One of the most asked questions on social media pages that concentrate on local matters, asks for information about the previous use of buildings and land in the immediate area. It can be a fascinating subject and in many cases there is photographic evidence to back the claims. Seemingly no line of trade is immune to the march of time and the changing needs and ways that consumers interact with the local businesses. You might expect that a rural market town such as Bridport may not be affected by a constant turnover of different uses for the same building. Broadly speaking, you’d be wrong!  As an example, the UK Bank that I worked for in Bridport between 1981 and 2017 was known by three different names.

It’s an immense subject to cover, so in this article I’m going to look at three of the local mainstays of British life, The Pub, in Bridport and West Bay. They each have their own individual story, but they are connected by one thing. The Bridport Railway.

The railway line to Maiden Newton from Bridport was opened in 1857 with the station sited on what was then known as the Bradpole Road, the main route north from Bridport. There is an entry for a Public House, ‘The Railway Terminus’ in the Post Office Directory of 1859 and it retained this name until 1975, when, along with many other lines affected by ‘The Beeching Axe’ the route was closed. The station site is now buried under the Co-Op supermarket. At this point the pub name was changed to the ‘King Charles Tavern, referencing Charles II’s visit to the town while fleeing after his forces’ defeat by Cromwell’s army at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Although the building still bears the pub name on its’ frontage and a standalone Pub sign is situated at the end of a nearby alley, it closed in 2015. At the time of writing it is for sale with plans to turn it into a Guest House.

In the centre of the town at 54 East Street, The Railway Tavern is believed to have opened in 1871. However by 1906 there is photographic evidence that it had closed, a move that may have been influenced by it being next door to The Lord Nelson pub which, according to its’ web site, opened in the 1850’s! The photo in question shows a massive crowd waiting to greet General William Booth, co-founder, with his wife Catherine, of The Salvation Army, who was due to meet the Town Council and give a speech. The building was occupied by Elliott – Grocers, their sign proudly displayed on the building which is now occupied by the West Dorset MENCAP Charity Shop next to the East Street car park.

The final pub in the trio is The West Bay Hotel. The name is a historical give away as it is situated with Chesil Bank literally across the road and is in the area once known as Bridport Harbour. The pub was built in 1739 as The Neptune Inn, but when an extension to the railway reached the area in 1884, the owners of the line, The Great Western Railway, named the station ‘West Bay’ in an attempt to make the resort more attractive to potential holiday makers. The pub name was changed to the West Bay Hotel in the same year and, currently owned by the local Palmer’s Brewery, it’s still open, the official address of 3 Station Road confirming that it is literally a stone’s throw away from the station building which is still in place, albeit as a restaurant.

Jon Smith- Research Volunteer

Various websites and organisations have been used in the compilation of this article and are worth visiting for their historic photos and information.

•  A list of pubs past and present
• Photos of the town centre

All of the information included in this article is correct to the best of our knowledge. However, if you believe anything is incorrect, or would like to submit further information, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.