Wyke Regis

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Wyke Regis is a village in south Dorset, England, situated in the south western suburbs of Weymouth, on the edge of Portland Harbour and Chesil Beach. The village has a population of 5,458^[1].

1 History
2 Industry
3 Location
4 External links
5 References

[edit] History

All Saints' Church in the village is known to have been frequented by King George III during his summer visits to Weymouth between 1790-1805. The church was the main place of worship for Weymouth citizens until the first sizeable church was built in the main part of the town in the 19th century. The victims of the wreck of the Earl of Abergavenny, including its captain John Wordsworth, brother of poet William Wordsworth, are buried in the churchyard. Construction of the church started around 1451, it took 4 years to build and was dedicated on 19th October 1455. The church is contrstucted of local stone brought from quaries on Portland and at Upwey.

Thanks to treacherous local currents and the long sweep of Chesil Beach on which many ships ran aground, the village, as well as the neighbouring Isle of Portland gained a reputation for both smuggling and the looting of wrecks. This reputation is reflected today in the name of the local public house, the Wyke Smugglers.

[edit] Industry

The major industry in the area was Whitehead Torpedo Works, which has now closed. As the major employer in the village, Whitehead's funded the building of two schools, which opened in 1897. Whitehead's expertise also led to the Royal Naval establishment at Portland becoming a major anti-submarine and torpedo warfare centre in both the First and Second World Wars. The Whitehead site is now a housing estate.

[edit] Location

Wyke Regis has excellent views of Chesil Beach to the west, the famous Isle of Portland to the south and Portland Harbour to the east. The views of the harbour mean that the village provides an excellent viewpoint for spectators of events at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, such as the J24 World Sailing Championships, and later the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games. The South West Coast Path also passes through this scenic village.