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Bridport dates back to the early Middle Ages when the Anglo-Saxon
Alfred the Great created the ‘Burgh of Brydian’ in the
9th century.
The predominant industry in the town was rope making and in 1213
King John demanded that Bridport produce ropes ‘night and
day’. This trade was later to expand to Newfoundland and resulted
in many fine houses being built in Bridport in the 18th century.
In 1253 Henry III made the town a royal borough and Charles II stayed
in the town to escape the Cromwellians in 1651.
The main streets are among the widest in the west of England and
the town is blessed with more than 1,000 listed buildings of historical
architectural merit. The principal streets of South, East and West
Street meet at the Town Hall. The town has expanded out from the
town’s heart and the earlier Saxon settlement centred on St
Mary’s Church.
Bridport is flanked on either side by two rivers, the Brit and the
Asker, which converge by Palmers Brewery to become a tidal river
before flowing into the sea at West Bay.
The harbour was first recorded in the 13th century, and in the Napoleonic
wars, 16 ships were built there.
Bridport’s street market has operated for hundreds of years
on the three main streets of the town. Today, it is a lively, flourishing
location to visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays from around 8 am until
late afternoon. A special feature of the market is the large group
of bric-a-brac stalls located in South Street on Saturdays.
In Saxon times, ‘port’ meant a place of trade, not necessarily
a seaport, and the market or ‘bull ring’ was usually
a widening of the main street in the town centre - in Bridport,
this was by the Woodman Inn in South Street.
When Henry III granted a Charter in 1253, the market gradually moved
to a position outside the Bull Hotel in East Street and then to
the site of the Town Hall, which was contained at the small church
of St Andrew. Shambles - permanent fixed open stalls with roofs
- were built opposite the Town Hall on the pavement by the George
Inn, now the Cancer Research Shop.
When the Town Hall was built between 1785 and 1787, 37 butchers’
stalls were included on the ground floor with other traders’
stalls housed on a site which is now Bucky Doo Square. The Square
is located in the middle of Bridport town centre and is a popular
meeting place.
Today, Bridport is a thriving, bustling market town and services
the surrounding parishes and hinterland. It is recognised as a Gateway
Town to the Dorset and East Devon Jurassic Coast, the first natural
World Heritage site designated in England. It is also classed as
a Beacon Town, promoting the high quality and variety of local food.
Bridport Town Council
The Town Council was formed in 1974, following Local
Government reorganisation. Its principal role is to administer the
local services and amenities in addition to those provided by the
District and County Councils, and to be the focus and voice of the
community. Further details are provided later on in this publication.
The Town Council is proactive in ensuring that, as well as managing
its own services - the street market, open spaces, cemetery, allotments,
buildings etc - it also seeks to influence decisions on other matters
affecting the town. This includes putting forward initiatives for
highways and traffic improvements, which are then taken forward
in partnership with the responsible authority, Dorset County Council.
The Town Council is a consultee on planning and makes comments to
the Planning Authority (West Dorset District Council) on all planning
applications submitted for the area.
The Town Council has signed the Nottingham Declaration on Climate
Change, which commits it to develop plans with local partners to
progressively address the causes and impacts of climate change.
As part of this commitment, it has adopted a Climate Change Strategy
and works to promote energy efficiency and environmental awareness
in the area.
More information on the Town Council is available later in this
publication.
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