continued to link the two communities. The wooden bridge was replaced with a narrow stone & iron swing bridge and the inlet known as McSaunders Hole was filled in 1782 to form what we now know as Hope Square in which Brewers Quay now stands.

The introduction of the post office packet service to the Channel Islands in 1794 started a new era in the port's prosperity. Despite being the shortest route to the Islands, the link was never without problems. Many sailing vessels were lost the stormy Channel and early packets were even armed to counter attacks from the French during the Napoleonic wars. In due course the packets were replaced by steamer paddleboats.

To accommodate larger vessels and the introduction of the railway in 1857, major work was needed to build up and retain the working quays. The 'Weymouth Quay Tramway' gave passengers and goods direct access to ferries and cargo vessels. Trade with the Channel Islands expanded, and the enlargement of piers and shore facilities continued through the twentieth century. The Great Western Railway took on the Channel Island run in 1889, which went from strength to strength. Fruit, vegetables and flowers were the major imports, and when in season, 100 tons of daffodils and 50,000 packages of tomatoes a day were being landed in open boxes on the quayside. The presence of a railway capable of carrying mainline trains along rails in a busy street to the quay never ceased to amaze visitors. There is no longer any regular service on this line, but the occasional 'special' train draws countrywide interest.

The Second World War brought dramatic change on an unprecedented scale as the ports of Weymouth & Portland became embarkation points for hundreds of thousands of allied troops and their vehicles, bound for the great D-Day assault on Normandy.

After the war Weymouth became a lifeline for commercial trade from the liberated Channel Islands, importing more than 1 million tons in 1946. Containerisation at larger rival ports eventually put an end to the frantic quayside bustle. The huge steel cranes have gone, and there could be no greater contrast than that between the sedate steamers of old and the sleek hydrofoil ferries introduced in 1987. But the days of sail are certainly not over. Alongside the commercial fishing boats, the old harbour is a magnet for hundreds of leisure craft from all over Europe using the sheltered marina and playing host to annual events like Weymouth Regatta and the Trawler Race.

Text taken from the book "Weymouth, a Portrait in Colour" by kind permission of Stuart Morris.