{{Short description|Seaside town in Somerset, England}} {{redirect|Oldmixon|the writer|John Oldmixon}} {{good article}} {{Use British English|date=January 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox UK place | official_name = Weston-super-Mare | population_demonym = Westonian | country = England | region = South West England | static_image_name = {{multiple image |border = infobox |perrow = 1/2/2/2/2 |total_width = 250 |image1 = The three piers, Weston-super-Mare (2022).JPG |image2 = Weston-Super-Market - The Winter Gardens (geograph 2814835).jpg |image3 = Weston-Super-Mare , The Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1913646.jpg |image4 = The Blakehay Theatre (geograph 3743271).jpg |image5 = Grand Pier, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK (7304088786).jpg |footer = From the top to bottom-right, Weston-super-Mare beach, [[Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare|Winter Gardens Pavilion]], [[Weston-super-Mare Town Hall|Town Hall]], [[The Blakehay Theatre, Weston-super-Mare|Blakehay Theatre]], [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare|Grand Pier]] }} | static_image_caption = | static_image_alt = | population = 82,225 | population_ref = (Parish, 2021)<ref name=2021census>{{cite web |title=2021 Census Parish Profiles |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021_pp |website=NOMIS |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 May 2026}} (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)</ref><br/>{{nowrap|84,605 (Built-up area, 2021)<ref name=bua>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=17 October 2025}}</ref>}} | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 10 | mapframe-point = none | os_grid_reference = ST320613 | coordinates = {{coord|51|20|52|N|2|58|41|W|display=inline,title}} | post_town = WESTON-SUPER-MARE | postcode_area = BS | postcode_district = BS22–BS24 | dial_code = 01934 | constituency_westminster = [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]] | civil_parish = Weston-super-Mare | london_distance = | unitary_england = [[North Somerset]] | lieutenancy_england = [[Somerset]] | website = }} '''Weston-super-Mare''' ({{IPAc-en|...|ˈ|m|ɛər}} {{respell|..._|MAIR}}) is a seaside town and [[civil parish]] in the [[North Somerset]] unitary district, in the county of [[Somerset]], England. It lies by the [[Bristol Channel]] {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} south-west of [[Bristol]] between [[Worlebury Hill]] and [[Bleadon Hill]]. At the [[2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses|2021 census]], the parish had a population of 82,225 and the built-up area had a population of 84,605.
The area around the town has been occupied since the [[Iron Age]]. It was still a small village until the 19th century when it developed as a seaside resort. A [[Weston-super-Mare railway station|railway station]] and two piers were built.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brodie |first1=Allan |last2=Roethe |first2=Johanna |date=25 January 2020 |title=Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset: Historical and Architectural Development. Historic England Research Report 1/2020 |url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16506&ru=/Results.aspx?n=10&ry=2020&p=2 |access-date=16 June 2020 |website=research.historicengland.org.uk |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119025311/https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16506&ru=%2FResults.aspx%3Fn%3D10&ry=2020&p=2 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the second half of the 20th century it was connected to the [[M5 motorway]] but the number of people holidaying in the town declined and some local industries closed, although the number of day visitors has risen.
Attractions include the [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare|Grand Pier]], [[Weston Museum]] and [[The Helicopter Museum]]. Cultural venues include [[The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare|The Playhouse]], the [[Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare|Winter Gardens]] and the [[The Blakehay Theatre, Weston-super-Mare|Blakehay Theatre]].
The Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwalesports.co.uk/Marine_Information/Marine_Information/Bristol_Channel_Tides/|title=Bristol Channel Tides - ABP South Wales|website=www.southwalesports.co.uk}}</ref> the low tide mark in [[Weston Bay]] is about {{convert|1|mi|km}} from the seafront. The beach is sandy but low tide reveals areas of thick mud<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston super Mare |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=703 |work=Vision of Britain |publisher=University of Portsmouth |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=10 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210195453/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=703 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Weston super Mare |url=http://www.bristolnomads.org.uk/location_reports/s_bristol_channel/wsm.htm |publisher=Bristol Nomads |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511014618/http://www.bristolnomads.org.uk/location_reports/s_bristol_channel/wsm.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Miles of Golden Sands |url=http://www.weston-super-mare.com/Beach-GoldenSands |publisher=Weston super Mare |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=22 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622092012/http://www.weston-super-mare.com/Beach-GoldenSands |url-status=live}}</ref> which are dangerous to walk on. The mouth of the [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]] is at the south end of the beach. To the north of the town is [[Sand Point, Somerset|Sand Point]], which marks the upper limit of the Bristol Channel and the lower limit of the [[Severn Estuary]]. In the centre of the town is [[Ellenborough Park, Weston-super-mare|Ellenborough Park]], which is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|biological Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) due to the range of plant species found there.
==Toponymy== ''Weston'' comes from the Old English word for west, and ''tūn'', a word with several different meanings. Although it is most likely to have an original meaning of enclosure, it could also mean settlement, farmstead or estate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=A H |title=English Place-Name Elements, Part II: JAFN-YTRI |publisher=Cambridge University Press (for the English Place-Name Society) |year=1956 |edition=English Place-Name Society, Vol. 26 |pages=188–198}}</ref> ''Super-mare'' is [[Latin]] for "upon the sea"<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SR8FnSFQ0WgC&q=weston-super-mare+name+meaning&pg=PA35 |title=Discovering Place-names: A Pocket Guide to Over 1500 Place-names in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales |first=John |last=Field |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2008 |page=35 |isbn=978-0-7478-0617-2}}</ref> and was added to distinguish it from other settlements named Weston in the [[Diocese of Bath and Wells]].<ref name="Mercury-2006">{{cite news |title=How did Weston-super-Mare get its name? |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/how-did-weston-super-mare-get-its-name-1-306273 |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |date=2 March 2006 |archive-date=11 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511123047/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/how-did-weston-super-mare-get-its-name-1-306273 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford history of English |first=Lynda |last=Mugglestone |page=336 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcM7sN3idSgC&q=weston-super-mare+name+history&pg=PA336 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-924931-2 |access-date=22 November 2020 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124230829/https://books.google.com/books?id=UcM7sN3idSgC&q=weston-super-mare+name+history&pg=PA336 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Other 'tuns' nearby are Norton (the 'north tun'), which was in existence by the early 13th century and is probably of at least late Anglo-Saxon foundation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=David |title=The Cartulary of St Augustine's Abbey, Bristol |publisher=Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society |year=1998 |isbn=0900197463 |edition=Gloucestershire Record Series, Vol. 10 |publication-date=1998 |pages=195, fn.1}}</ref> Milton (from Old English ''middel tūn'') on Worlebury Hill is mentioned in [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 and is so likely to be of at least late Anglo-Saxon origin. Taking the three places together – the west, the middle, and the north tuns – their directions might relate to Worle, which was already a substantial estate by the time of the Domesday survey. Weston itself is not identified by name in Domesday, although Ashcombe is and the valued property in Weston is most likely to have been included with that for Ashcombe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Richard |title=Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Shaun Tyas |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-907730-17-7 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Richard |publication-place=Donington |pages=196–210 |chapter=Directional names in the early medieval landscape |editor-last2=Semple |editor-first2=Sarah}}</ref><ref name="domesday">{{Cite book |editor-last1=Thorn |editor-first1=F |editor-last2=Thorn |editor-first2=C |title=Domesday Book: Somerset |date=1980 |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=0850333679 |location=Chichester}}</ref> Evidence of pre-Norman agriculture in Weston can be derived from modern locations such as Worthy Place and Blakehay (worth and hay being Saxon words relating to farming enclosures).<ref name="CH-16">{{cite book |last=Crockford-Hawley |first=John |title=Weston-super-Mare: a History and Celebration of the Town |publisher=Frith Book Company |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-904938-54-5 |pages=16–17}}</ref>
The town was known as Weston-juxta-Mare ('beside the sea') prior to 1348; the name seems to have been changed to this during the time when [[Ralph of Shrewsbury]] was [[Bishop of Bath and Wells]] from 1329 to 1363. Between the 14th and 17th centuries the ''juxta-mare'' part of the name disappeared and it was known as just Weston. In 1610 it was recorded as 'Weston on the More', with 'more' in this context most likely to be in the Somerset sense of 'moor' as low lying, damp, semi-marshland.<ref name="Mercury-2006"/>
==History==
===Early history=== [[File:Worlebury Camp Somerset Map.jpg|thumb|left|Plan of Worlebury Camp]] [[File:Weston-Super-Mare 1890s 2.jpg|thumb|left|View south from Worlebury Camp {{circa|1900}} with Trinity Church prominent]] Weston's oldest structure is [[Worlebury Camp]] on [[Worlebury Hill]] which dates from the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=4976 |title=Worlebury Camp |publisher=Megalithic Portal |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609224555/http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=4976 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worlebury.co.uk/wra.html |title=Worlebury Residents' Association. |publisher=Worlebury Residents Association |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=23 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723151641/http://www.worlebury.co.uk/wra.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |last=Bowden |first= M. |date=2019 |title=Worlebury Hillfort and the Linear Earthworks to its east, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset: Archaeological Survey |url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16486&ru=%2fResults.aspx%3fp%3d1%26n%3d10%26rn%3d93%26ry%3d2019%26ns%3d1 |id=Research Report 93/2019 |publisher=Historic England |url-status=live |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210119024637/https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16486&ru=%2FResults.aspx%3Fp%3D1%26n%3D10%26rn%3D93%26ry%3D2019%26ns%3D1 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref>
Outside the hillfort are many rock-cut burials and fragmentary remains which have been discovered during the course of progressive development on the southern slope of the hill. Two particular clusters of these burials have been identified: one in the Montpelier area, and the other to the north-east of Knightstone Road. Recent researchers suggest that there may have been a major Iron Age cemetery related to the hillfort, in the area near Knightstone Road, the site later chosen for the parish church, suggesting a link to the Iron Age burials.<ref>{{cite report|last=Bateman |first=Emily La-Trobe |date=1999 |title=Avon Extensive Urban Survey, Archaeological Assessment: Weston-super-Mare |at=Section 2.2.4 |publisher=Avon County Council}}</ref> Many of these remains were chance finds during building work in the 19th and early 20th century and were poorly recorded. During archaeological evaluation work in 2005, prior to the construction of a new parish room on the north-western side of St John's church, a crouched inhumation burial, with pottery indicating a mid- to late-[[Iron Age]] date, was discovered within the churchyard, below a series of unmarked post-medieval burials.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Broomhead |first=Richard |date=2007 |title=Weston-super-Mare, church of St John the Baptist |journal=Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society. |volume=150 |pages=212}}</ref>{{NoteTag|There was controversy surrounding the Iron Age male burial when the incumbent of the church refused the person a reburial in the churchyard on the grounds that he had not been a Christian, despite the fact that the ground had presumably been sacred to the individual and his community for probably 1,500 years or more before any Christian church had been established on the site. The excavator of the burial considered that there was a very real possibility that the location for the church had been chosen precisely because people in the early medieval period knew that it was the site of a pre-existing burial ground.<ref>{{cite report |last=Broomhead |first=R. |date=2006 |title=The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Weston‐super‐Mare: A Rescue Excavation & Watching brief on Behalf of the PCC, 7 |type=unpublished client report |id= Contractor’s report reference RAB/21/06; North Somerset HER 47378}}</ref>}}
An occupation site of [[Roman Britain|Romano-British]] date was investigated in 2008–2009 as part of a planning application by [[Weston College]] immediately to the west of their School of Science and Art, on the south side of South Terrace. This built on investigations that had already been carried out on the site in the late 1950s which strongly suggested the presence of Romano-British occupation. It is the only site known of this date in central Weston and was probably a small farmstead or hamlet. Finds included a burial of a male individual who had clearly led a very hard life, and had suffered multiple medical conditions which were expressed on his skeletal remains. It is possible that he had been a slave.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Young |first=Andrew |date=2022 |title=Excavation of a Roman coastal occupation site at the Hans Price building, Weston College, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset |journal=Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society |volume=165 |pages=142–158}}</ref>
Defences were built after the [[Norman Conquest]] near the settlements on Worlebury Hill at Worle (today's Castle Batch) and Ashcombe.<ref name="CH-16"/> The parish was part of the [[Hundred of Winterstoke]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thorn |first=Frank |date=2011 |title=Defining 'Winterstoke' Hundred, Somerset |journal=Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society |volume=154 |pages=119–164}}</ref> The medieval church of St John was demolished in 1824 and rebuilt on the same site. The former rectory, now known as Glebe House, is a largely 19th-century structure remodelled from a much older building. Seventeenth-century timbers survive in what was originally the entrance hall. It is Weston-super-Mare's oldest surviving building.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Browne |last2=Parker |first1=L. |first2=R.W. |title=The Occupation, History and Historic Building Survey of Glebe House, Weston-super-Mare |date=2019 |publisher=Browne & Parker |year=2019 |page=51}}</ref><ref name="IoEStJohn">{{NHLE|num=1129734|desc=Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist|access-date=24 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1320674|desc=Glebe House|access-date=24 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Beisly |first=Philip |title=Northmarsh of Somerset |publisher=Weston Heritage Centre |location=Weston-super-Mare |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-9510368-2-2 |page=97}}</ref>
The Pigott family of [[Brockley, Somerset|Brockley]] were the [[lord of the manor]] of Weston-super-Mare and Ashcombe from 1695. They built a summer residence at Grove House near the church two years later.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Poole |first1=Sharon |title=History & Guide: Weston-super-Mare |date=2002 |publisher=Tempus Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-2631-1 |page=21}}</ref>
The Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront is [[Listed building|listed Grade II]]. Its official Historic England list entry states that it is 'late 18th century, certainly before 1804'. The building carries the date 1774 but the date of its construction is unknown.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Thatched Cottage |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129729 |access-date=1 January 2025 |publisher=Historic England}}</ref><ref name="briefhist">{{cite web |title=Brief history of Weston-super-Mare |url=http://www.weston-super-mare.com/newhistory/newhistory.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019040835/http://www.weston-super-mare.com/newhistory/newhistory.html |archive-date=19 October 2010 |access-date=29 November 2009 |work=Weston-super-Mare}}</ref> Evidence exists that it was definitely built by June 1804.{{NoteTag|The claimed date of the Old Thatched Cottage can be traced to an article in the ''Weston Mercury'' on 30 December 1966 by John Bailey but he did not give the source of his account.}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Jane |title=George Cumberland: Farming - Family - Fossils |publisher=Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society |year=2022 |isbn=978-0902152335 |location=Taunton}}</ref>
===19th century=== [[File:Weston-super-Mare Queens Road.jpg|thumb|upright|A house built in Hans Price's distinctive style]] Weston was a small village of about 30 houses in the early part of the 19th century. They were some {{cvt|2|mi|km}} from Uphill, the moors between the two villages having some protection from the sea by a line of sand dunes which had grown after the [[Bristol Channel floods, 1607|Bristol Channel floods of 1607]].{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=16–17}} Sea bathing became fashionable in England in the second half of the 18th century and people started to visit to Uphill and Weston for the sea.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=24–28}} The town's growth during the 19th century was largely due to its development as a seaside resort. The first hotel was built in 1807–1810. At first it was just 'The Hotel' but later became 'Reeve's Hotel' and is now part of the Royal Hotel. It opened in 1810 but closed from time to time until opening permanently in 1814.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=32–33}} A bath house using sea water was opened on Knightstone Island in 1820 which was later linked to the mainland by a causeway.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=40}} A walkway was built along the dunes in 1826 from Knightstone to the hotel and in 1829 an extension carried it to the end of Regent Street.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=42–43}}
John Pigott sold off some land for development from 1807 but retained {{cvt|396|acre|ha}} on the hill which was planted with trees in 1823, creating a game reserve and what became Weston Woods. An estate road was opened through the woods on the north side of the hill in 1848; it was open to the public and was a private [[toll road]] for many years.{{sfn|Crockford-Hawley|2004|pages=33–35}}
The sale of the estate's land resulted in high-density housing being built south of Watersill Road (now Regent Street) and houses for the middle classes in the Whitecross area which extended to the town boundary at Moorland Road. Large detached villas were built on the southern slopes of Worlebury Hill. Many of the houses and public buildings erected from about 1870 were built from local grey [[limestone]] with details of soft yellow [[Bath Stone]] and [[slate]] roofs. These were designed by local architect [[Hans Price]].{{sfn|Crockford-Hawley|2004|pages=33–35}}{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=29–31}}<ref name="HansPrice">{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Martin |title=Hans Fowler Price: An introduction to his work in Weston-super-Mare |date=2004 |publisher=Weston Civic Society |pages=6–9}}</ref>
The [[Bristol and Exeter Railway]] opened the first part of its line on 14 June 1841. A station at {{Stnlnk|Weston Junction}} gave a connection to a [[Weston-super-Mare railway station|station in the town centre]].{{NoteTag|[[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], the Bristol and Exeter Railway's engineer, stayed in Weston at Swiss Villa (towards the north end of Trevelyan road) for a time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beisley |first1=Philip |title=Weston-super-Mare Past |date=2001 |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=1-86077-174-2 |page=27}}</ref>}} The railway connected with the [[Great Western Railway]] at {{Stnlnk|Bristol Temple Meads}} and made it easier for visitors from Bristol, the [[Midlands (England)|Midlands]], London and further afield to travel to Weston for a day or longer holidays.<ref name="MacD">{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E. T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863–1921 |publisher=[[Great Western Railway]] |year=1931 |pages=131–133}}</ref><ref name="Steam2Seaside">{{cite book |author=District of Woodspring |title=Steam to the Seaside |publisher=Woodspring Museum Service |year=1991 |pages=3–8}}</ref>
[[File:Birnbeck Pier c1900 2.jpg|thumb|Birnbeck Pier {{circa|1900}}]] [[Birnbeck Pier]] was opened in 1867 at the end of Worlebury Hill. Visitors, including many Welsh mining families, came across the [[Bristol Channel]] by [[steamboat|paddle steamer]] to the pier. In its heyday it offered [[amusement arcade]]s, tea rooms, [[amusement ride]]s and a photographic studio. Although [[listed building|listed Grade II*]] it is now in a derelict state and is classed as 'highly vulnerable' on Historic England's [[Heritage at Risk Register]]. It was designed by [[Eugenius Birch]] with ironwork by the Isca Foundry of [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]].{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=66–67}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Birnbeck Pier, Weston-Super-Mare - North Somerset (UA) |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/46865 |website=Historic England |access-date=14 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE | desc=Birnbeck Pier | num=1129718 | access-date=2 December 2006}}</ref>
The Seafront Improvement Scheme started in 1883. This saw the construction of the sea wall and esplanade, starting from Glentworth Bay at Knightstone. As far south as Regent Street it replaced the walkway of 1826 and reclaimed up to {{cvt|40|ft|m}} from the beach. By 1886 it had been completed south to the town boundary at the sanatorium. This section saw the sand dunes replaced by lawns, although the dunes beyond the sanatorium remain to this day. A further section was built to take it around the end of Worlebury Hill to Anchor Head and Birnbeck Pier.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=76–79}}{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=29–31}}
The first [[Submarine communications cable|transatlantic telegraph cable]] of the [[Commercial Cable Company]] was brought ashore at Weston in 1885.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cial.org.uk/cable13.htm |title=The Commercial Cable Company, early development as told by the president and others |publisher=John Crellin |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716141107/http://www.cial.org.uk/cable13.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Guglielmo Marconi]], the inventor of wireless telegraphy, successfully transmitted radio signals across the Bristol Channel in the spring of 1897, from Penarth (near Cardiff) to [[Brean Down]], the [[promontory]] at the south end of Weston Bay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swehs.co.uk/archives/news03su.pdf |title=Marconi – the Father of Radio |last=Phillips |first=Barrie |year=1996 |work=Supplement to Histalec News NO.3 |publisher=South Western Electricity Historical Society |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717024129/http://www.swehs.co.uk/archives/news03su.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
A second railway, the [[Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway]], opened on 1 December 1897, connecting Weston to [[Clevedon]], the Weston terminus being at Ashcombe Road.<ref name="WCPLR">{{cite book |last1=Redwood |first1=Christopher |title=The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway |date=1981 |publisher=Avon-Anglia |location=Weston-super-Mare |isbn=0-905466-42-X |pages=22–35}}</ref> The railway was extended to [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]] on 7 August 1907 but was closed in 1940.{{sfn|Redwood|1981|pages=45–46}}{{sfn|Redwood|1981|pages=53–75}}
===20th century=== [[File:Weston-super-Mare Madeira Cove with tram.jpg|alt=A single-deck with open sides tram running along a waterfront road.|thumb|A 'toast rack' tram heading into town at Madeira Cove, {{ca|1904}}]] A proposal for the [[Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway]] to run along the streets of the town to the sea front failed to materialise,<ref name="WCPLR"/> but a {{convert|2.9|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} {{RailGauge|ussg}} gauge [[Weston-super-Mare Tramways]] network opened on 12 May 1902. The main route ran from [[Birnbeck Pier]] along the sea front to the Sanatorium (now Royal Sands); a branch line ran to [[Weston-super-Mare railway station|the railway station]] and on to the tram depot in Locking Road. The fleet originally consisted of 12 double-deck cars and 4 open-sided '[[toast rack]]' cars. The system was bought out by the competing bus company and closed on 18 April 1937, by which time the fleet comprised 8 double-deck and 6 'toast racks'.<ref name=tramways>{{cite book |last=Oppitz |first=Leslie |title=Tramways Remembered: West and South West England |year=1990 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=978-1-85306-095-3}}</ref>
Local traders, unhappy that visitors arriving at Birnbeck Pier were not coming into the centre of the town, built a new pier closer to the main streets. Opened in 1904, and known as the [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare|Grand Pier]], it was designed to be {{convert|1.5|mi|km|1}} long.<ref>{{NHLE | desc=Grand Pier | num=1137759 | access-date=2 December 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Weston-super-Mare Marine Lake with trams and bus.jpg|thumb|The Marine Lake {{circa|1935}} when buses and trams were competing for passengers]] Several cinemas opened after 1911, the one near the Town Hall being rebuilt as the [[Plaza Cinema, Weston-super-Mare|Odeon Cinema]] (now the Plaza) in 1935 using a distinctive [[Moderne architecture|moderne]] style.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=82–84}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1311970 |title=Odeon Cinema |work=historicengland.org.uk |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=23 January 2010}}</ref> The [[Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare|Winter Gardens Pavilion]] opened between the High Street and sea front in 1927, and in 1929 work was completed on the Marine Lake. A causeway was built across Glentworth Bay and facilities provided on the shore to create an area where sea bathing would be available at all states of the tide.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=82–84}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=96–97}} The [[Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare|Open Air Pool]] (now the Tropicana), with its arched concrete diving board, opened in 1937 midway between the Grand Pier and the Sanatorium.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=82–84}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/jul/17/architecture.watersportsholidays |title=Just add water |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=17 July 2006 |work=The Guardian |access-date=24 January 2010 |location=London |archive-date=24 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924230214/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/jul/17/architecture.watersportsholidays |url-status=live}}</ref>
Weston Airfield opened in 1936, just outside the town on Locking Moor. Commercial flights were operated by Western Airways until [[World War II]], the most popular being to Cardiff which flew twice an hour at busy periods.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=85–86}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=104}} The site was also operated as [[RAF Weston-super-Mare]] by No. 24 Group. It served as a flying candidates selection and initial training facility, and as a relief airport during the war, latterly as the [[Polish Air Force]] Staff College from April 1944 to April 1946.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-W.htm#Weston-super-Mare |title=RAF Weston-super-Mare |publisher=rafweb.org |access-date=12 July 2009 |archive-date=18 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618081446/http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-W.htm#Weston-super-Mare |url-status=live}}</ref> Several factories were set up near the airfield, both on the Winterstoke Road in Oldmixon and nearer Locking, which became the targets for air raids.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=91–92}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=105–107}} The [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]] diversified production after the war and started to build helicopters in 1956. The factory was taken over by [[Westland Helicopters]] in 1960 and the company operated in Weston until 2002, although production finished in 1987. The airfield closed in 1978 but Westland's bought it for training pilots.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=101}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=111–112}}
The factories around the airfield attracted air raids and the town was also on the return route of bombers targeting Bristol and was itself bombed by the [[Luftwaffe]]. The first bombs fell in June 1940, but the worst attacks were in January 1941 and June 1942. Large areas of the town were destroyed, particularly Orchard Street and the Boulevard. On 3 and 4 January 1941, [[Incendiary device|incendiary bombs]] fell on the town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/WW2/bombing%20in%20the%20Bristol%20area.htm |title=bombing in the Bristol area |publisher=Century of Flight |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610154533/http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/WW2/bombing%20in%20the%20Bristol%20area.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=91–92}} The [[Air Ministry]] set up a "[[Starfish site|Q-station]]" decoy at [[Bleadon]] in an attempt to divert the bombers to an unpopulated area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/landscapes-and-areas/national-mapping-programme/severn-estuary-rczas-nmp/ |title=Severn Estuary RCZAS NMP |publisher=english-heritage.org.uk |access-date=8 June 2012 |archive-date=29 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529015312/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/landscapes-and-areas/national-mapping-programme/severn-estuary-rczas-nmp |url-status=live}}</ref> In all, 110 civilians lost their lives through enemy action in the borough.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston-super-Mare Municipal Borough, with list of casualties |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/4005010/WESTON-SUPER-MARE,%10MUNICIPAL%20BOROUGH |publisher=[[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] |access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref> [[United States Army]] troops were billeted in the area in the later part of the war but were moved elsewhere in the run-up to [[Normandy landings|D-Day]]. Birnbeck Pier was taken over for weapons development as 'HMS Birnbeck'.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=91–92}} During the war more than 10,000 [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuees]] were accommodated in the town; however, only 130 spent four or more years in the town.<ref>Elcock, Audrey. “Government Evacuation Schemes and Their Effect on School Children in Sheffield During the Second World War.” University of Sheffield, 1999, p. 376.</ref>
[[File:Shopping Parade, Oldmixon - geograph.org.uk - 4587955.jpg|thumb|Shops in Oldmixon Estates]] Milton was absorbed into the Weston-super-Mare Urban District in 1902<ref name="Chronology">{{cite book |last1=Poole |first1=Sharon |title=The Book of Weston-super-Mare with Worle and Uphill |date=2004 |publisher=Halsgrove |isbn=1-84114-343-X |pages=151–154}}</ref> and residential areas expanded eastwards along the Locking Road and Milton Road. England's first council [[housing estate]], enabled by the [[Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919]], was built at Milton Green in 1919. Further estates followed with Milton Brow on the hill and Bournville, which started to be developed in the south of the town before World War II.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=85}} The town expanded again in 1932 when [[Worle]] and [[Uphill]] were absorbed.<ref name="Chronology"/> After the war Bournville was completed and other estates were built at Coronation in the 1950s and Oldmixon in the 1960s, the latter to support further industrial estates that were built off the Winterstoke Road.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=100–101}} The opening of the [[M5 Motorway]] in the 1970s pulled development back to the east side of the town with new building around Worle and Locking Castle south of the railway line.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=104}}
Victorian housing around Carlton Street (between the Town Hall and seafront) was demolished in the 1960s and the area redeveloped as the Dolphin Square shopping precinct.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=97–99}} The Sovereign shopping centre was opened in 1992. Unlike Dolphin Square, this was fully covered and visible from the High Street.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=118}}
A new [[Weston General Hospital]] was opened at Uphill in 1986. This replaced several older hospitals and health facilities around the town including the Royal West of England Sanatorium on the seafront, and the original Weston Hospital which had opened on Alfred Street in 1865 and expanded as the Queen Alexandra Memorial Hospital onto The Boulevard in 1927.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=68–69}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=94–95}}
===21st century=== [[File:Silica (2007) by day.jpg|alt=A tapering tower, with metal hoops around the upper part.|upright=0.75|right|thumb|''Silica'', a piece of public art in the town centre]] Weston saw a growth in residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment centres in the early years of the 21st century. Related criminal and social problems were identified by local newspapers and the town council. They were also featured in [[John Penrose]]'s [[maiden speech]] as a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo050606/debtext/50606-26.htm |publisher=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] |title=Hansard Debates |date=6 June 2005 |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-date=27 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627070553/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo050606/debtext/50606-26.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> By 2009, Weston was home to around 11% of [[drug rehabilitation]] places in the UK, and [[North Somerset Council]] proposed an accreditation system examining the quality of counselling, staff training, transparency of referral arrangements, along with measures of the treatment's effectiveness and site inspections.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/jul/22/weston-super-mare-rehab-regulation |title=Turning the tide |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |date=22 July 2009 |work=The Guardian |access-date=22 July 2009 |location=London |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308054806/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/jul/22/weston-super-mare-rehab-regulation |url-status=live}}</ref> There was a reduction in the number of rehabilitation facilities in the town by 2012, with the number of patient beds having nearly halved.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/joy-at-weston-s-rehab-rehabilitation-1-1491176 |title=Joy at Weston's rehab rehabilitation |last=Angear |first=Simon |date=28 August 2012 |publisher=Weston, Worle and Somerset Mercury |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918134300/https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/joy-at-weston-s-rehab-rehabilitation-1-1491176 |url-status=live}}</ref>
A structure known as ''Silica'' was installed at Big Lamp Corner during 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Silica artwork |access-date=2 June 2007 |work=North Somerset Council |url=http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Community/Regeneration+and+sustainability/Weston+Regeneration/silicaartwork.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110928041039/http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Community/Regeneration%2Band%2Bsustainability/Weston%2BRegeneration/silicaartwork.htm |archive-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It is a piece of public art, an advertising sign, a retail kiosk selling newspapers and hot food, as well as a bus shelter. It was criticised by local residents who liken it to a carrot<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/our_mouldy_carrot_1_1380687 |title=Our mouldy 'carrot'... |last=Richardson |first=Report by Charlotte |newspaper=Weston Mercury |access-date=2 January 2017 |archive-date=3 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165804/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/our_mouldy_carrot_1_1380687 |url-status=live}}</ref> or a space ship, although it is meant to symbolise man's harmony with the sea. It was part of North Somerset Council's civic pride initiative that has sought to revitalise Weston-super-Mare's public spaces after a period of decline. There were also improvements to the street scene around Grove Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Community/News/grovevillageimprovements.htm |title=Grove Village improvements |date=9 March 2006 |publisher=North Somerset Council |access-date=1 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607102050/http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Community/News/grovevillageimprovements.htm |archive-date=7 June 2011 }}</ref> A £34 million redevelopment of the promenade was completed in 2010. Scour protection and a splash wall were constructed between Knightstone and Oxford Street. Pier Square was pedestrianised, and Marine Lake was refurbished.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Stunning £34m seafront improvements wow visitors |journal=North Somerset Life |date=September 2010 |issue=71 |pages=10–11 |publisher=North Somerset Council}}</ref>
The [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare#2008 fire|Grand Pier's pavilion was destroyed by a fire]] on 28 July 2008. Work to build a new pavilion started in 2009 and it reopened on 23 October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avonfire.gov.uk/Avon/News/Weston+pier+destroyed+by+fire.htm |publisher=[[Avon Fire and Rescue Service]] |title=Weston pier destroyed by fire |access-date=30 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120012119/http://www.avonfire.gov.uk/Avon/News/Weston%2Bpier%2Bdestroyed%2Bby%2Bfire.htm |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11612399 |title=Weston-super-Mare pier reopens two years after fire |date=23 October 2010 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=23 October 2010}}</ref> [[Birnbeck Pier#Dereliction|Birnbeck Pier was closed in 1994]] and [[Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station]], which had been at Birnbeck since 1882, moved to temporary facilities at Knightstone in 2013.<ref name="Terrell">{{cite book |last1=Terrell |first1=Stan |title=Birnbeck Pier, a short history |date=1996 |publisher=North Somerset Museum Service |isbn=0-901104-10-8 |pages=33–34}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New home for Weston-super-Mare's RNLI lifeboat |work=BBC News |date=23 December 2013 |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25490831 |access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref> After several private schemes to reopen the pier failed, [[North Somerset Council]] bought the pier in July 2023 with the intention of repairing it and returning the lifeboat station Birnbeck, although the [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] later withdrew from the project due to concerns about financing the repairs and maintaining the pier when they were complete.<ref>{{cite news |title=Council buys derelict Birnbeck Pier 'for future generations' |work=BBC News |date=13 July 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-66193478 |access-date=13 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Birnbeck Pier plan 'in jeopardy' as RNLI pulls out |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0v2vn3dp2o |website=BBC News |date=27 June 2025 |access-date=30 June 2025}}</ref>
Weston was chosen in March 2017 as one of the 10 successful bids for the first phase of the creation of Heritage Action Zones (HAZ), a scheme where [[Historic England]] works with local partners in places with significant historic environment to use that heritage to help build economic growth and other opportunities in the locality.<ref>{{cite web |title=Great Weston Heritage Action Zone {{!}} Historic England |url=http://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/heritage-action-zones/weston-super-mare/ |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en |access-date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=11 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111210611/https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/heritage-action-zones/weston-super-mare/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Over a three-year period the Heritage Action Zone<ref>{{cite web |title=Great Weston Heritage Action Zone – One Year On {{!}} Historic England |url=http://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/in-your-area/south-west/weston-haz-year-1/ |website=historicengland.org.uk |date=17 May 2018 |language=en |access-date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=5 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605215239/https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/in-your-area/south-west/weston-haz-year-1/ |url-status=live}}</ref> aimed to boost economic growth and researched Weston's heritage and urban development, by reviewing Weston's listed buildings, using [[Aerial photography|aerial photographs]], undertaking a historic characterisation of Weston-super-Mare, its land and sea environs<ref>{{cite web |title=A Historic Characterisation of Weston-Super-Mare and its Land and Sea Environs. Historic England Research Report 47/2018 |url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16099&ru=/Results.aspx?p=1&n=10&rn=47&ry=2018&ns=1 |website=research.historicengland.org.uk |access-date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119015449/https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16099&ru=%2FResults.aspx%3Fp%3D1&n=10&rn=47&ry=2018&ns=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> and a report on the architecture of the town, which culminated with the publication in 2020 of a new book ''Weston-super-Mare The town and its seaside heritage''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brodie, Roethe and Hudson-McAulay |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/weston-super-mare-town-and-seaside-heritage/weston-super-mare/ |title=Weston-super-Mare The town and its seaside heritage |year=2020 |access-date=18 September 2019 |archive-date=6 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006015356/https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/weston-super-mare-town-and-seaside-heritage/weston-super-mare/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Governance== [[File:Weston-Super-Mare - Newspaper Office - geograph.org.uk - 2814795.jpg|thumb|Town council's offices at 32 Waterloo Street, formerly the printing office of the ''[[Weston and Somerset Mercury]]'']] There are two tiers of local government covering Weston-super-Mare, at [[Parish council (England)|parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: [[Weston-super-Mare Town Council]] and [[North Somerset Council]]. The town council is based at 32 Waterloo Street.<ref name=TC>{{cite web |title=Weston-super-Mare Town Council |url=https://wsm-tc.gov.uk/ |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref> The building was formerly the printing office of the ''[[Weston and Somerset Mercury]]''. It was built in 1885 and converted to become the town council's offices in 2024.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Mercury Printing Offices|grade=II|num=1138161|access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Celebrating the Rebirth of a Weston Landmark: 32 Waterloo Street (the old Mercury building) |url=https://wsm-tc.gov.uk/celebrating-the-rebirth-of-a-weston-landmark-32-waterloo-street-the-old-mercury-building/ |website=Weston-super-Mare Town Council |access-date=10 May 2026 |date=29 January 2024}}</ref> North Somerset Council is also based in the town, having its headquarters at [[Weston-super-Mare Town Hall]] on Walliscote Road, the oldest parts of which date back to 1858.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=63}}<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The Town Hall|grade=II|num=1138148|access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref> [[File:WestonTownHall.jpg|alt=Stone building with colonnaded entrance. Above is a clock tower.|thumb|[[Weston-super-Mare Town Hall]]]]
For national elections, the town forms part of the [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare constituency]], which also covers some nearby villages.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/index.html |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref>
===Administrative history=== Weston-super-Mare was an [[ancient parish]] in the [[Hundred of Winterstoke|Winterstoke hundred]] of Somerset.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume I, Southern England |date=1979 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0901050679 |page=442}}</ref> As the modern town began to be developed in the 19th century, there was a need for more urban forms of local government. A body of [[improvement commissioners]] known as the Weston-super-Mare Town Commissioners was established in 1842 to administer the town.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=51–52}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston-super-Mare Improvement and Market Act 1842 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/5-6/20/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref>
The commissioner's area was subsequently made a [[Local Government Act 1858|local government district]] in 1859. The district initially just covered the nascent town, but was extended on a number of occasions such that by 1894 it covered the whole parish of Weston-super-Mare plus part of the parish of [[Uphill]]. Such districts were reconstituted as [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], with an elected council replacing the commissioners.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Somerset |date=1914 |page=503 |url=https://leicester.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/110401 |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1895 |page=275 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/gFIwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA1-PA275&printsec=frontcover |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref>
The urban district was enlarged in 1933 to take in areas including Uphill and [[Worle]]. In 1937, the urban district was converted into a [[municipal borough]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston-super-Mare Urban District / Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10135310 |website=[[A Vision of Britain]] |publisher=University of Portsmouth |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref> The borough council adopted the motto ''Ever Forward''.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=87}} The borough of Weston-super-Mare was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The area became part of the new [[Woodspring (district)|Woodspring]] district in the new county of [[Avon (county)|Avon]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=21 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=3 March 2023}}</ref>
The county of Avon was abolished in 1996. Woodspring was then renamed North Somerset, and its council also took on county council functions, making it a unitary authority.<ref name=Avonstructural>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995|year=1995|number=493|access-date=18 June 2024}}</ref> For [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial]] purposes, the district was restored to Somerset at the same time.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Government Changes for England (Miscellaneous Provision) Regulations 1995|year=1995|number=1748|access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref>
No [[successor parish]] was created for the former borough of Weston-super-Mare at the time of the 1974 reforms, leaving it [[unparished area|unparished]]. A new civil parish of Weston-super-Mare was subsequently created in 2000, with its parish council taking the name Weston-super-Mare Town Council.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Langston |first1=Brett |title=North Somerset Registration District |url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/north%20somerset.html |website=UK BMD |access-date=10 May 2026}}</ref><ref name=TC/>
==Geography== [[File:Weston-super-Mare tidal range.jpg|alt=Two views showing the sea wall and buildings. The left side is an expanse of sand in the top picture but covered by water in the bottom picture.|thumb|right|Low and high tides looking towards Knightstone Island]] The mainly flat landscape of Weston is dominated to the north by [[Worlebury Hill]] ({{cvt|109|m|ft}} above sea level).<ref name="Mark Jackson">{{cite web |url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/GB/England100m.doc |title=P100m HILLS of ENGLAND, Region 41 South Central England, Section 41A Hills of Somerset |author=Mark Jackson |publisher=peaklist.org |access-date=24 March 2010 |archive-date=27 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927213115/http://peaklist.org/WWlists/GB/England100m.doc |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Bleadon Hill]] ({{Cvt|176|m|ft}}<ref name="Mark Jackson"/> and [[Brean Down]] ({{Cvt|97|m|ft}})<ref>{{cite web |title=Brean Down, Somerset |url=https://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions/history-and-heritage/brean-down-national-trust |website=Visit Somerset |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref> forms its southern border. The [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]] flows into [[Weston Bay]] at Uphill, cutting Brean Down off from the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=River Axe |url=https://somersetrivers.uk/somerset-rivers/mendips/river-axe/ |website=Somerset Rivers |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="OS153">{{cite map |year=1974 |title=Weston-super-Mare and Bleadon Hill |scale=1:25,000 |isbn=0-319-21778-7 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |sheet=153}}</ref> Much of Worlebury Hill is wooded with some [[Ancient woodland|Ancient Woodland]] sites.<ref>{{cite web |title=Natural England Map of Ancient Woodland Sites |url=https://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/ancient-woodland-england/explore?location=51.357759%2C-2.962203%2C13.98 |publisher=Natural England |access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref> The remains of [[Worlebury Camp]] hillfort are at its far western end.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=8–10}}
The beach lies on the western edge of the town. The upper part is sandy, but the tidal rise and fall in the [[Severn Estuary]] and Bristol Channel can be as great as {{convert|14.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, second only to [[Bay of Fundy]] in Eastern Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=Severn River Basin District |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/sev_wt_e_new_1815638.pdf |publisher=Envioprnment Agency |access-date=28 September 2010 |page=3 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090207152654/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/sev_wt_e_new_1815638.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Extreme Depositional Environments: Mega End Members in Geologic Time |first1=Marjorie A. |last1=Chan |last2=Archer |first2=Allen William |page=151 |location=[[Boulder, Colorado]] |isbn=978-0-8137-2370-9 |publisher=[[Geological Society of America]] |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3_1Ry0gDqEC&q=bristol+channel&pg=PA152 |access-date=22 November 2020 |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107105557/https://books.google.com/books?id=b3_1Ry0gDqEC&q=bristol+channel&pg=PA152 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/07/04/bristolchannel_feature.shtml |title=Coast: Bristol Channel |work=BBC |access-date=27 August 2007 |archive-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307233742/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/07/04/bristolchannel_feature.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> This tidal movement contributes to the deposition of natural mud in bays such as Weston. There has been concern about pollution levels from industrial areas in Wales and at the eastern end of the Bristol Channel; however this tends to be diluted by the Atlantic waters. There are measurable levels of chemical pollutants, and little is known about their effects. Of particular concern are the levels of [[cadmium]] and to a lesser degree residual pesticides and hydrocarbons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/sotp-chapter_5_coast.pdf |title=State of the park report. Chapter 5 Coasts |publisher=Exmoor National Park |access-date=5 August 2008 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080728133713/http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/sotp-chapter_5_coast.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2008}}</ref>
[[Ellenborough Park, Weston-super-mare|Ellenborough Park]], on the sea front near the town centre, is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] due to the range of plant species found there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005488.pdf |work=English Nature |title=Citation – Ellenborough Park West |access-date=6 September 2007 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003400/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005488.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
A map of 1792 shows that the early village of Weston was located around the church and southwards along what is today's High Street as far as the end of what is now Meadow Street.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=12–17}} The town has developed eastwards along and below Worlebury Hill to envelop the villages of Milton and [[Worle]]. It has also spread south behind the seafront and with housing estates at Bournville, Coronation and Oldmixon which leaves a small undeveloped strip around the village of [[Uphill]].<ref name="OS153"/>
==Climate== Along with the rest of [[South West England]], Weston has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.<ref name="weather">{{cite web |title=South West England: climate |work=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/sw/ |access-date=14 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605003222/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/sw/ |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|11|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}. [[Temperateness|Seasonal temperature variation]] is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately {{convert|22|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}. In winter mean minimum temperatures of {{convert|2|-|3|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}} are common.<ref name="weather"/>
The [[Azores High|Azores high]] pressure affects the south-west of England in the summer, however [[Convection|convective]] cloud sometimes forms inland which reduces the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of {{nowrap|1,600 hours}}.<ref name="weather"/> There were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton (the nearest weather station) in December 1998. Most of south-west England's rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by [[Low-pressure area|Atlantic depressions]], which is when they are most active. A large proportion of the rainfall in the summer is caused by sun heating the ground leading to [[convection]] which results in showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around {{convert|900|mm|abbr=on}}. About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.<ref name="weather"/>
{{Weather box|location = Weston-super-Mare (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–1971, 1985–1994) |collapsed = |metric first = y |single line = y |Jan record high C = 14.0 |Feb record high C = 15.6 |Mar record high C = 21.1 |Apr record high C = 22.7 |May record high C = 26.0 |Jun record high C = 30.2 |Jul record high C = 28.7 |Aug record high C = 29.4 |Sep record high C = 28.3 |Oct record high C = 25.6 |Nov record high C = 17.1 |Dec record high C = 15.9 |Jan record low C = -11.4 |Feb record low C = -7.9 |Mar record low C = -9.0 |Apr record low C = -4.5 |May record low C = 0.2 |Jun record low C = 1.9 |Jul record low C = 5.9 |Aug record low C = 4.2 |Sep record low C = 0.4 |Oct record low C = -4.0 |Nov record low C = -7.2 |Dec record low C = -8.1 |Jan high C = 8.5 |Feb high C = 9.3 |Mar high C = 11.2 |Apr high C = 14.0 |May high C = 17.2 |Jun high C = 20.1 |Jul high C = 21.9 |Aug high C = 21.5 |Sep high C = 19.4 |Oct high C = 15.1 |Nov high C = 11.8 |Dec high C = 8.9 |year high C = 14.9 |Jan mean C = 5.7 |Feb mean C = 6.0 |Mar mean C = 7.6 |Apr mean C = 9.7 |May mean C = 12.6 |Jun mean C = 15.8 |Jul mean C = 17.7 |Aug mean C = 17.3 |Sep mean C = 15.1 |Oct mean C = 11.7 |Nov mean C = 8.5 |Dec mean C = 5.9 | year mean C = |Jan low C = 2.8 |Feb low C = 2.7 |Mar low C = 4.0 |Apr low C = 5.3 |May low C = 8.0 |Jun low C = 11.5 |Jul low C = 13.5 |Aug low C = 13.1 |Sep low C = 10.8 |Oct low C = 8.2 |Nov low C = 5.2 |Dec low C = 2.8 |year low C = 7.3 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 93.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 63.4 |Mar precipitation mm = 53.9 |Apr precipitation mm = 60.2 |May precipitation mm = 53.7 |Jun precipitation mm = 65.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 73.3 |Aug precipitation mm = 77.9 |Sep precipitation mm = 91.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 96.3 |Nov precipitation mm = 112.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 98.7 |year precipitation mm = 940.0 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 13.5 | Feb precipitation days = 10.1 | Mar precipitation days = 11.2 | Apr precipitation days = 10.5 | May precipitation days = 9.1 | Jun precipitation days = 9.4 | Jul precipitation days = 10.3 | Aug precipitation days = 9.9 | Sep precipitation days = 9.3 | Oct precipitation days = 13.5 | Nov precipitation days = 13.5 | Dec precipitation days = 13.4 | year precipitation days =133.8 |Jan sun = 55.0 |Feb sun = 76.2 |Mar sun = 116.1 |Apr sun = 167.5 |May sun = 196.3 |Jun sun = 193.4 |Jul sun = 206.6 |Aug sun = 185.0 |Sep sun = 140.5 |Oct sun = 97.2 |Nov sun = 60.3 |Dec sun = 44.9 |year sun = 1538.8 | source 1 = [[Met Office]] (precipitation days 1981–2010)<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/gcjujye83 |title=Station: Weston-super-mare No 2, Climate period: 1991–2020 |publisher=Met Office |access-date=15 December 2024}}</ref> |source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php |title=Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature, Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date=16 December 2024 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815080921/http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php |url-status=dead}}</ref> }}
==Demography== Weston's population started to grow in the 19th century. In 1811 it was just 163 people, in 1821 it was 738, and in 1831 it was 1,310.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=47}}<ref>{{cite book |title=The Penny Cyclopaedia for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge |page=229 |volume=XXII Sigonio–Steam-Vessel |location=London |publisher=Charles Knight & Co |year=1842 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E9sGAAAAYAAJ&q=population+weston-super-mare&pg=PA229}}</ref>{{NoteTag|A book published in 1829 states there were around 250 houses in Weston.<ref>{{cite book |last= Rutter |first= John |publisher= Longman, Rees, and Company |year= 1829 |title= Delineations of the North Western Division of the County of Somerset, and of Its Antediluvian Bone Caverns, with a Geological Sketch of the District |url=https://archive.org/details/delineationsnor00ruttgoog/page/n78/mode/2up |page= 42 |access-date=24 January 2026}}</ref>}} By 1851 there were 4,033 people in the town and more than 8,000 by 1861.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=62}} The town's expansion in the middle of the 20th century saw the population increase to more than 28,000 in 1931 and more than 40,000 in 1951 with further increases coming as new housing estates were built.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=100}}
The [[United Kingdom Census 2021]] recorded the population of Weston-super-Mare as 82,418 people. Of these<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2021: Weston-super-Mare |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/customprofiles/build/#E04012104 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Weston-super-Mare |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/admin/north_somerset/E04012104__weston_super_mare/ |publisher=City Population |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref> *17,602 (21%) were aged over 65 *73,147 (89%) were born in the United Kingdom *77,951 (95%) declared themselves as white
==Economy== [[File:Weston-super-Mare beach from the Pier.jpg|thumb|Weston-super-Mare beach seen from the Grand Pier, showing the popularity of the town as a tourist destination on the Easter bank holiday weekend (in 2011)]] [[File:Tropicana as seen from the beach.jpg|thumb|Funland, a seasonal amusement park hosted at the Tropicana]]
Since the 1970s, Weston has suffered a decline in popularity as a holiday destination, as have most British seaside resorts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpreavonside.org.uk/districts/north-somerset/weston-vision/ |title=The Weston Vision |publisher=CPRE Avonside |access-date=20 September 2010 |archive-date=13 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313000728/http://www.cpreavonside.org.uk/districts/north-somerset/weston-vision/ |url-status=live}}</ref> due to the advent of cheap foreign holidays and the demise of the traditional "works holidays" of heavy and manufacturing industries elsewhere in UK. The town had become a centre of industries such as [[helicopter]] production, and maintenance at the [[GKN]] Westland factory until its closure in 2002,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/3733361.stm |title=GKN confirms Westland sale talks |work=BBC News |date=20 May 2004 |access-date=5 January 2008 |archive-date=18 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218082009/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3733361.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> however the company still retains a design office under the name GKN Aerospace Engineering Services at the Winterstoke Road site. Road transport links were improved with the [[M5 motorway]] running close by, and the town now supports light industries and distribution depots, including [[Lidl]]'s distribution centre for its southern based stores, and is also a [[Commuter town|dormitory town]] for [[Bristol]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/02/05/weston_development_feature.shtml |title=Can Weston-super-Mare cope with development? |date=6 February 2008 |work=BBC Somerset |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=19 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619080921/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/02/05/weston_development_feature.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> <!-- [[Philip Harris Ltd.|Philip Harris Ltd]] moved their production unit to the town in the 1970s to join their biological supplies division, which moved from [[Sheffield]] in 1965.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} --> Vutrix, one of the largest semiconductor and video/audio distribution equipment companies in the television broadcasting industry, is based in the town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vutrix.com/home/ |title=Vutrix |publisher=Vutrix |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=21 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421023624/http://www.vutrix.com/home/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Two of the town's largest employers are the local council and [[Weston College]], which has recently begun to offer [[Academic degree|university degrees]] as a secondary campus of [[Bath Spa University]].<ref name="westoncollhe">{{cite web |url=http://www.weston.ac.uk/higher/introduction |title=Higher Education |publisher=Weston College |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-date=7 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107005720/http://www.weston.ac.uk/higher/introduction |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Tourism=== Weston-super-Mare is a tourist destination, with its long sandy beach, [[The Helicopter Museum|Helicopter Museum]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/sw000160 |title=Helicopter Museum |publisher=Culture24 |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=5 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305152856/http://www.culture24.org.uk/sw000160 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Weston Museum]], [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare|Grand Pier]] and seasonal Wheel of Weston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Leisure/Tourism/The+Wheel+of+Weston/ |title=Wheel of Weston |publisher=North Somerset Council |access-date=7 November 2010 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110927193605/http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Leisure/Tourism/The%2BWheel%2Bof%2BWeston/ |archive-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2009 survey by [[VisitEngland|Visit England]] placed the Grand Pier in the top ten free attractions in England.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8225517.stm |title=England visitor numbers 'rising' |date=29 August 2009 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124230833/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8225517.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> However, as of 2014, the pier charges for admission. On the Beach Lawns was a [[Ridable miniature railway|miniature railway]] operated by steam and diesel locomotives, which closed in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonminiaturerailway.co.uk/ |title=Weston Miniature Railway |publisher=Weston Miniature Railway |access-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620191805/http://www.westonminiaturerailway.co.uk/ |archive-date=20 June 2007 }}</ref> The [[PS Waverley|Paddle Steamer ''Waverley'']] and [[MV Balmoral (1949)|MV ''Balmoral'']] offer day trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the [[Bristol Channel]] and [[River Severn|Severn estuary]].<ref name="knightstone">{{cite web |url=http://www.ports.org.uk/port.asp?id=828 |title=Knightstone |publisher=Ports and Harbours of the UK |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=28 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128063510/http://www.ports.org.uk/port.asp?id=828 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Since the 1970s the number of visitors staying for several nights in the town has decreased, but the numbers of day visitors has increased.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonsupermare.org/page31.htm |title=Introduction and brief tourism economy history and influences |publisher=Weston super Mare chamber of trade and commerce |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223214630/http://www.westonsupermare.org/page31.htm |archive-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> In 1995 there were 4 million visitors but by 2005 this had risen to 5.3 million.<ref name="actionplan">{{cite web |url=http://consult.n-somerset.gov.uk/consult.ti/WestonTownCentreAAP/printCompoundDoc?docid=34996&partid=47700 |title=Introductory Section |work=Weston Town Centre Area Action Plan& – Issues and Options Stage |publisher=North Somerset Council |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813231012/http://consult.n-somerset.gov.uk/consult.ti/WestonTownCentreAAP/printCompoundDoc?docid=34996&partid=47700 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007 69% of visitors to the resort were day visitors, compared to 58% in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://consult.n-somerset.gov.uk/consult.ti/CoreStrategyCD/viewCompoundDoc?docid=320756&partid=360628 |title=Tourism Strategy |work=Core Strategy – Consultation Draft |publisher=North Somerset Council |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813230500/http://consult.n-somerset.gov.uk/consult.ti/CoreStrategyCD/viewCompoundDoc?docid=320756&partid=360628 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2005 survey showed that day visitors stay in Weston-super-Mare for an average of six hours whilst overnight visitors stay for an average of five nights. The largest percentage of visitors (22%) were from the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]. Weston was found to attract two distinct groups: "grey tourists" over the age of 60 and families with young children.<ref name="actionplan"/>
The [[Art Deco]] [[Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare|Tropicana]], once a very popular lido on the beach, suffered years of neglect before closing to the public in 2000, and despite a number of attempts to reopen it, permission was given to demolish it in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Alex |title=Tropicana: Government approves demolition |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/tropicana_government_approves_demolition_1_1475009 |access-date=2 July 2014 |publisher=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |date=8 August 2012 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714203723/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/tropicana_government_approves_demolition_1_1475009 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the complex reopened in 2015 and now serves as an events space, primarily hosting a seasonal [[amusement park]] and [[ice rink]].<ref name="tropicanareopens">{{cite web |url=http://tropicanaweston.co.uk/tropicana-history-timeline/ |title=Tropicana history |publisher=Tropicana Weston |access-date=30 August 2020 |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812172519/http://tropicanaweston.co.uk/tropicana-history-timeline/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="tropicanaicerink">{{cite web |url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/ice-rink-weston-tropicana-icescape-3331431 |title=The UK's biggest ice rink is opening near Bristol this winter |publisher=Bristol Post |first=Heather |last=Pickstock |date=18 September 2019 |access-date=30 August 2020 |archive-date=29 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929200319/https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/ice-rink-weston-tropicana-icescape-3331431 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In July 2011, North Somerset Council gave planning approval to the £50 million [[LeisureDome, Weston-super-Mare|Leisure Dome]],<ref name=approval>{{cite news |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/50million_leisuredome_gets_planning_approval_1_971959 |newspaper=The Weston Mercury |date=22 July 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |title=£50million Leisuredome gets planning approval |first=Alex |last=Ross |archive-date=5 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105214310/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/50million_leisuredome_gets_planning_approval_1_971959 |url-status=live}}</ref> a {{convert|210|m|adj=on}} [[indoor ski slope]] to be built on the site of [[RAF Locking]]. It was planned to include a {{convert|40|m|adj=on}} [[climbing wall]], a [[vertical wind tunnel]] for indoor [[Parachuting|skydiving]], indoor surfing, a [[BMX]] track, a health and fitness club, and a number of shops and restaurants. The ski slope was to be the longest in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wam.n-somerset.gov.uk/MULTIWAM/findCaseFile.do;jsessionid=ED4D4227B9D3E916CD9D8C140072AA5B?appNumber=11%2FP%2F0923%2FF&appType=planning |title=Case File |publisher=North Somerset Council |work=Planning and Development Control |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> In 2015 the future of the project was in doubt because of the need for additional funding,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Becky |title=Leisuredome project could be scrapped |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/leisuredome_project_could_be_scrapped_1_4307277 |access-date=17 September 2016 |work=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |date=17 November 2015 |archive-date=18 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918005702/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/leisuredome_project_could_be_scrapped_1_4307277 |url-status=live}}</ref> and no mention of the LeisureDome proposals appear on the information provided by [[St. Modwen Properties]], the developers about their plans for Locking Parklands as the site is now known.<ref>{{cite web |title=Locking Parklands |url=http://www.stmodwen.co.uk/uploads/documents/Locking%20Parklands.pdf |publisher=St. Modwen |access-date=17 September 2016 |archive-date=18 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918010605/http://www.stmodwen.co.uk/uploads/documents/Locking%20Parklands.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Becky |title=Leisuredome project could be scrapped |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/leisuredome-project-could-be-scrapped-1-4307277 |access-date=28 December 2017 |work=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |date=17 November 2015 |archive-date=29 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229112347/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/leisuredome-project-could-be-scrapped-1-4307277 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/sport/ski_centre_buy_out_won_t_block_leisuredome_1_1468623 |newspaper=The Weston Mercury |title=Ski centre buy-out 'won't block Leisuredome' |first=Simon |last=Angear |date=4 August 2012 |access-date=4 December 2012 |archive-date=31 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231100224/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/sport/ski_centre_buy_out_won_t_block_leisuredome_1_1468623 |url-status=live}}</ref>
'International HeliDays', in association with [[The Helicopter Museum]], are staged at the beach lawns over a long weekend around the end of July, when up to 75 helicopters from Europe fly in for a static display. There are frequent Helicopter Air Experience flights from the Museum heliport. There is also an annual display by the [[Red Arrows]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/news/Crowds-turn-Red-Arrows-Weston-super-Mare/article-292959-detail/article.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913080202/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/news/Crowds-turn-Red-Arrows-Weston-super-Mare/article-292959-detail/article.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 September 2012 |title=Crowds turn out for Red Arrows at Weston-super-Mare |date=28 August 2008 |work=Western Daily Press |publisher=This is Western daily Press |access-date=21 March 2010}}</ref>
Weston Bike Nights are motorcycle meetings on the Promenade each Thursday during the summer. They are organised by [[The Royal British Legion Riders Branch]] to raise money for the [[The Royal British Legion#Poppy Appeal|Poppy Appeal]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/user/2009/may/Weston-Bike-Night---Bigger-and-Better-for-2009/ |publisher=[[Motorcycle News]] |date=5 May 2009 |title=Weston Bike Night – Bigger and Better for 2009 |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117232106/http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/user/2009/may/Weston-Bike-Night---Bigger-and-Better-for-2009/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Transport== === Road === The early route into Weston was along the south side of Worlebury Hill on what became Bristol Road.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=16}} As the national road network developed, Locking Road became part of the [[A370 road]]. This links Weston with Bristol and also the [[A38 road]] to the south.<ref>{{cite map |year=1974 |title=Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater |scale=1:50,000 |series=First |publisher=Ordnance Survey |sheet=182}}</ref> The [[M5 motorway]] between [[Birmingham]] and [[Exeter]] was completed in 1973 and includes a junction for Weston-super-Mare near Worle. A link road to the town centre was built later and is now the designated route of the A370. The [[A371 road]] runs east through [[Locking, Somerset|Locking]] to [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] and [[Wincanton]].{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=115}}<ref name="OS153"/>
=== Rail === [[File:Weston-super-Mare - GWR 158957 and 166204.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Two green trains beneath a lattice bridge|Weston-super-Mare railway station]] The first [[Weston-super-Mare railway station]] opened on 14 June 1841, the terminus of a short branch line from {{Stnlnk|Weston Junction}} which was where Hutton Moor Lane crosses the railway. The present station opened on 1 March 1881 along with a new line which allowed trains to run through the town.<ref name="Steam2Seaside"/><ref name="MacD"/>{{sfn |District of Woodspring|1991|pages=8–11}}
The weekday daytime in 2026 has [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] trains approximately every hour each way between Weston-super-Mare and:<ref name="GWR-TT">{{cite web |title=B4: Cardiff and Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton |url=https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times |edition=14 December 2025 to 16 May 2026 |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref> *{{Stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} via {{Stnlnk|Bristol Temple Meads}} *{{Stnlnk|Avonmouth}} or {{Stnlnk|Severn Beach}} via Bristol Temple Meads *{{Stnlnk|Taunton}} (many of which continue to {{Stnlnk|Exeter St Davids}} or {{Stnlnk|Penzance}}). There are less frequent Great Western Railway services via Bristol Temple Meads to {{Stnlnk|Bath Spa}} and {{Stn|London Paddington}}. There are also [[CrossCountry]] services once each day to {{Stnlnk|Manchester Piccadilly}} via Bristol Temple Meads, and to {{Stnlnk|Paignton}} via Taunton.<ref name="GWR-TT"/>
[[Worle railway station]] is served by most trains to and from Weston-super-Mare. [[Weston Milton railway station]] is served by the Avonmouth/Severn Beach service and a few trains on the Cardiff and London routes.<ref name="GWR-TT"/>
=== Bus === [[File:Weston-super-Mare Birkett Road - First 37629 (WX58JYR).JPG|thumb|An [[open top bus]] near Birnbeck Pier]] Weston used to have a bus station on Beach Road. When it opened in 1928 it was the only bus station in the area. It closed in 1987, since when buses have departed from various streets including on the sea front.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=Martin |last2=Walker |first2=Mike |title=Badgerline: Bristol's country buses |date=2013 |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |isbn=978-0-7110-3634-5 |page=90}}</ref> Most services now call at the bus interchange (also known as the 'bus hub') that opened in 2022 on Regent Street adjacent to Tesco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 February 2022 |title=Weston-super-Mare's £6.8 million bus hub opens after delay |url=https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-02-06/weston-super-mares-68-million-bus-hub-opens-after-delay |access-date=6 February 2022 |website=ITV News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Frost |first=Sam |date=27 October 2017 |title=Alexandra Parade to become bus interchange as part of big changes to Weston town centre's roads |url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/alexandra-parade-to-become-bus-terminal-4515278 |access-date=6 February 2022 |website=Weston Mercury |language=en-UK}}</ref>
Most local services are provided by [[First West of England]]. These include buses to [[Bristol]], [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] and [[Burnham-on-Sea]] as well as town routes.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Bus routes in Weston-super-Mare |url=https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/maps/Weston%20Network%20Map.pdf |publisher=First Bus |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref> The service to [[Sand Bay]] is sometimes operated by [[Open top buses in Weston-super-Mare|an open top bus]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sand Bay: Weston-super-Mare’s Serene Coastal Escape |url=https://southwest-news.co.uk/2025/08/04/sand-bay-weston-super-mares-serene-coastal-escape/ |website=Southwest News |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref> [[WESTlink (on-demand bus)|WESTlink]] provides a demand-responsive minibus service for the area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston rural |url=https://travelwest.info/westlink/weston-rural/ |website=Westlink |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref>
Long-distance coach services are operated by [[National Express Coaches|National Express]] and [[FlixBus]] from the bus interchange; FlixBus also calls at Worle railway station.<ref>{{cite web |title=Route Map |url=https://routemap.nationalexpress.com/nearest/weston-super-mare/10 |publisher=National Express |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FlixBus stop: Weston super Mare Alexandra Parade |url=https://www.flixbus.co.uk/coach/weston-super-mare/weston-super-mare-alexandra-parade |publisher=FlixBus |access-date=28 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FlixBus stop: Worle Station - Diamond Batch Car Park Stop |url=https://www.flixbus.co.uk/coach/weston-super-mare/worle-station-diamond-batch-car-park-stop |publisher=FlixBus |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref>
=== Air === Weston Airfield opened in 1936 and was the second busiest airfield in the country before [[World War II]].{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=85–86}}{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=104}} It closed in 1978.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|page=111–112}}
The nearest operational airport to Weston is now [[Bristol Airport]], located {{convert|15|mi|km}} away at Lulsgate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=bristol+airport+to+weston+super+mare |title=Google |website=www.google.co.uk |access-date=19 July 2018 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033213/https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant#q=bristol+airport+to+weston+super+mare |url-status=live}}</ref> The A3 'Weston Airport Flyer' bus links the town and airport.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston Airport Flyer |url=https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/routes-and-maps/weston-airport-flyer |website=First Bus |access-date=24 January 2026}}</ref>
==Education== [[File:Weston_College.jpg|thumb|upright|Weston College, Knightstone Campus]] Churches and charities provided the first schools for poorer families but many private boarding schools were set up as Weston was considered a healthy location for children. These included The College on the sea front (which was sold in the 1880s and enlarged to become the Grand Atlantic Hotel), Stanmore School in the Royal Crescent, Winthorpe in Wilton Gardens, Burton House in Walliscote Road, and Etonhurst at Ellenborough Park.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=56–57}}{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=87–91}}{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=28–30}} The [[Sisters of La Retraite]] opened a Catholic school in 1899 and it moved to South Road in 1907 where it remained until 1971.{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=91–94}} St Peter's started in Highbury House in 1882 and moved a short distance to the Shrubbery when a new school was built in 1906. This operated until 1970. [[Roald Dahl]] was a boarder from 1925; [[John Cleese]] was a day pupil from 1948 and later returned as a teacher.{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=94–99}}
The church schools resisted the formation of a School Board in the 1870s but one was finally established in 1893. The first Board School was provided in Walliscote Road near the Town Hall in 1893, and a second in Locking Road in 1900. Responsibility for education was transferred to Somerset County Council in 1903.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=56–57}}
Somerset adopted [[Comprehensive school|comprehensive secondary education]] in 1971. Worle County Secondary School moved into a new building as Worle Comprehensive (now [[Worle Community School|Worle Community School Academy]]), the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Somerset. Walliscote Boys' School and Walliscote Girls' School combined to become Wyvern Comprehensive (now the [[Hans Price Academy]]) which covered the centre of the town, and the Grammar School became Broadoak Comprehensive (now [[Broadoak Academy]]) at the south end of the town. [[Priory Community School]] was opened later amid the housing expansion around Worle.{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=106}}
The National School in Lower Church Road offered the town's first higher education classes in 1873. The School of Art later moved into adjacent premises, having opened in the Boulevard in 1880. The National School was replaced by today's main college building in 1970 which was extended in 1998. Satellite college campuses have been situated in other parts of the town at various times.{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=107}}
==Culture== [[File:WSM Winter Gardens.jpg|upright=1.35|alt=White building behind the beach. It has a dome and colonnades to left and right.|thumb|The Winter Gardens]] The [[The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare|Playhouse]] theatre is in High Street near Grove Park. It opened in 1946 but burnt down in 1964; the current building dates from 1969.{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=101}} The [[Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare|Winter Gardens Pavilion]] opened on the seafront in 1927 for shows but now also hosts exhibitions and conferences in an extension.{{sfn|Beisley|2001|pages=95–96}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Rosie |last2=Smith |first2=Howard |title=Weston-super-Mare in Watercolours - an alternative guide |date=2001 |publisher=The Garret Press |isbn=0-9541546-0-6 |page=9}}</ref> [[The Blakehay Theatre, Weston-super-Mare|The Blakehay]] is a small concert hall and exhibition space in Wadham Street near The Playhouse. It is housed in a former Baptist church and managed by Weston-super-Mare Civic Society.{{sfn|Smith|Smith|2001|page=47}} All Saints Church hosts concerts, has been used for recording, for example by the [[Emerald Ensemble]], and has featured on BBC TV's ''[[Songs of Praise]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/songsofpraise/factsheets/20081123.html |title=Songs of Praise factsheet for Sunday 23 November 2008 |publisher=BBC |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604163652/http://www.bbc.co.uk/songsofpraise/factsheets/20081123.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Odeon Weston super Mare.jpg|thumb|Plaza Cinema]] The [[Plaza Cinema, Weston-super-Mare|Plaza Cinema]] was opened as the Odeon in 1935. It is a [[Listed building|Grade II listed]] in [[art deco]]. It houses the only [[John Compton (organ builder)|Compton]] theatre pipe organ in an Odeon cinema outside London, and is one of only two working theatre organs left in the country still performing in their original location in commercially operating cinemas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theater/13851/ |title=Odeon Weston-super-Mare |publisher=Cinema Treasures |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=23 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223044509/http://cinematreasures.org/theater/13851/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1311970|desc=Odeon Cinema|access-date=23 January 2010}}</ref><ref name=MerlinPurchase>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/23710471.merlin-cinemas-announce-purchase-westons-odeon/ |title=Merlin Cinemas announce purchase of Weston's ODEON |date=9 August 2023 |publisher=[[The Weston & Somerset Mercury]] |access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="plazacinema">{{cite web |title=Plaza Weston |url=https://wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/29480-despicable-me-3?forcechoice=true |website=Merlin Cinemas |access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref>
The Weston Arts Festival takes place each year during September and October using local venues including the Blakehay Theatre, Playhouse, All Saints, and galleries and offering a wide range of cultural events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonartsfestival.org.uk/ |title=Weston super Mare Arts Festival |publisher=Weston super Mare Arts Festival |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-date=9 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109135049/http://www.westonartsfestival.org.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Weston has hosted [[Weston Wallz]] since 2021. This is a street art programme curated by the [[Upfest]] team and has resulted in more than 75 murals across the town.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 July 2022 |title=Street art spreads across town as Weston Wallz returns |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-62284689 |work=BBC News |access-date=19 February 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Jack |date=23 May 2025 |title=Popular street art event Weston Wallz to return in July |url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/25182680.popular-street-art-event-weston-wallz-return-july/ |work=Weston Mercury |access-date=19 February 2026}}</ref>
[[File:See Monster (07).JPG|alt=A gas platform repurposed as an art installation with foliage and a waterfall|thumb|right|See Monster]] The [[Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare|Tropicana]] was used by the artist [[Banksy]] in August 2015 for a temporary [[Installation art|art installation]] named ''[[Dismaland]]''.<ref name="Dismaland">{{cite web |url=http://www.dismaland.co.uk/location/ |title=Location – Dismaland |access-date=20 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822215831/http://www.dismaland.co.uk/location/ |archive-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> In 2022 it was used for another temporary art installation when a retired [[oil platform|gas platform]] was repurposed as the ''[[See Monster]]''. It was part of the national [[Unboxed: Creativity in the UK]] art festival.<ref name="seemonster">{{cite news |title=Weston-super-Mare See Monster opens to public |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-63004739 |access-date=12 October 2022 |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2022}}</ref>
The beach and Beach Lawns are used for many events such as the Dairy Show.{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=140}} The [[Radio 1 Roadshow]] often visited the town, bringing [[disc jockey]]s such as [[Tony Blackburn]] and pop stars such as [[Jason Donovan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio 1 Roadshow |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/gallery/radio-1-roadshow-1999806 |website=Somerset Live |access-date=22 February 2026}}</ref> The ''[[T4 on the Beach]]'' concert was hosted annually from 2006 until 2012,<ref>[[T4 on the Beach#T4 on the Beach 2012]]</ref> by [[Channel 4]] youth programme ''[[T4 (Channel 4)|T4]]''. Well known bands and singers perform four or fewer of their hits. However, artists would have to organise a [[lip sync]] performance (in which the vocals are mimed) in case they were unable to sing live as the event is being produced for live TV broadcast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a32254/bands-threaten-to-pull-out-of-t4-event.html |title=Bands threaten to pull out of T4 event |work=digital spy |date=29 April 2006 |access-date=29 November 2009 |archive-date=16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016051519/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a32254/bands-threaten-to-pull-out-of-t4-event.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Each summer the beach is also used as the venue for the [[Weston-super-Mare Sand Sculpture Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston super Mare sand sculpture festival |url=http://westonsandsculpture.co.uk/ |publisher=Weston super Mare sand sculpture festival |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505235354/http://westonsandsculpture.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Weston-super-Mare carnival 2022 - Jubilation (3).JPG|alt=A large vehicle lit by multi-coloured lamps and carrying people in brightly coloured coustumes in front of a large crowd on a darkened street.|thumb|An illuminated cart at Weston Super Mare Carnival 2022. Used in the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant]] Parade in London and built by local Carnival Clubs.]] Weston is one of the towns in the November [[West Country Carnival|Somerset Guy Fawkes]] carnival circuit. A large number of brightly illuminated '[[Float (parade)|carts]]' parade through the streets on an evening in November, attracting thousands of locals and visitors. The first November carnival was in 1891 although other illuminated events had taken place since 1869. Daylight summer carnivals were also held during the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harcombe |first1=Chloe |last2=Holmes |first2=Jonathan |title=A night to remember at town carnival |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwykw6n5y6xo |website=BBC News |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref>{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=147}}
Weston has been [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with [[Hildesheim]] in Germany since 1983.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/7562521.stm |title=Special service on burnt-out pier |date=16 August 2008 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonsupermarepeople.co.uk/news/Weston-Hildesheim-Exchange/article-1311107-detail/article.html |work=Weston-super-Mare People |date=4 September 2009 |title=Weston Hildesheim Exchange |access-date=1 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906004646/http://www.westonsupermarepeople.co.uk/news/Weston-Hildesheim-Exchange/article-1311107-detail/article.html |archive-date=6 September 2009 }}</ref>
===Cultural references=== [[Albert Ketèlbey]] wrote amusical 'tone picture', ''In a Camp of the Ancient Britons'', in 1925 after a visit to [[Worlebury Camp]] while playing at the Knightstone Theatre the previous year.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=9–10}}{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=78}} Fred C. Brooks published a song called ''Weston'' in 1928. Its three verses mentions the Burgess Band which played in the town.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Bryan |last2=Loosley |first2=John |title=Yesterday's Town: Weston-super-Mare |date=1985 |publisher=Barracuda Books |isbn=0-86023-238-7 |at=End paper}}</ref> Eric Gilbert composed a 15-minute orchestral piece, ''A Picture of Weston-super-Mare'' during a visit to the town in 1946.{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=77}} ''Sunny Weston-super-Mare'' was released as a [[Single (music)|single]] by local band [[The Wurzels]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wurzelmania.co.uk/the-wurzels-single-sunny-wsm.html |title= Sunny Weston-super-Mare |website=Wurzelmania |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref>
French poet [[Valery Larbaud]] (1881–1957) wrote a poem, ''Weston-super-Mare Midi'', concerning a rainy day.{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=67}} Another account of a rain storm in Weston is in [[Bill Bryson]]'s ''[[Notes from a Small Island]]'' which recounts a one-night stay during his tour around the country.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bryson |first1=Bill |title=Notes from a Small Island |date=1996 |publisher=Black Swan |isbn=0-552-99600-9 |pages=143–149}}</ref> [[Laurie Lee]] recalled a childhood visit to Weston in his 159 book ''[[Cider with Rosie]]'': "''We saw a vast blue sky and an infinity of mud... and we all went on the pier.''"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Laurie |title=Cider with Rosie |date=1959 |publisher=Penguin |pages=190–196|edition=1962}}</ref>
The last scenes of ''[[The Remains of the Day (film)|The Remains of the Day]]'', a [[James Ivory]] film of 1993, were shot at locations in the town including the Grand Pier and the Winter Gardens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movie-locations.com/movies///r/remainsof.html |title=The Remains of the Day film locations |publisher=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=3 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103200904/http://movie-locations.com/movies/r/remainsof.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
''Find the Lady'', an episode of the [[BBC]]'s 1979 [[Shoestring (TV series)|Shoestring]] detective series, was largely filmed in Weston using Birnbeck Pier and other locations. Guest stars for the episode were [[Toyah Willcox]] and [[Christopher Biggins]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rowe |first1=Jonathan |title=Shoestring starring Trevor Eve and all the Bristol locations used in the BBC detective drama |url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/history/shoestring-trevor-eve-bbc-bristol-13879 |website=Bristol Live |access-date=14 February 2026}}</ref> Some scenes purporting to be [[Ramsgate]] in the BBC's 1995 version of [[Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV series)|Pride and Prejudice]] were filmed in Weston with [[Steep Holm]] visible in the background.{{sfn|Smith|Smith|2001|page=16}} The 2011–2013 Sky1 television comedy series ''[[The Café (UK TV series)|The Café]]'' was filmed in Weston-super-Mare. It was co-written by [[Michelle Terry]] who was born in the town.<ref name="TIS1">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Somerset-seafront-sitcom-Cafe-ready-airing-Sky/story-13820516-detail/story.html |title=Somerset seafront sitcom The Cafe ready for airing on Sky One |publisher=This is Somerset |access-date=26 December 2011 |archive-date=30 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131130082102/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Somerset-seafront-sitcom-Cafe-ready-airing-Sky/story-13820516-detail/story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WM1">{{cite web |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/michelle_is_right_at_home_for_new_sky_comedy_show_1_947419 |title=Michelle is right at home for new Sky comedy show |work=Weston Mercury |publisher=[[Weston Mercury]] |access-date=26 December 2011 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402044929/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/michelle_is_right_at_home_for_new_sky_comedy_show_1_947419 |url-status=live |last1=Franklin |first1=Report by James}}</ref> BBC comedy drama [[The Outlaws (2021 TV series)|The Outlaws]] included a storyline which saw one of the central characters opening a café on the seafront.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Graham |first1=Debbie |title=Where is Outlaws filmed? A guide to the hit show's filming locations |url=https://www.countryfile.com/tv/where-is-outlaws-filmed |website=Countryfile |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 February 2026}}</ref>
The cover of [[Oasis (band)|Oasis's]] 1995 single ''[[Roll with It (Oasis song)|Roll With It]]'' features a photograph taken on Weston beach with the band in front of the Grand Pier.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leaman |first1=Tom |title=Do you remember when Oasis came to Weston-super-Mare? |url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/24568087.looking-back-oasis-shoot-roll-cover-weston-beach/ |publisher=Weston Mercury |access-date=2025-08-16}}</ref>
===Media=== The town's weekly newspaper is ''[[The Weston & Somerset Mercury]]'', which has been serving the population since 1843. It is now owned by publishing company [[Archant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-sw/weston-somerset-mercury/ |title=Weston & Somerset Mercury |publisher=British Newspapers Online |access-date=2 April 2009 |archive-date=28 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428162445/http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-sw/weston-somerset-mercury/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Local television news programmes are [[BBC Points West]] and [[ITV News West Country]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A day in the life of Points West |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/pointswest/content/tour/dayinthelife.shtml |website=BBC Points West |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITV regional TV coverage maps |url=https://redwoodadvertising.co.uk/itv-regional-tv-coverage-maps/ |publisher=Redwood advertising |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref>
Weston Super Television was an on-line [[community television]] channel set up in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last=Henzell |first=Beth |title=TV station for Town |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/tv_station_for_town_1_803009 |access-date=15 November 2011 |newspaper=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |date=17 February 2011 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402044957/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/tv_station_for_town_1_803009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Have you heard about Weston Super Television? |url=http://www.westonecho.co.uk/index.php/have-you-heard-about-weston-super-television/2158 |access-date=15 November 2011 |newspaper=Western and North Somerset Echo |date=31 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112170225/http://www.westonecho.co.uk/index.php/have-you-heard-about-weston-super-television/2158 |archive-date=12 November 2011 }}</ref> Its volunteers make and present studio programmes, including interviews with local councillors, musicians and community leaders, as well as filming local events in and around the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weston Super Television |url=http://www.westonsupertelevision.com |publisher=Weston Super Television |access-date=15 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115031855/http://www.westonsupertelevision.com/ |archive-date=15 November 2011 }}</ref>
==Landmarks== [[File:Weston Grand Pier building.jpg|alt=A walkway supported by metal legs arising from the sea, at the end of which is a large a white building with a wave-shaped roof and corner turrets.|thumb|right|The Grand Pier]] The [[Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare|Grand Pier]] is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the town. It houses funfair style attractions, a go-kart track, cafes, a fudge factory, and a host of arcade games, and underwent a £34 million re-development after a fire in 2008 destroyed the main pavilion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/7684080.stm |title=Pier blaze 'probably electrical' |work=BBC News |date=22 October 2008 |access-date=23 October 2008 |archive-date=25 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025070713/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/7684080.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> After a harsh winter which delayed progress, the new pier pavilion reopened on 23 October 2010.<ref name=pierreopens>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11612399 |title=Weston-super-Mare pier reopens two years after fire |date=23 October 2010 |work=BBC News |access-date=23 October 2010 |archive-date=24 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024050210/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11612399 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Weston's first pier, [[Birnbeck Pier]] opened in 1867 but closed in 1994.{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=66–67}}<ref name="Terrell"/> The old [[Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station]] can be seen on the island with its {{cvt|100|ft|m}} [[slipway]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Jeff |title=The Story of Weston-super-Mare Lifeboats |date=2000 |publisher=Jeff Morris |page=1}}</ref> A third pier was opened near the Tropicana in 1995 for a [[Sea Life]] aquarium.<ref name="Chronology"/>
[[File:Weston super mare - panoramio (18).jpg|thumb|Knightstone Island, with the Marine Lake to the left. The causeway is submerged during very high tides.]] Knightstone Island was developed as a sea water spa in 1820. It was purchased by the physician [[Edward Long Fox (psychiatrist)|Edward Long Fox]] in 1830 , linked to the mainland by a causeway and expanded with a theatre, swimming pool and sauna.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mendip.gov.uk/Documents/Regeneration/Heritage%20Conservation/Heritage%20Matters/Iss10.pdf |title=Heritage Matters |date=19 November 2008 |publisher=Mendip District Council |access-date=20 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611130329/http://www.mendip.gov.uk/Documents/Regeneration/Heritage%20Conservation/Heritage%20Matters/Iss10.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Leonard |date=June 2008 |title=A Gentleman's mad-doctor in Georgian England: Edward Long Fox and Brislington House |journal=[[History of Psychiatry (journal)|History of Psychiatry]] |volume=19 |issue=74 Pt 2 |pages=163–84 |location=England |issn=0957-154X |pmid=19127837 |doi=10.1177/0957154X07081136 |hdl=2262/51639 |s2cid=28304699 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00570907/file/PEER_stage2_10.1177%252F0957154X07081136.pdf |access-date=30 September 2020 |archive-date=3 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503234416/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00570907/file/PEER_stage2_10.1177%2F0957154X07081136.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> After these facilities were closed, it was redeveloped with luxury apartments and commercial outlets but this was done with regard to its [[listed building]] status.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1129727|desc=Sauna and Solarium|access-date=20 March 2010}}</ref> Historic ships ''Waverley'' and ''Balmoral'' call at Knightsone occasionally for excursions to [[Steep Holm]] and [[Flat Holm]] islands as well as short trips around Weston Bay.<ref name="knightstone"/>
The [[Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare|Tropicana]], an [[Lido (swimming pool)|outdoor swimming pool]], opened in 1937 but closed in 2000. Since then it has been used for temporary events and [[installation art]] such as [[Dismaland]] in 2015 and [[See Monster]] in 2022.{{sfn|Poole|2002|pages=82–84}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Weston-super-Mare-Tropicana-demolition/story-11314112-detail/story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421113303/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Weston-super-Mare-Tropicana-demolition/story-11314112-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |title=Weston-super-Mare Tropicana demolition |date=8 June 2012 |work=Bristol Evening Post |publisher=This is Bristol |access-date=8 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visit-westonsupermare.com/whats-on/funland-at-the-tropicana-p2096453 |title=Funland at the Tropicana |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715091629/https://www.visit-westonsupermare.com/whats-on/funland-at-the-tropicana-p2096453 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Dismaland"/><ref name="seemonster"/>
The War Memorial in Grove Park, containing a sculpture by [[Alfred Drury]], was unveiled in 1922, It contains the names of 402 men from the area who fell in the [[First World War]] with additions by [[Walter Cave]] for the Second World War. It consists of a winged allegorical figure of Victory holding an olive branch, which stands on an octagonal column. The memorial is a grade II listed building.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num=1430882 |desc=Gov Park War Memorial|access-date=9 October 2017}}</ref>
==Architecture== [[File:Weston super mare - panoramio (21).jpg|thumb|Victorian architecture typical of the town]] Much of the character of the buildings in the old town derives from the use of local stone. This was quarried at Uphill and the town quarry on Queens Road along with other places along Worlebury Hill. Brick, tiles and ornamental work was produced by the Royal Pottery near Locking Road and at another pottery in Uphill.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Poole |first1=Sharon |title=The Royal Potteries of Weston-super-Mare |date=1987 |publisher=North Somerset Museum Service}}</ref>{{sfn|Brown|Loosley|1985|pages=75–80}}{{sfn|Poole|2004|page=15}} The distinctive style of many 19th-century buildings was pioneered by local architect [[Hans Price]] (1835–1912). Examples of his work include the [[Weston-super-Mare Town Hall|Town Hall]], the ''Mercury'' Office, the Constitutional Club (originally the Lodge of St Kew), villas and numerous other domestic dwellings.<ref name="HansPrice"/>
The [[Odeon Cinema, Weston-super-Mare|Odeon Cinema]] by [[Thomas Cecil Howitt]] is notable for fully retaining many [[Art Deco]] features both internally and externally, and retaining its original [[theatre organ]], a [[John Compton (organ builder)|Compton]] from 1935. It is believed to be the only cinema organ in the West Country left working in its original location and is still in regular use.<ref>{{cite web |title=Odeon Cinema |url=http://www.cinema-organs.org.uk/uk%20Organ%20venues/odeonwsm.html |publisher=Cinema Organ Society |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=26 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826001535/http://www.cinema-organs.org.uk/uk%20Organ%20venues/odeonwsm.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Religious sites== [[File:St John's church, Weston-super-Mare.jpg|thumb|St John's church]] Most of the town's churches and chapels are neo-Gothic 19th century structures. The Medieval village church of St John the Baptist was completely demolished in 1824 to make way for a new and larger place of worship.<ref name="IoEStJohn"/> The [[Catholic]] [[St Joseph's Church, Weston-super-Mare|St Joseph's Church]] was built in 1858 by [[Charles F. Hansom]] and extended in 1893 by [[Alexander Scoles]].<ref name=stock>[[Historic England]], [https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/weston-super-mare-st-joseph/ Weston-super-Mare], ''Taking Stock'', retrieved 3 June 2022</ref>
All Saints Church was built between 1898 and 1902 to a design by [[George Frederick Bodley]] and completed by his pupil [[F. C. Eden]] in the 14th century style so favoured by Bodley. It is a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1129717|desc= Church of All Saints|access-date=20 March 2010}}</ref> Holy Trinity Church, designed by H Lloyd and opened in 1861, is also Grade II*.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Holy Trinity Church|num=1137827|access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
There is a [[Greek Orthodox Church]] of St Andrew the Apostle in Grove Road, Milton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellenicbookservice.com/Theology/orthodox%20churches.htm |title=Orthodox churches in the UK |publisher=The Hellenic Book Service |access-date=20 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127094457/http://www.hellenicbookservice.com/Theology/orthodox%20churches.htm |archive-date=27 January 2010 }}</ref> [[Victoria Methodist Church]] was built in 1935–36 to replace an earlier church of 1899–1900, which was destroyed by fire in 1934.<ref>{{cite news |title=Up-to-date Methodist church at Weston |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000513/19360103/110/0008 |newspaper=The Western Daily Press |date=3 January 1936 |access-date=24 October 2019 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==Sport== [[Association football|Football]] team [[Weston-super-Mare A.F.C.]] play in the [[National League South]] at the purpose-built Woodspring Stadium, which opened in August 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.westonsmareafc.co.uk/woodspring-stadium/ |title=History |work=Weston-super-Mare AFC |publisher=Weston super Mare AFC |access-date=4 July 2009 |archive-date=3 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803123320/http://www.westonsmareafc.co.uk/woodspring-stadium/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
There are two [[Rugby union|rugby]] clubs in the town; [[Weston-super-Mare RFC]], formed in 1875,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.westonrugby.co.uk/a/history-7279.html |title=Weston RFC History |website=www.westonrugby.co.uk |access-date=18 October 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018085209/https://www.westonrugby.co.uk/a/history-7279.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Hornets RFC]], formed in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hornetsrfc.co.uk/a/history-8510.html |title=Hornets History |publisher=Hornets RFC |access-date=18 October 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018082128/https://www.hornetsrfc.co.uk/a/history-8510.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Somerset County Cricket Club]] played first class and one-day matches for one week a season on a pitch prepared at [[Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare|Clarence Park]], near the sea front. This began in 1914 and continued until the last "festival" in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/news/story.aspx?brand=Westonmercury&category=news&tBrand=westonmercury&tCategory=znews&itemid=WeED18%20Mar%202010%2015%3A22%3A23%3A467 |title=Campaign to bring back cricket festival |date=19 March 2010 |publisher=Weston & Somerset Mercury |access-date=20 March 2010}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club]] play at [[Devonshire Park Ground]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/833.html |title=Devonshire Park Ground, Weston-super-Mare |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=13 July 2010 |archive-date=4 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604045812/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/833.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
The town is well known amongst [[motocross]] enthusiasts for staging the [[Weston Beach Race]] every autumn. In addition, races are also held for youth riders, [[sidecarcross]] riders and [[quad bike]] competitors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/motorcycling/6301510/Weston-Beach-race-cancelled-after-pile-up-injures-21-riders.html |title=Weston Beach race cancelled after pile-up injures 21 riders |date=11 October 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=24 January 2010 |location=London |archive-date=15 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015014649/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/motorcycling/6301510/Weston-Beach-race-cancelled-after-pile-up-injures-21-riders.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Notable people== [[File:Alexander Blue Plaque.jpg|thumb|Blue plaque marking the birthplace of [[A. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough]] ]] [[File:John Cleese 2008 bigger crop.jpg|thumb|upright|[[John Cleese]], 2008]] [[File:Dame Sarah Cockerill 2022.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sara Cockerill|Lady Justice Cockerill]], 2022]] {{see also|Category:People from Weston-super-Mare}} Notable current and former residents of the town include: * [[John Oldmixon]] (1673–1742): historian; born in Oldmixon<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Oldmixon, John | volume= 20 | page = 74 |short= 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle= Oldmixon, John |volume= 42 |last= Aitken |first= George Atherton |author-link= George Atherton Aitken |pages= 115-119 |short=1}}</ref> * [[Hans Price]]: (1835–1912) architect;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weston-super-maretowncouncil.gov.uk/the-blakehay-theatre/history-of-the-blakehay.aspx |title=The History of the Blakehay |publisher=Weston super Mare Town Council |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040509055303/http://www.weston-super-maretowncouncil.gov.uk/the-blakehay-theatre/history-of-the-blakehay.aspx |archive-date=9 May 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref> responsible for much of the Victorian architecture which gives the town its distinctive character * [[Cecil Carus-Wilson]] (1857–1934), Mayor of [[Twickenham]] and amateur geologist who studied the acoustic properties of rocks.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8114429 | title=Catalogue description Name Carus-Wilson, Cecil Caradoc Date of Birth: 25 April 1892 Rank}}</ref> * [[Augustus Edward Hough Love]] (1863–1940), mathematical physicist famous for research on elasticity, wrote [EB1911] article.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Elasticity |volume= 9 |last= Love |first= A.E.H |author-link= Augustus Edward Hough Love |pages= 141-160 |short=1}}</ref> * [[William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely|Sir William Tatem]] (1868–1942), ship- and racehorse-owner, died during a local air raid in 1942<ref name=cwgc>{{cite web |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3148176/TATEM,%20WILLIAM%20JAMES |work=Casualty Details |title=Tatem, William James |publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-date=13 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813220136/http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3148176/TATEM,%20WILLIAM%20JAMES |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Alfred Leete]] (1882–1933), graphic artist of the ''[[Lord Kitchener Wants You]]'' poster, studied and buried locally.<ref>{{cite book |title=Alfred Leete |last1=Evans |first1=Jane |publisher=Woodspring Museum |year=1982}}</ref>{{sfn|Poole|2004|pages=67–68}} * [[Henry Edwards (actor)|Henry Edwards]] (1882–1952), film actor, director and producer<ref>{{cite web |title=Edwards, Henry (1883-1952) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/732157/ |website=BFI Screen Online |publisher=BFI |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> * Sir [[Arthur Eddington]] (1882–1944), an important [[Astronomer|astrophysicist]], grew up in the town<ref>{{cite book |title=The Historical Development of Quantum Theory: Pt. 1, the Fundamental Equations of Quantum Mechanics, 1925–1926, Jagdish Mehra |first1=Jagdish |last1=Mehra |author-link1=Jagdish Mehra |first2=Helmut |last2=Rechenberg |author-link2=Helmut Rechenberg |publisher=Springer |year=2000 |page=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9ZmLmVFSYQC&pg=PA38 |isbn=978-0-387-95178-2 |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124230836/https://books.google.com/books?id=c9ZmLmVFSYQC&pg=PA38 |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[A. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough]] (1885–1965), [[Secretary of State for Defence|Minister of Defence]] in the [[Clement Attlee|Attlee]] government, raised in Weston-super-Mare<ref>{{cite web |url=http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FAVAR |title=The Papers of A V Alexander |publisher=Cambridge University |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=8 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208055138/http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FAVAR |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Arthur Millier]] (1893–1975), an American painter, etcher, printmaker and art critic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chetney |first1=Sara |title=Arthur Millier Archive |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c85144n3/entire_text/ |website=Online Archive of California |accessdate=July 3, 2020}}</ref> * [[Bob Hope]] (1903–2003), comedian and actor, lived there as a child<ref>{{cite web |url=http://celebrities.adoption.com/famous/bob-hope.html |title=Bob (and Dolores) Hope |publisher=adoption.com |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707084324/http://celebrities.adoption.com/famous/bob-hope.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Roald Dahl]] (1916–1990), Welsh children's author, attended St Peter's School, 1925{{ndash}}1929.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-43485281 |title=Roald Dahl plaque for 'seedy' Weston-super-Mare - BBC News |publisher=Bbc.com |date=21 March 2018 |access-date=24 November 2021 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308212706/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-43485281 |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[John Polkinghorne]] (1930–2021), particle physicist and theologian<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.giffordlectures.org/Author.asp?AuthorID=227 |title=John Polkinghorne |publisher=Gifford Lectures |access-date=24 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428032919/http://www.giffordlectures.org/Author.asp?AuthorID=227 |archive-date=28 April 2010 }}</ref> * [[Brian Cotter, Baron Cotter]] (1936–2023), politician. MP for Weston-super-Mare from 1997 to 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/11/19/lord-cotter-lib-dem-mp-championed-small-businesses-obituary/ |title=Lord Cotter, Liberal Democrat MP who championed small businesses – obituary |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=19 November 2023 |access-date=19 November 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> * [[John Cleese]] (born 1939), actor and member of ''[[Monty Python]]''{{sfn|Poole|2002|page=78}} * [[Daphne Fowler]] (born 1939), game show champion, lives locally.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quizplayers.com/w/QP:Daphne_Fowler |title={{nowrap|Daphne Fowler – Quiz Players}} |access-date=30 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417054450/http://www.quizplayers.com/w/QP%3ADaphne_Fowler |archive-date=17 April 2009}}</ref> * [[Jeffrey Archer]] (born 1940), author, politician and convicted perjurer, grew up locally<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/6749604/Jeffrey-Archer-lands-record-18 m-deal-for-modern-Forsyte-Saga.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630102024/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/6749604/Jeffrey-Archer-lands-record-18 m-deal-for-modern-Forsyte-Saga.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2012 |title=Jeffrey Archer lands 'record £18 m deal for modern Forsyte Saga' |last=Hough |first=Andrew |date=7 December 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=24 January 2010 |location=London}}</ref> * [[Ritchie Blackmore]] (born 1945), guitarist and co-founder of ''[[Deep Purple]]'' and ''[[Rainbow (English band)|Rainbow]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ritchie-blackmore.com/ |title=Ritchie Blackmore |publisher=Ritchie Blackmore.com |access-date=24 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120204829/http://www.ritchie-blackmore.com/ |archive-date=20 November 2008 }}</ref> * [[Nicola Bradbury]] (born 1951), a literary critic, lecturer, editor and author.<ref>[https://www.waterstones.com/author/dr-nicola-bradbury/50841 Dr Nicola Bradbury] at Waterstones</ref> * [[Peter Christopherson]] (1955–2010), musician, co-founder of ''[[Throbbing Gristle]]'' and ''[[Psychic TV]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview in 'The Wire' |publisher=The Wire |url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/2859/ |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=10 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710164914/http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/2859/ |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Jill Dando]] (1961–1999), murdered broadcaster and journalist, after whom the sixth form centre at [[Weston College]] and a garden in Grove Park are named<ref>{{cite news |title=Jill Dando Obituary |last=Barker |first=Dennis |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,296482,00.html |date=27 April 1999 |access-date=23 June 2007 |location=London |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124230836/https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/apr/27/guardianobituaries.jilldando |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[John Balance]] (1962–2004), musician, co-founder of ''[[Psychic TV]]'' and of ''[[Coil (band)]]''<ref>{{cite web |author1=Fact |url=http://www.factmag.com/2010/11/25/throbbing-gristles-peter-sleazy-christopherson-dies-aged-55/ |title=Obituary for Peter Christopherson |work=Fact Magazine |date=25 November 2010 |publisher=The Vinyl Factory |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117224251/http://www.factmag.com/2010/11/25/throbbing-gristles-peter-sleazy-christopherson-dies-aged-55/ |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Rupert Graves]] (born 1963), film, TV and theatre actor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rupert-graves.com/biog.html |work=Rupert Graves Online |title=Biography |access-date=24 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729030459/http://www.rupert-graves.com/biog.html |archive-date=29 July 2012 }}</ref> * [[Wendy Darke]] (born 1965) TV producer and marine biologist, the first woman to head the [[BBC Studios Natural History Unit]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/05/bbc-natural-history-wendy-darke|title=BBC's Wendy Darke: 'Heart racing makes compelling television'|last=Brown|first=Maggie|date=2014-01-05|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-07-15|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> * [[Sean Martin (filmmaker)|Sean Martin]] (born 1966), writer and film director<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1459398/ |title=Sean Martin |publisher=Internet Movie Database |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=16 January 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060116201458/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1459398/ |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Con O'Neill (actor)|Con O'Neill]] (born 1966), actor, known for his performances in [[Musical theatre]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821174066251/20+Questions+With...+Con+O%27Neill.html |title=20 Questions With ... Con O'Neill |date=19 March 2007 |publisher=Whats on Stage |access-date=1 April 2010 |archive-date=11 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911084519/http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821174066251/20+Questions+With...+Con+O%27Neill.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * Dame [[Sara Cockerill]] (born 1968), a British Lady [[Court of Appeal judge (England and Wales)|Justice of Appeal]] and Deputy [[Master of the Rolls|Head of Civil Justice]]<ref>{{cite web |date=2020-12-01 |title=Cockerill, Hon. Dame Sara Elizabeth, (Hon. Dame Sara Eaton), (born 7 Nov. 1968) |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-254339 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=[[Who's Who (UK)]] |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u254339|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }}</ref> * [[Michelle Terry]] (born 1979), actress and writer, grew up locally.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Cafe: Hoping for a big splash |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/the-cafe-hoping-for-a-big-splash/ |access-date=11 July 2013 |newspaper=The Stage |date=18 November 2011 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714154324/http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2011/11/the-cafe-hoping-for-a-big-splash/ |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Aaron Allard|Aaron Allard-Morgan]] (born 1980), winner of [[Big Brother 2011 (UK)]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Franklin |first1=Report by James |url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/big_brother_winner_s_new_bar_venture_1_1368645 |title=Big Brother winner's new bar venture |work=Weston Mercury |publisher=Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury |access-date=15 January 2013 |archive-date=30 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230032340/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/business/big_brother_winner_s_new_bar_venture_1_1368645 |url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Sports people === [[File:Gaylor01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Gareth Taylor]], 2006]] * [[Paulo Radmilovic]] (1886–1968), water polo player and team gold medallist at the [[1908 Summer Olympics]], also swam for Weston-super-Mare swimming and water polo clubs <ref>{{cite web |title=Paul Radmilovic |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ra/paul-radmilovic-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171828/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ra/paul-radmilovic-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=10 February 2018}}</ref> * [[Bill Andrews (cricketer)|Bill Andrews]] (1908–1989), cricketer who played 231 [[First-class cricket]] games for [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1990 |title=Obituaries in 1989 |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/obituaries-in-1989-236396 |work=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|via=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> * [[Phil Slocombe]] (born 1954), cricketer who played 139 [[First-class cricket]] matches for [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Philip Slocombe, CEO & Chairman |url=https://rareandfinewine.com/about/ |website=The Rare and Fine Wine Company |access-date=6 January 2026}}</ref> * [[Gareth Taylor]] (born 1973), footballer, played 575 games and 15 for [[Wales national football team|Wales]] and football manager<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fastscore.com/people/gareth-taylor |publisher=FastScore.com |title=Gareth Taylor Profile and Career |access-date=12 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/player/0,19754,11775_11999,00.html |title=Gareth Taylor |publisher=Sky Sports |access-date=24 January 2010 |date=7 May 2009 |archive-date=11 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911035133/http://www.skysports.com/football/player/0,19754,11775_11999,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Jon Bass (footballer)|Jon Bass]] (born 1976), former footballer, played 210 games.<ref>{{cite news|title=Salisbury defender Bass retires|date=30 June 2009|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/salisbury/8123907.stm|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> * [[Peter Trego]] (born 1981), cricketer, played 223 [[First-class cricket]] games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cricinfo.com/fantasy/content/player/21577.html |title=Peter Trego |publisher=Cricinfo |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=3 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103045711/http://www.cricinfo.com/fantasy/content/player/21577.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Richard Kingscote]] (born 1986), a flat racing jockey who won the [[2022 Epsom Derby]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/61691659 |title=Epsom Derby: Desert Crown romps to victory to give Sir Michael Stoute sixth success in race |website=BBC Sport |date=4 June 2022}}</ref> * [[Dayle Grubb]] (born 1991), footballer, played over 500 games including 420 with [[Weston-super-Mare A.F.C.|Weston-super-Mare]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dayle Grubb: Forest Green Rovers sign Weston-super-Mare midfielder|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42244291|access-date=6 January 2018|work=BBC Sport|date=5 December 2017}}</ref> * [[Johnny Williams (rugby union, born 1996)|Johnny Williams]], (born 1996) rugby union player, played about 100 games and 9 for [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50358991|title=Newcastle Falcons' Johnny Williams: 'I never thought I would get cancer'|date=12 November 2019|access-date=12 January 2020|work=BBC Sport}}</ref> * [[Curtis Langdon]] (born 1997), rugby player, played 190 games and 4 for [[England national rugby union team|England]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/features/young-gun/20469/young-gun-curtis-langdon-st-pauls-london-irish-hooker/ |title=Young Gun: Curtis Langdon – St Paul's & London Irish hooker |website=The Rugby Paper |date=23 January 2015 |access-date=4 May 2019}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Grade II* listed buildings in North Somerset]]
==Notes== {{NoteFoot}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book |last=Austin |first=Brian |title=Tales of Old Weston Vol 1 |publisher=Woodspring Museum}} * {{cite book |last=Austin |first=Brian |title=Tales of Old Weston Vol 2 |publisher=Woodspring Museum}} * {{cite book |last=Bailey |first=John |title=Weston-super-Mare Look back with Laughter |date=1986 |publisher=Redcliffe Press |isbn=978-0-948265-70-9}} * {{cite book |last=Bailey |first=John |title=Weston-super-Mare The Good Old Days |year=1985 |publisher=Redcliffe Press |isbn=978-0-905459-78-3}} * {{cite journal | last=Bateman |first=Emily La Trobe |title=Weston-super-Mare |journal=Avon Extensive Urban Survey, Archaeological Assessment Report |year=1999 |publisher=Avon County Council/North Somerset Council}} * {{cite book |last=Beisly |first=Philip |title=Weston-super-Mare: A History and Guide |publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-86299-440-2}} * {{cite book |last1=Brodie |first1=Allan |last2=Roethe |first2=Johann |last3=Hudson-McAulay |first3=Kate |title=Weston-super-Mare: the town and its seaside heritage |publisher=Historic England |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-84802-479-3 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/weston-super-mare-town-and-seaside-heritage/weston-super-mare/}} * {{cite journal |last1=Brodie |first1=Allan |last2=Roethe |first2=Johanna |journal=Research Report Series |volume=1/2020 |title=Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset: historical and architectural development |publisher=Historic England |year=2020 |issn=2059-4453|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/1-2020}}<!-- 2 volumes --> * {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Donald |title=Somerset v Hitler |year=1999 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=978-1-85306-590-3}} * {{cite book |last=Crockford-Hawley |first=John |title=Weston-super-Mare At War |year=2010 |publisher=Weston-s-Mare Town Council}} * {{cite book |last=Crockford-Hawley |first=John |title=Royal Weston-super-Mare |year=2012 |publisher=Weston-super-Mare Museum}} * {{cite book |last=Dudley & Johnson |title=Weston-super-Mare and the Aeroplane |year=2010 |publisher=Amberley |isbn=978-1-84868-221-4}} * {{cite book |last=Evans |first=Jane |title=George Cumberland: farming - family - fossils: aspects of a Somerset life in letters 1800-35 |year=2022 |publisher=Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society|isbn=978-0902152335}} * {{cite book |last=Keyes |first=Anthony |title=Weston-super-Mare The sands of Time |year=1995 |publisher=Sigma Leisure |isbn=978-1-85058-470-4}} * {{cite book |last=Poole |first=Sharon |title=Weston-super-Mare: Georgian Watering-Place, Regency Resort |publisher=Sharon Poole |year=2021 |isbn=979-871147-385-5}} * {{cite journal |last=Roethe |first=Johanna |title=Weston-super-Mare. A Victorian seaside town |journal=Historic England Research |volume=13 |publisher=Historic England |year=2019 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/research/back-issues/weston-super-mare-a-victorian-seaside-town/}}
{{Portal|Somerset}}
==External links== {{EB1911 poster|Weston-super-Mare}} * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{wikivoyage inline}} * [https://www.wsm-tc.gov.uk Weston-super-Mare town council] * [http://www.loveweston.com/ Official Tourist Website for Weston-super-Mare] * [https://wavewsm.co.uk WaveWSM Bringing unity to the community]
{{Somerset}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weston-Super-Mare}} [[Category:Weston-super-Mare| ]] [[Category:Towns in North Somerset]] [[Category:Civil parishes in Somerset]] [[Category:Ports and harbours of Somerset]] [[Category:Seaside resorts in England]] [[Category:Populated coastal places in Somerset]] [[Category:Beaches of Somerset]]