West Bay – VICTORIAN TALES FROM WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND

1824; Weymouth, the Great Storm

This being the morning before zero hour…I thought that this might well be a good time to write about the Great Storm of 1824 that hit the country. Those living on the South coast were worst hit. This is a tale of a storm that was so severe and so destructive that it has gone…

1872; Chesil Shipwreck; Death, Drowning and Detention. Human Nature at its Very Best & Worst!

Lyme Bay and Chesil beach have always been notorious amongst sailors of old (and new!) Many a ship and its crew and passengers have seen the sight of thunderous waves breaking on Chesil’s steep pebble bank as maybe their last, or maybe their salvation. Since time immemorial the subject of shipwrecks have meant many things…

1888; Chesil swallows up another wreck.

Chesil beach in Dorset is world renown. It is part of the World Heritage Jurassic coastline. A more stunning place for scenery is hard to find…but it does have it’s dark side, as anyone who’s witnessed it in storms will realise. Many a ship has fallen foul of the weather and tides here, the sea…

1828; Chesil beach gives up her riches.

Now, if you’ve ever been stood on Chesil beach and watched nature’s fury as she crashes in on this huge pebbled bank, you’ll know why treasure hunters love to visit after a storm. West Bay was referred to as ‘Deadman’s Bay’ by our own world renown local author, Thomas Hardy, and for very good reason….