Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare | |||
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Coordinates | 51 ° 21 ′ N , 2 ° 59 ′ W | ||
OS National Grid | ST320613 | ||
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Residents | 71,758 (as of 2001) | ||
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Post town | WESTON SUPER MARE | ||
ZIP code section | BS22 - BS24 | ||
prefix | 01934 | ||
Part of the country | England | ||
region | South West England | ||
Ceremonial county | Somerset | ||
Unitary authority | North Somerset | ||
Weston-super-Mare is an English resort on the Bristol Channel in North Somerset . The city has approx. 71,700 inhabitants (2001) and is located approx. 28 km southwest of Bristol .
Weston-super-Mare is known for its sandy beaches, although the sea can be up to a mile away at low tide . Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon language and originally means west do (western settlement). The suffix -super-Mare is unusual in that it comes from medieval Latin and literally means "above the sea".
Weston grew especially in the Victorian era when seaside holidays became fashionable. Together with neighboring Burnham-on-Sea , Weston benefited from its proximity to Bristol, Bath and South Wales . With the construction of the railway, thousands of visitors came to the city. The Birnbeck Pier was completed for them in 1867 . It offered amusement facilities, tea rooms, fairgrounds and a photo studio to visitors.
Because the Birnbeck Pier meant that many visitors no longer visited the center of the city, the local traders built a new pier closer to the main streets. This Grand Pier , opened in 1904, was originally intended to be 1.5 miles long. It was a huge arcade with one-armed bandits , bumper cars , a ghost train and bowling area . Whole families with small children romped on the pier in summer and on weekends.
In the early morning of July 28, 2008, a large fire broke out on the historic Grand Pier . The pier, which had been completely modernized and renovated just a few months earlier, was completely destroyed. After the reconstruction, Grand Pier reopened on October 23, 2010.
After the Second World War , as with almost all seaside resorts, Weston's popularity declined. However, the city became an industrial center, u. a. for aircraft construction. The M5 motorway is nearby and Weston is now partly a dormitory town with residents working in Bristol.
The stream of tourists has not yet dried up. In addition to a shopping center, the city offers a helicopter museum, an aquarium and a miniature train.
Weston-super-Mare has been twinned with Hildesheim since the early 1980s .
Personalities
- Albert Victor Alexander (1885-1965), British Secretary of Defense (1946-1950)
- Jeffrey Archer (* 1940), politician and writer
- Ritchie Blackmore (* 1945), guitarist and songwriter
- John Cleese (born 1939), comedian, actor and screenwriter
- Edith Ditmas (1896–1986), historian, writer and association official
- Henry Edwards (1883–1952), director
- Rupert Graves (born 1963), actor
- John Polkinghorne (* 1930), theoretical physicist and theologian
- Paul Radmilovic (1886–1968), water polo player and swimmer
Web links
- Weston-super-Mare (English)
- Grand Pier (English)
- Helicopter Museum (English)