Page 116 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

114  ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

E Lulworth Heritage Centre
Main Rd. Tel 01929 400587.
Open Mar–Oct: 10am–6pm daily;
Nov–Feb: 10am–4pm daily. 7 =
∑ lulworth.com

7 Weymouth
Dorset. Map F5. * 55,000 3
@ g 4 ( Apr–Oct: Thu.
∑ visit-dorset.com
Weymouth’s popularity as a
seaside resort began in 1789,
when King George III (1738–1820)
paid the first of many summer
Dramatic Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch near Lulworth Cove visits to its glorious sandy beach.
His statue is a prominent feature
5 Corfe Castle 6 Lulworth on the seafront. Here, gracious
Georgian terraces look across
Dorset. Map A3. Tel 01929 481294. Dorset. Map F5. @
Open Apr–early Oct: 10am–6pm daily; to the beautiful expanse of
Mar & late Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov– Sheltered Lulworth Cove is one Weymouth Bay, which hosted
Feb: 10am–4pm daily. & 7 limited. of the prettiest and most popular the sailing events in the 2012
- = ø ∑ nationaltrust.org.uk coastal spots in Dorset, an almost Olympic Games.
circular shingle bay fringed by To the south of the beach lies
The spectacular ruins of Corfe tall cliffs. A collection of former the distinctive Jurassic Skyline,
Castle romantically crown a fishermen’s houses nestle at the a tower with a rotating glass
jagged pinnacle of rock above top of the bay, now occupied by pod that rises to a height of 53 m
the picturesque village that bustling restaurants and cafés. (174 ft), giving superb views of
shares its name. The castle The Lulworth Heritage the town and coast. On the other
has domi nated the landscape Centre, near the main car park, side of the lifting Town Bridge,
since the 11th century, first as explains the unusual coastal the Old Town has an earthier,
a royal fortification, then as the geology of the area, including more traditional character, with
picturesque ruins seen today. Durdle Door, Dorset’s iconic rock its fishing boats, old seamen’s
In 1635 the castle was bought arch. The arch can be reached inns and boat trips.
by Sir John Bankes, whose wife by road or via a 30-minute walk A short walk from the Old
and her retainers – mostly along the coast path. The steps Town leads to the Victorian
women – courageously held out down to the shingle beach are Nothe Fort, where displays of
here against 600 Parliamentary very steep, but the views are World War II memorabilia recall
troops in a six-week siege during well worth the effort. the time when the town played
the Civil War (see p36). The castle
was eventually taken through
treachery and in 1646 Parliament King George III
voted to have it “slighted” – and Weymouth
deliberately blown up to prevent Visible on the road
it being used again. From the from Weymouth to
ruins there are stunning views Osmington is a dramatic
over the Isle of Purbeck. image of a mounted
George III, carved into
the chalk of the rolling
downs. The monarch is
commemorated in the
resort he first visited in A band performing for George III at Weymouth
1789 to recover from
illness – possibly porphyria, a hereditary illness that causes mental
problems. His doctors recommended a salt-water cure, and he
enjoyed his swims from a bathing machine on Weymouth beach
so much that he decided to buy Gloucester Lodge (now private
apartments) on the Esplanade for his visits to the town. A band would
play “God Save the King” as he emerged from the water. Now he is
best remembered as the mentally unstable king in Alan Bennett’s
The Madness of King George, though many historians claim that he
suffered from bipolar disorder, and argue that he should be best
The ruins of Corfe Castle, which dates remembered as a popular king, known for his love of rural life.
from Norman times
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p177 and pp188–9

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