Bridport

Coordinates: 50°44′01″N 2°45′30″W / 50.7336°N 2.7584°W / 50.7336; -2.7584

Bridport
Bridport Town Hall (1786) by William Tyler RA
Bridport  Bridport shown within Dorset
Population	13,568
OS grid reference	SY464925
District	West Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRIDPORT
Postcode district	DT6
Dialling code	01308
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	West Dorset
Website	http://www.bridportandwestbay.co.uk
List of places UK England Dorset

Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, situated approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the small River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre, though many of its buildings date from the 18th century.

On the coast and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing harbour previously known as Bridport Harbour.

In the 21st century Bridport's arts scene has contributed to the town becoming increasingly popular with people from outside the locality. It has an arts centre, theatre, library, cinema and museum, and several annual events. It features as 'Port Bredy' in the fictional Wessex of Thomas Hardy's novels.

In the 2011 census the population of Bridport's built-up area was 13,568. The town is twinned with Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, France.

History

Bridport's origins are Saxon. During the reign of King Alfred it became one of the four most important settlements in Dorset—the other three being Dorchester, Shaftesbury and Wareham—with the construction of fortifications and establishment of a mint.^[1] In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded that the town had 120 houses during Edward the Confessor's reign. In 1253 the town was awarded its first Charter by Henry III.^[2]

Since the Middle Ages Bridport has been associated with the production of rope and nets.^[3] The raw materials for this industry, flax and hemp, used to be grown in the surrounding countryside, though they were superseded in modern times by artificial fibres such as nylon.^[4] Bridport's main street is particularly wide due to it previously having been used to dry the ropes, after they had been spun in long gardens behind the houses.^[3] Ropes for gallows used to be made in the town, hence the phrase "stabbed with a Bridport dagger" being used to describe a hanging.^[5][6]

In 1651 Charles II briefly stayed in the town as he sought to escape Parliamentarian forces after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester.^[2]

Many buildings in Bridport, particularly in the main street, date from the 18th century. The town hall was built in 1785-6, with its clock tower and cupola added about twenty years later.^[2] Older buildings can be found in South Street, and include the 13th-century St. Mary's parish church, the 14th-century chantry and the 16th-century Bridport Museum.^[2][3][4]

Geography

Bridport lies in the county of Dorset in South West England, situated in the West Dorset administrative district approximately 14 miles (23 km) west of Dorchester, 15.5 miles (24.9 km) southsouthwest of Yeovil, 33 miles (53 km) east of Exeter and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) inland from the English Channel at West Bay. The town centre lies at an altitude of 10–15 metres (33–49 ft) and is sited between the small River Brit and its tributary the Asker, approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of their confluence. Another small tributary, the River Simene, also joins the Brit to the west of the town centre.

Bridport is composed of several small suburban districts, some of which used to be separate villages. These suburban districts include Allington, Skilling, Coneygar, Bothenhampton, Bradpole, Court Orchard and St Andrew's Well. Bothenhampton in particular is still regarded by locals as a separate village. One and a half miles from the town centre and within the town's boundary lies West Bay, a small fishing harbour known as Bridport Harbour until the arrival of the railway. At that time it was "rebranded" to its current name to make it sound more attractive.

Bridport is situated close to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the western end of Chesil Beach. The loose clay cliffs in the area are abundant with fossils making the area popular with fossil hunters. The town's most notable landmark is the conical Colmers Hill, its distinctive shape and small clump of summit trees being very noticeable from West Street.

Demography

In the 2011 census the population of Bridport was recorded as 13,568. This figure is for the built-up area of the town, which extends into the neighbouring parishes of Allington, Bradpole and Bothenhampton. 18.9% of residents were aged 0-19 (compared to 23.9 % in England and Wales overall) and 28.2% were aged 65 and over (16.5 % in England and Wales).^[7]

Bridport parish

In the 2011 census the population of Bridport parish only—not including the built-up area within adjoining parishes—was 8,332, of whom 95.9% were of White British ethnicity.^[7] The change in the population of Bridport parish over preceding decades is shown in the table below.

Historic Population of Bridport Parish
Census	1921	1931	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
Population	5,910	5,920	6,270	6,530	6,370	6,880	7,290	7,730	8,332
Source:Dorset County Council[7]

Within Bridport parish 5.47% of properties are second homes and 1.39% are classed as long-term empty.^[7]

Economy

Bridport has some light industry, most notably Palmer's Brewery (JC & RH Palmer Ltd) which, under various aliases, owns other property in the town and which recently celebrated its bicentennial. Other established companies include AmSafe Bridport, successors to the old firm of Bridport-Gundry. AmSafe’s aviation products can be found on most commercial aircraft, including seat belts, restraints, cargo and barrier nets, tie-downs, and cabin interior textiles.

Other companies include Curtiss Wright and Edwards Sports. Amsafe and Edwards Sports are the main survivors of Bridport's 750-year-old rope and net making history. Even today, the goal nets of any major football championships are likely to have been made in Bridport as would be the tennis nets, the wooden posts and the umpire's chair at Wimbledon^{[citation needed]}.

Bridport has a thriving commercial centre with a twice-weekly street market and monthly farmers' market.^[8] RJ Balson & Son, a butcher's shop on West Allington, is known as "England's Oldest Family Butchers", and claims a continuous line of family butchers back to the year 1515.^[9] According to the Institute for Family Business, it is the oldest continuously trading family business in the UK.^[10][11][12]

Culture

In the 21st century Bridport's arts scene has contributed to the town becoming increasingly popular with people from outside the locality.^[13] It has an arts centre, theatre, library, cinema and museum, and several annual events.

Bridport Arts Centre originated in the early 1970s when local activists bought an old Wesleyan chapel and adjacent schoolroom and converted them into a theatre and art gallery—named the Allsop Gallery in memory of broadcaster and local resident Kenneth Allsop. The centre hosts a diverse programme of cultural events and since the 1990s has received funding from the Arts Council.^[14]

The Electric Palace Cinema has occupied its existing site since 1926. It closed down in 1999 but an ensuing campaign to 'Save the Palace' resulted in the building being listed before being bought by a new owner and refurbished to include a digital projector, auditorium murals, a new restaurant and art deco bar.^[15] It reopened in 2007 and in March 2009 hosted the world premiere of The Young Victoria.^[16]

The Lyric Theatre, which reopened in 2010, hosts quirky theatre, puppetry, comedy, clowning and music. It is also the base of children's theatre company Stuff and Nonsense. Bridport Museum, located in South Street, includes an extensive exhibition of the town's long history of rope-making.

Bridport features as 'Port Bredy' in the fictional 'Wessex' of Thomas Hardy's novels, and is the setting for Eden Phillpotts' 1918 novel The Spinners. For several years the town was the home of the writer Tom Sharpe.^[17]

Events

Bridport holds a number of festivals. The Bridport Literary Festival has been running since 2005 and has played host to literary figures such as Elizabeth Jane Howard, Victoria Glendinning, Minette Walters and Fay Weldon. Bridport Food Festival is held in late June at Asker Meadow. It showcases locally produced foods for which the area is well known. The Food Festival week concludes with the Round Table Beer Festival. Since 2010 there has been an annual Hat Festival^[18] for a weekend every September.

Bridport holds an annual carnival on the third Saturday in August. The main feature is a carnival parade of floats, walking acts and majorettes, with other attractions including a car boot sale, fete and fun fair. After the carnival South Street is closed for the night as live music is played while people dance in the street. The fun fair is also open late. On the following night a torchlight procession takes place, with 1,500 torches carried 2 miles from the town centre to a bonfire at West Bay. This is followed by live music and fireworks. West Bay's fun fair opens until late. The events raise money for local good causes and organisations.

Melplash Show, one of Dorset's three biggest agricultural shows,^{[citation needed]} is held annually at the West Bay Showgrounds on the Thursday before the August bank holiday weekend.

Local artists in Bridport and the surrounding area open up their studios as part of Bridport Open Studios, which marked its 15th year in 2013. The event takes place over the three days of the August Bank Holiday weekend and over 100 artists participate.^[19] The popularity of the event has led to three more open events in November, Easter and May. The biggest artist led venue is the St Michael's Studio complex on the St Michael's Trading Estate. It provides studios for 25 artists and attracted over 700 visitors to the 2009 event.

On Boxing Day the Bridport Round Table organises the West Bay Wallow^[20] a charity swim event in which participants often wear fancy dress.

In July the RNLI organise a raft race in the River Brit basin at West Bay. Participants build their own rafts.

Transport

The A35 trunk road between Honiton and Southampton passes around the centre of Bridport on a bypass. Routes which start in the town include the A3066, which heads north through Beaminster towards Crewkerne, and the B3157 coast road to Weymouth.

On weekdays the X53 Exeter - Poole coastal bus service runs every two hours, and there are other regular buses to Weymouth and Axminster. There are a few buses a day to Crewkerne and Yeovil, with minor buses also serving surrounding villages.

The nearest international airports are Exeter and Bournemouth.

Railway (until 1975)

Bridport railway station closed on 5 May 1975 - one of the last closures directly associated with the "Beeching cuts" of the 1960s. The Bridport branch line ran from the junction with the Weymouth-Yeovil-Bristol "Heart of Wessex" line at Maiden Newton railway station; it was usually operated in its final years by a single carriage "Class 122" diesel train.

The nearest railway stations to Bridport now are at Maiden Newton, Crewkerne, Dorchester or Axminster. There is an infrequent bus service to Maiden Newton (71) and a bus service linking Axminster station, Dorchester South and West stations, and Weymouth railway stations (31) and a bus service linking the majority of Exeter railway stations, and Weymouth, Wool, Wareham, Poole, and formerly Bournemouth railway stations (X53)

Education

Primary schools in Bridport are Bridport Primary School, St Mary's CE VC Primary School, St Catherines RC Primary School, and Symondsbury CE VC Primary School.

The Sir John Colfox School, a specialist Language College, is the town's only secondary school. It located on the outskirts of the town and serves ages 11 to 18. The sixth form is combined with Beaminster School in nearby Beaminster. Children also attend Woodroffe School, Colyton Grammar School and the Thomas Hardye School. There are daily buses running to these schools from Bridport.

Further and higher education is provided by Yeovil College, Weymouth College, Kingston Maurward College, and Bournemouth University.

Religion

Bridport has a history of nonconformism; a Dissenters' Academy was built in the town in 1768, and by 1865 the single Anglican church, St Mary's, was outnumbered by non-Church-of-England establishments by seven to one.^[14]

St Mary's Church was founded in the 13th century though much of it dates from the 15th century and it was substantially restored and altered in the 19th century. There is a 17th-century brass in St. Catherine's Chapel that commemorates Edward Coker who was killed in 1685 during the Monmouth Rebellion.

Opposite the church is a Society of Friends Meeting House.

The Unitarian "Chapel in the Garden", on the north side of East Street, provides a neutral development resource for an open faith community.^[21][22]

Sport

The town's football club is Bridport F.C. "The Bees". They currently play in the Western Football League Premier Division.^[23] The club was founded in 1885 and the home ground is St. Mary's Field.

The town's rugby union club is Bridport RFC.

Bridport & West Dorset Golf Club is situated atop of the east cliff at West Bay. The club has an 18 hole links course, driving range and pitch & putt course.

Bridport Barracudas Swimming Club is based at Bridport Leisure Centre. A thriving Water Polo section has junior and senior teams competing in the Dorset Water Polo League. Water Polo matches are held in summer in the outer harbour at West Bay, continuing a tradition dating back to 1898.

The area also hosts one of the last remaining real tennis courts that was recently renovated with the aid of a lottery grant.

Notable people and places

Notable people connected with Bridport and the surrounding villages include rock singer P.J. Harvey, actor Martin Clunes, socialist musician Billy Bragg and musician and producer Simon Emmerson.^[24]

Bridport and the surrounding area was used to film Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Channel 4 television programme River Cottage and the BBC dramas Harbour Lights starring Nick Berry and Rockliffe's Folly starring Ian Hogg. West Bay was used to film the 1950s film The Navy Lark, the opening credits of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, and much of the filming of the crime drama Broadchurch,^[25] starring David Tennant and written by Chris Chibnall who lives in Bridport.

Media

Bridport has two local weekly newspapers: The Bridport News, owned by Newsquest and published on Thursdays, and View from Bridport, published on Wednesdays. The Dorset Echo also serves Bridport and is published daily from Monday to Saturday.

Local television is served by BBC Spotlight based in Plymouth and ITV West Country based in Bristol. Terrestrial television is transmitted in digital from the Stockland Hill Transmitter and also a digital relay transmitter based at Highlands End.

Bridport's local commercial radio station is Wessex FM which broadcasts at 96.0FM. Owned by The Local Radio Company it also serves Weymouth and Dorchester. BBC local Radio includes both BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Solent.

Bridport lies between boundaries of broadcasters of the South and those of the South West. Viewers in Bridport are more likely to receive news about Devon and Cornwall than they are about East and North Dorset. To bridge the gap in the county the BBC proposed launching BBC Radio Dorset but this was soon dropped following BBC cut backs.^[26] The Dorset Broadcasting Action Group campaigns for better coverage in the area.^[27]

Bridport is a Met Office coastal weather observation point.

Bridport has one community website, Bridport Radio, which is in the form of a newspaper format. It mixes local information with comedic made-up news stories. The site allows users to comment on local subjects.^[28]

See also

• Bridport (UK Parliament constituency)

Gallery

• 

  South Street

• 

  West Street

• 

  Palmer's van

• 

  Town hall

• 

  West Bay

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bridport.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Bridport.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bridport.

• Bridport Town Council
• Bridport and West Bay Official Community website
• Bridport on the Open Directory Project

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