Bridport Arts Centre in
South Street is the venue for a variety of national and regional
productions - dance, music and theatre. It hosts regular town events
and activities including the annual creative workshops for children
and biannual productions by the Encore Theatre group. It is also
the venue for the Bridport Film Society.
The Arts Centre is the home of the annual Bridport Prize. The Prize
is awarded for two categories of literature, a short story and a
poem. This competition is recognised internationally for the quality
of its entries. The one day award ceremony has now extended to encompass
a week of events and activities in celebration of literature.
Exhibitions are held in the foyer, café and the Allsop Gallery
and the building is the venue for the monthly Farmers’ Market
held on the second Saturday of the month.
Art Bridport has a
well-established artistic community. In particular, around St Michael’s
Lane there are many studios and craft workshops, with a wealth of
artists, carpenters, masons, upholsterers, designers, performers
and sign-writers. The distinctive long, redbrick Edwards building,
formerly at the centre of the rope-making industry, is now full
of artists’ studios and holds frequent exhibitions. The cultural
renaissance occurring here has led to the area being dubbed the
Artistic Quarter of Bridport. Artists throughout the town open their
businesses to the public for Bridport Open Studios and Dorset Arts
Weeks.
Bridport Museum in
South Street was donated to the town in 1931 by Captain Codd. He
stipulated that the building, then known as the Old Castle, should
be used as a museum and art gallery. Captain Codd was a keen amateur
artist and the museum holds a collection of his paintings.
The museum opened to the public in 1932 and was administered by
Bridport Borough Council and later by West Dorset District Council.
Throughout this time the local community were generous in donating
various items of local interest. In 2000 the building was refurbished
and in 2002 after many years of ownership by West Dorset District
Council the building and its collections were handed over to the
Bridport Museum Trust.
The museum tells the story of the town’s history from Saxon
times to the present day. It displays a variety of artefacts with
local connections, including Roman finds from Waddon Hill and items
relating to the town’s unique rope and net industry. Temporary
displays of paintings, photographs, Doctor Robert’s cure-all,
dolls and other thematic displays also reflect Bridport past and
present.
In April 2008 Bridport Arts Centre and Bridport Museum, together
with the Town Hall, formed the centrepiece of the month-long Newbery
Trail event, a major series of exhibitions around Dorset celebrating
the life and work of Fra Newbery, whose paintings are on permanent
display in the Town Hall. This was one of the most important events
in Bridport in recent years, a joint venture by a number of Bridport’s
cultural institutions and the Town Council, and was principally
funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Electric Palace Cinema
in South Street shows films and hosts events.
Bridport Leisure Centre is
situated on the southern outskirts of the town in Brewery Fields
off Skilling Hill Road. It is administered by the Bridport and West
Dorset Sports Trust.
The Centre offers a wide range of recreational facilities and activities
for all ages. There is a multi-purpose sports hall, a 25 metre 6
lane swimming pool and a 12 metre teaching pool.
The fitness suite has a range of cardiovascular and weight resistant
equipment and there is an exercise referral scheme run in consultation
with local medical practices.
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