Westham, Dorset

Place in Dorset, UK
Human settlement in England
  • Weymouth
Unitary authority
  • Dorset
Shire county
  • Dorset
Region
  • South West
CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townWeymouthPostcode districtDT4PoliceDorsetFireDorset and WiltshireAmbulanceSouth Western UK Parliament
  • South Dorset
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°36′43″N 2°28′12″W / 50.61194°N 2.47000°W / 50.61194; -2.47000

Westham is a suburb of Weymouth, Dorset, England.

History

Westham was established as a new suburb of Weymouth from the early 1880s.[1] In 1880, the largely undeveloped Abbotsbury Road, along which Westham was centred, saw the construction of a number of residential properties, a chapel of ease, a schoolhouse and a steam laundry operated by the Weymouth Sanitary Steam Laundry Ltd.[2] The name Westham was decided upon during a meeting of "owners and holders of property in the district", held on 15 September 1882 at the Rock Hotel.[3]

There were approximately 550 inhabitants in 1882 and this had increased to over 2,000 in 1892.[3][1] The population in 2021 was 9,393.[4]

Westham Bridge was opened in 1921.[5] In 2021, Westham Bridge Cycle Shelter was removed.[6]

Politics

The Westham ward elects members to Dorset Council.

Buildings

References

  1. ^ a b "Laying the foundation stone of St. Paul's at Westham". The Southern Times. 12 May 1894. p. 5. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ "A suggestion". The Southern Times. 18 September 1880. p. 4. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ a b "Naming of the new town on the Abbotsbury Road". The Dorset County Chronicle. 21 September 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "Area profile for Westham". Dorset Council. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Old picture of bridge that once led to miniature railway". Dorset Echo. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  6. ^ "Dorset Council begins removal of Westham Bridge Cycle Shelter after receiving local support". Dorset Council news. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2023-12-09.


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