Storms are nothing new to us on the South coast, we have lived with them since time immemorial, though this winter’s battering is proving to be some what of a prolonged event! World famous Chesil beach runs from the cove at Chiswell, Portland to West Bay. Facing that immense heritage pebble bank is the locally…
Tag: victorian illustrations
Fun and games in Weymouth town, one long sip and we all fall down! ; 1883
Much like today, the Victorians had their fare share of petty criminals or well know characters around town, those that must just have made the local bobby shake their heads when they come across them yet again. We might well think that bad behaviour and drunkenness in the streets is a new phenomenon, but believe…
Beating the Bounds; Weymouth Corporation defying fate 1840
Beating the Bounds is an age old custom steeped in history, it can be traced right back to Anglo Saxon times, and is similar in method of the Roman custom of Terminalia. It was a time when people would walk the exact same route around the boundary of their parish, usually during Rogation week, (second…
Weymouth 1857; A heinous crime solved after 50 years.
I’m a great believer in karma, or what goes around, comes around, and that ultimately things will always work themselves out. Such was the case of a heinous murder that took place in Weymouth during the late Georgian period. This was an age when Weymouth was an up and coming, lively, gay resort, thanks to visiting Royalty and…
New Years Eve in Weymouth Victorian Style.
Weymouth is a fun place to be on New Years Eve, it’s reknown as the party town of the South West, everyone, but everyone who’s out is adorned in fancy dress. I recall one New Years Eve when a police car roared up through town with the theme tune from a Mr Whippy’s ice cream…
Victorian Christmas….
Back from the christmas market; WEYMOUTH CHRISTMAS MARKET -DECEMBER 1859. The provision made by the butchers at this market for the wants of the festive season, was liberal in the extreme. The various substantialities that minister to creature comfort were supplied in great profusion and made a most tempting appearance. The Messrs. Baunton’sshow was remarkably…
Victorian Lodmoor.
Being down on the South coast, our weather tends to be fairly mild compared to the rest of the country, I’ve lost count of the amount of times that my hubby had phoned me from work in Dorchester, over the Ridgeway, and would gloat that it was snowing there, of course, in Weymouth, it would…
1899; Ding dong dell…Mary’s in the well
The length of Weymouth’s ancient quayside is lined with an eclectic jumble of historic buildings, each one has a thousand stories to tell, they have witnessed fights, lovers, joy, tears, death and birth….the ghostly whispers of so many events lie within their walls, and under their eaves. This time, our story starts not in Weymouth,…
1899; Thwarted love…never cross a woman!
In the April of 1899 a case came before the Under-Sheriff’s Court at Dorchester. It concerned a breach of promise, that was back in the day when people declared themselves engaged…it really meant something! Not like the business of today where it seems to be a question of how many engagement rings they can accumulate….
1889; Girl held against her will at Broadwey?
With all the media reports on the news recently concerning the shocking story of the 3 women imprisoned as slaves, Weymouth had it’s own version of the sorry tale back in 1889. Sarah Guy was born in 1865 into a less than ideal and loving family home. Her Dad John was a violent drunk, and…
VICTORIAN TALES FROM WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND 