Weymouth Civic Society

19/07/2026

Great news 👏🏻

Congratulations Weymouth Museum!

Weymouth Museum moves a step closer to returning home at Brewers Quay

Weymouth Museum has taken a major step towards returning to its long-term home at Brewers Quay after securing initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The volunteer-run Weymouth Museum Trust has been awarded £136,161 in development funding, allowing it to progress plans for its “Creating a Community Museum for Weymouth” project. The funding is the first stage of an application that could ultimately secure £2,586,136 to bring the project to life.

If successful, the museum will return to the ground floor of the newly restored Brewers Quay, creating a permanent home featuring new exhibition galleries, a learning space, museum shop, café and dedicated museum store.

The project will also see the museum’s historic collections, which have been in storage since the museum closed in 2020, go back on public display.

Bob Chedzoy, Chair of Weymouth Museum Trust, said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to create a new community museum for Weymouth to bring Weymouth’s stories to life for future generations.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who has helped to achieve this outcome; our volunteers, partners, and the many local supporters who have championed the museum’s vision.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the project would help secure a permanent home for the museum while preserving its collections for future generations.

He added that the investment would also support the wider regeneration of Weymouth, helping to boost the local economy and strengthen community identity in a town heavily reliant on seasonal tourism.

The next phase of the project will focus on detailed planning, community engagement and developing new learning opportunities for young people and families before a full funding application is submitted.

Dorset Council has also pledged £300,000 towards the delivery phase of the project.

Councillor Richard Biggs, Dorset Council’s Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, said: “This is fantastic news for Weymouth Museum and everyone who cares about preserving and sharing the town’s rich heritage.

“Securing support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is a major vote of confidence in the museum’s vision and the dedication of the volunteers, trustees and partners who have worked tirelessly to reach this milestone.”

He added that the museum would play an important role in celebrating Weymouth’s history while acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Brewers Quay and the surrounding waterfront.

Weymouth Museum Trust also acknowledged the support it has received from Weymouth Town Council, Lloyd Hatton MP, Brewery (Weymouth) Ltd and the local community in helping the project reach this stage.

A final decision on the full Heritage Fund grant will be made following the completion of the project’s development phase.

01/07/2026

19/06/2026

Weymouth Civic Society held its Annual Awards Evening at the Nothe Fort on the 18th June 2026, attended by the Mayors of Weymouth and Portland, and by members of the civic society and award winners.

Our awards are in two categories, those for the built environment and those which celebrate local contributions to civic life.

The award for Community went to b-side together with artists Antje Rook and Sarah Elizabeth for The Portland Dress – a community arts project in September 2025 celebrating heritage, migration and identity.

The award for Heritage recognised Songs of Stone a Summer series of oral history and heritage community conversations in partnership with Portland Museum. They shared memories and stories of Portland stone and quarries, life in lived memory and the heritage of this unique natural and industrial landscape.

Derek Davey a local wildlife conservationist in Preston was celebrated with the award for contribution to the Natural Environment for his rescue and rehabilitation of seabirds.

In this year of the Dorset Towns of Culture, there were two awards for the Arts.

Chamber Music Weymouth was awarded for its popular and outstanding lunchtime concerts which, since 2002, have championed young artists and new music.

Six go down to the Seaside at Saint Nic’s Gallery in Weymouth was an exhibition of photographs curated by Si Jubb held in November 2025. It showcased 38 documentary photographs taken locally by highly respected photographers.

Eight projects were recognised for the best contributions to the built environment.

The Society’s Annual Award and blue plaque this year was awarded to Sean Cooper for his restoration of the Upper Mill at Radipole which he painstakingly restored with extraordinary craftsmanship and attention to sustainability. The Society praised the respect shown for the building’s heritage.

A Certificate of Merit was awarded to St Mary’s Church, Weymouth for the access improvements and restoration carried out at the church. The project was applauded for combining preservation with inclusivity.

Commendations were awarded for the renovation of Kingdom Hall Fortuneswell, Portland, and Weymouth Area development Trust for the renovation of 20 King Street, Weymouth. Both projects have enhanced their Conservation areas.

Four other projects received Letters of Appreciation. These are St Mary’s Church, Weymouth for the repair of the bell, clock and cupola: The new Marks & Spencer store in Weymouth Gateway Retail Park for the hard and soft landscaping; Weymouth Baptist Church for a new internal disabled access route and redecoration of the façade; and Kevin Jones from Coastline Cruises for the thoughtful refurbishment of the harbourside ticket kiosk.

18/06/2026

Well done all award winners tonight! We’ll post a full update soon. Here’s a three-pic snapshot of the evening.

17/06/2026

The society is pleased to support this important commemorative event.

*Vicar of Saint John’s and Saint Mary’s churches to conduct harbourside service to commemorate anniversary of the Black Death*

On Weymouth’s harbourside outside the Royal Dorset Yacht Club at 6.45pm on Wednesday 24 June, Reverend Tom Coopey, Vicar of Saint John’s and Saint Mary’s churches, will conduct a short Anglican service to commemorate those people who died of the Black Death, which entered Britain in that exact location nearly 700 years ago.

Britain’s first death from the plague is recorded in Melcombe Regis, now better known as Weymouth, on Saint John’s Day, 24 June 1348. Brought to our harbour by a ship from France, the Black Death rapidly spread across the entire country killing up to one half of the entire population.

“The human cost of the Black Death is almost beyond imagining. Whole families would die one after another within the space of just a few days. No one knew whether they would survive. It was truly awful. Given Weymouth’s role, it is right that we come together to reflect on what happened and I’m glad to support that by leading a service where Britain’s plague story began,” said Reverend Tom Coopey.

The service will be followed by a fully sold out dinner organised and hosted by the Royal Dorset Yacht Club in which James Farquharson, Chairman of Weymouth Civic Society, will tell the story of the Black Death from its origins in Asia to its local arrival and how its overall impact propelled Europe into the modern era.

06/06/2026

Today, we pause to remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all those who took part in D-Day Operations, on 6 June 1944.

Weymouth played a vital role as a main embarkation point for troops in the preparations for D-Day. The harbour and surrounding areas hosted vessels and troops, including the US 1st Division, in the days leading up to Operation Overlord.

In 2024, Nothe Fort proudly marked the 80th anniversary with the opening of our D-Day exhibition, exploring the important role of the local community in those historic events. Through evocative displays, and in partnership with Weymouth Museum’s photographic collection, the exhibition captures the atmosphere of Weymouth on the brink of change.

We have talks and tours on the subject of D-Day and World War II planned for later this month, but as we take time to remember today, we invite you to reflect and connect with these stories, ensuring they are never forgotten.

15/05/2026

Renovation of the American war memorial on the promenade has been completed ready for the US Memorial Day service at 11am on 25 May. It looks splendid. Well done Weymouth Town Council!

(Also, scaffolding on the Royal Hotel is now all removed and the maintenance work has made one of our best buildings look even better.)

19/04/2026

Do you want to manage a small but lovely museum and conserve a rare part of Weymouth's Tudor heritage for future generations? We're looking for a new chair person for Tudor House. This is a voluntary role that would be perfect for someone with a little spare time and deep passion for history. If you've experience of business planning, managing a budget and supporting a team, we'd really love to hear from you. Please email Weymouth Civic Society’s chairman at [email protected] to express your interest and find out more.

18/04/2026

AI wizards, this one's for you. With our town centre M&S set to close because it's being replaced by the big new one currently being fitted out on Mercery Road, if the building were demolished and rebuilt, what would you like it to look like?

The examples we've included are Tudor, Georgian, Neo-Gothic, Victorian, Art Deco, Modernist and Brutalist. We've also added the base photo we used and another one from a different angle, both taken yesterday. Are you better at AI than our chairman is? We really want to see what you can come up with.

Note: this is just a fun architecture based game, we don't know what's going to happen to the site when M&S closes and we're not stating our preference or trying to influence the future - it's just for fun ;-)

17/04/2026

Do you want to manage a small but lovely museum and conserve a rare part of Weymouth's Tudor heritage for future generations? We're looking for a new chair person for Tudor House. This is a voluntary role that would be perfect for someone with a little spare time and deep passion for history. If you've experience of business planning, managing a budget and supporting a team, we'd really love to hear from you. Please email Weymouth Civic Society's chairman at [email protected] to express your interest and find out more.