Weston-super-Mare

Weston's oldest structure is Worlebury Camp on Worlebury Hill which dates from the Iron Age. Outside the hillfort are many rock-cut burials and fragmentary remains which have been discovered during the course of progressive development on the southern slope of the hill. Two particular clusters of these burials have been identified: one in the Montpelier area, and the other to the north-east of Knightstone Road. Recent researchers suggest that there may have been a major Iron Age cemetery related to the hillfort, in the area near Knightstone Road, the site later chosen for the parish church, suggesting a link to the Iron Age burials. Many of these remains were chance finds during building…

Much of the character of the buildings in the old town derives from the use of local stone. This was quarried at Uphill and the town quarry on Queens Road along with other places along Worlebury Hill. Brick, tiles and ornamental work was produced by the Royal Pottery near Locking Road and at another pottery in Uphill. The distinctive style of many 19th-century buildings was pioneered by local architect Hans Price (1835–1912). Examples of his work include the Town Hall, the Mercury Office, the Constitutional Club (originally the Lodge of St Kew), villas and numerous other domestic dwellings.

Weston-super-Mare is a tourist destination, with its long sandy beach, Helicopter Museum, Weston Museum, Grand Pier and seasonal Wheel of Weston. A 2009 survey by Visit England placed the Grand Pier in the top ten free attractions in England. However, as of 2014, the pier charges for admission. On the Beach Lawns was a miniature railway operated by steam and diesel locomotives, which closed in 2012. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn estuary. Since the 1970s the number of visitors staying for several nights in the town has decreased, but the numbers of day visitors has increased. In…