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The name ‘Weston’ is made up of two Old English
or Saxon words meaning the west ‘tun’ or settlement
and ‘Super Mare’ dates from medieval times
and is latin for ‘over the sea’.
Weston grew in the 19th century from a tiny village with a population
of approx 100 people to a popular Victorian seaside resort with
nearly 20,000 inhabitants and 100 years further on the population
has grown to over 70,000.
In the 18th century, doctors believed it was beneficial to bathe
in sea water and with Weston-super-Mare being in easy reach of Bristol
and Bath it became a popular town to visit to try out the benefit
of the water. Ladies enjoyed the secluded cove at Anchor Head, whereas
men were not so bashful and used to just run into the sea until
such time as the bathing machine was invented. This was a ‘hut
on wheels’ which the bather entered and then it was pulled
down into the sea by a horse, so the occupier could get changed
and into the sea without being seen.
Weston-super-Mare High Street is the town’s oldest road. In
the 19th century it was only wide enough for a single cart and the
town started to grow and spread from there and The High Street became
the town’s main shopping area. In 1825 an open-air market
selling fresh produce opened at the top end of the High Street (i.e.
near West Street). By 1946 the market was no longer used and the
building was converted into a theatre ‘The Playhouse’
and was Weston’s second theatre as, at that time, there was
a theatre on Knightstone Island. In 1964 a fire destroyed most of
The Playhouse and it was not re-opened until 1969.
Weston became part of North Somerset in 1996 and Weston-super-Mare
Town Council was set up in 2000 to represent the interests of the
town.
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