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The Town Hall is the centrepiece of Bridport and is a Grade 1 Listed
Georgian building dating from 1786 on the site of the earlier St
Andrew’s Church. The Architect was William  Tyler.
The clock and the cupola, or dome, above it were added to the roof
twenty years later and made the Town Hall noticeably higher than
nearby buildings. The area around the Town Hall was known as The
Shambles, where a number of butchers had their stalls. Today a butcher’s
shop is still situated on the ground floor of the building, carrying
on the tradition.
The artist and teacher Francis (“Fra”) Newbery who was
Director of the Glasgow School of Art, 1885-1918, painted a number
of paintings specifically for the building, depicting aspects of
Bridport’s Rope and Net heritage. These are on permanent display
in the Town Hall.
Two Royal Naval vessels have borne the name of Bridport and memorabilia
from both ships is displayed in the Town Hall.
In 2010, the Town Council began implementing its Town Hall Heritage
and Conservation Project with funding from the Heritage Lottery
Fund and with support from West Dorset District Council and Dorset
County Council. The driving force of the project is to open up the
Town Hall for everyone to visit and enjoy and make the building
fully accessible.
Palmers Brewery on the southern approach to the town is the only
thatched brewery in England. It dates from 1794 when the business
was owned by Samuel Gundry. The Palmer family took the premises
over in 1896 and it is still run by the family today. The water
wheel dates from 1879. Tours of the brewery can be booked through
Palmers Wine store, which is in a newer building next door.
The Chantry in lower South Street was built in the early 1300s when
it possibly served as a lighthouse for boats sailing up the River
Brit. Later, in the 1400s, a priest took up residence, so giving
the building its name. Today the building is owned by the Vivat
Trust.
The Friends’ Meeting House is one of the older buildings in
Bridport. The former house and barn were given to the Friends by
Daniel Taylor in 1697.
The Parish Church of St Mary dates from the 1300s, although most
of the building standing today dates from the 1500s.
Bridport Museum dates from the Tudor period and is open between
10am and 5pm from Monday to Saturday between April and October.
The Bridport Arts Centre in South Street was formerly a Wesleyan
Methodist Chapel. The building dates from 1838.
The Bridge House Hotel at the eastern approach to the town dates
from 1768 when it was a Dissenters Academy. Across the road the
Masonic Hall, built in 1769 as the Marquis of Granby Inn, is on
the site of the 13th century St John’s Hospital and Chapel.
The Literary and Scientific Institute (LSI) was built in 1834. Fra
Newbery was a pupil and teacher at the School of Art here before
becoming the Director of the Glasgow School of Art 1885-1918 (see
Town Hall). The LSI has a long history of community usage but has
been unoccupied for some years now. In 2010 the Bridport Area Development
Trust began leading a project to seek to identify potential funding
sources that could help to bring the building back into use and
retain the community interest in the building.
The Chapel in the Garden (Unitarian) dates from 1794. The interior
is little altered from that time.
The United Church in East Street dates from 1860. The Bull Hotel
is one of the two coaching inns in the town. It is on the original
road from London to Exeter. In 1685 the Duke of Monmouth’s
men attacked the King’s Militia here. Colonel Venner was shot
and wounded. Later in November 1805 Lt Laponetiere changed horses
here on his journey from Falmouth to London with news of England’s
victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The building is now part of
the New Trafalgar Way, dedicated in 2005, and bears a plaque to
commemorate its role at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Cancer Research shop in East Street opposite the Town Hall is
the site of the Old George Inn where Charles II stopped for refreshment
in 1651, while fleeing from the Parliamentarians. The Inn was rebuilt
in 1804 as a pharmacy set up by Dr Giles Roberts who invented a
cure all known as “The Poor Man’s Friend”. His
obelisk is in St Mary’s churchyard.
Downes Street, a Georgian terrace off of East Street, leads to the
Bridport Millennium Green, which was opened by the Duchess of Gloucester
in 2003. This part of the town has four large distinct houses, Rax
House, The Grove, Mountfield and Downe Hall, all built for local
business families.
The Court in West Street stands on the site of the rope and net
making works founded in 1665 by Joseph Gundry. The building has
seen continuous use for the industry since that time.
Rope and net making is Bridport’s heritage. In 1213 King John
demanded that rope be supplied for the Navy. Today Bridport nets
are used for the fishing and horticulture industries, sport (most
noticeably at Wembley and Wimbledon) and for defence. Cargo nets
for Chinook helicopters and runway restraints are currently manufactured
by the American company who now own the complex at the Court.
West Mill dates from the late 19th century. Bridport had a number
of mills around the town, all utilising the water power of the rivers
Asker, Symene and Brit for various purposes, many supporting the
flax and hemp industry.
The legacy of the rope industry lives on today behind the closed
doors leading off Bridport’s streets, where the many former
rope walks which were used to twist long ropes together, have become
long gardens.
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