Chapter Three Development of the Seafront |
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After the building of Stacie's Hotel in 1772 and the Gloucester Lodge in 1780 most of the earliest development along the seafront took place south of the King’s Statue, towards the old harbour. The very first terrace built was probably York Buildings, built around (circa) 1783. Then, between Gloucester Lodge and Stacie's Hotel came Gloucester Row Nos. 1 to 4 and then to the north of Stacie's came Gloucester Row Nos. 7 to 14 circa 1790. This was quickly followed by further building along the front, towards the old harbour - mainly around the area now known as the Alexandra Gardens. Development then moved towards the north of the seafront, when Royal Crescent was commenced in 1800. Fortunately the Corporation's municipal records give some idea of when, and to whom, the various new building sites were being leased to - and where the sites were located. The Corporation was also fortunate in being the legal owner of the narrow, barren isthmus of land lying between the Bay and the Backwater and it did not hesitate to exploit its position. As early as 1782 it advertised widely in an attempt to lease out all the waste-lands in the town. Wood’s Weymouth Guide tells us that by 1798 there were already many excellent lodging houses but went on to explain that "....the range of houses distinguished by the names of Gloucester Row, Chesterfield Place, York Buildings, Charlotte Row, Augusta Place, St. Albans Row(?), Clarence Buildings and Belle Vue are esteemed the most desirable lodgings from their vicinity to the spots for bathing, Public Rooms, Libraries and Theatre". Harvey’s promotion leaflet of 1800 contains a plan of Weymouth that clearly shows that a considerable number of the major Georgian houses and terraces along the Esplanade had already been erected. However, there were still many gaps to be filled before the sea front could be considered complete. At some stage James Hamilton put forward a plan of new streets and buildings that would cover the whole area between the sea front and the Backwater and that plan is now lodged in the Bodlean Museum. The plan also included a proposal for a West Parade that would overlook the Backwater. The existing buildings on the east side of Park Street give an indication of the proposed pattern, but the complete plan was never completed. The Esplanade itself, which became such an important and integral part of the development of the seafront, was not mentioned in Corporation records until 1785. Up until then it was probably just a short length built to protect the backs of the existing older buildings of Melcome. Wood’s Weymouth Guide of 1798 declares that "....the Esplanade or New Terrace is in length half a mile, in breadth 30 feet and beautifully bordered with turf and a grass slope that leads to the sands" (an indication is given in the photograph above). In 1800 James Hamilton and Robert Vining were awarded a contract to build an Esplanade Wall "....on an average six feet high and two feet thick from the road to the sands opposite the Shrubbery to Mr. Ford’s house in Gloucester Row". Robert Vining was another well known local architect, best known for designing the Spa House at Nottington. He was made a Principal Burgess of the Borough in 1809. In 1802 Sir William Pulteney put forward a plan to the Corporation "......for extending the embankment of the ground at the lower or south end of the Esplanade as originally approved by His Majesty and the same having been approved by a majority it was resolved that it be adopted if means can be found of defraying the expense thereof". This area is now occupied by the attractive terraces of Devonshire and Pulteney Buildings. As long as Gloucester Lodge remained in use as a Royal residence, its garden - the "Shrubbery" - continued to isolate it from Melcome Regis. After 1805 the King, because of his increasing sickness, stopped coming to Weymouth and eventual the "Shrubbery" was sold. The site was used for building the Royal Terrace during 1816/18 and this made the development of the Esplanade continuous as far north as Royal Crescent. Building was then carried on northwards with Belvidere Terrace in 1818, followed during 1823-27 by Brunswick Terrace. The next two terraces - Frederick Place (near the King’s Statue) and Waterloo Place (at the beginning of the Dorchester Road) - were both built between 1834-35. Neither of them fronted directly on to the Bay although they did contribute to the main building line of the Esplanade. |
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The
completion of development came shortly after 1850 when Victoria
Terrace, containing the present day Hotel
Prince Regent, was constructed. As a summary the
building dates of Weymouth's major Georgian seafront
buildings are listed below:- |
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