Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The town is 13 kilometers south of Dorchester and 8 kilometers north of the Isle of Portland. The town's population is 52,950 (2006).
The A354 road bridge connects Weymouth to Portland, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The history of the borough stretches back to the 12th century; including involvement in the spread of the Black Death, the settlement of the Americas, the development of Georgian architecture, and preparations for World War II.
Fishing and trading employ fewer people in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, but tourism has continuously increased its presence in the town since the 18th century and is now the primary industry. Weymouth is a tourist resort, and its economy depends on its harbor and visitor attractions; the town is a gateway situated half-way along the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Weymouth Harbor is home to cross channel ferries, pleasure boats and private yachts, and nearby Portland Harbor is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games will be held.
Weymouth originated as a settlement on a constricted site to the south and west of Weymouth Harbor, an outlying part of Wyke Regis. The town developed from the mid 12th century onwards, but was not noted until the 13th century. By 1252 it was established as a seaport and become a chartered borough. Melcombe Regis developed separately on the peninsula to the north of the harbor; it was mentioned as a licensed wool port in 1310 but French raiders found the port so accessible that in 1433 the staple was transferred to Poole.
Melcombe Regis is thought to be the first port at which the Black Death came into England in June 1348, possibly either aboard a spice ship or an army ship. In their early history Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were rivals for trade and industry, but the towns were united in an Act of Parliament in 1571 to form a double borough. Both towns have become known as Weymouth, despite Melcombe Regis being the main town centre. The villages of Upwey, Broadwey, Preston, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Southill, Radipole and Little moor have become part of the built-up area.
Weymouth and Portland were bombed by German planes for their role in World War II; Portland harbor had a large naval base, and Weymouth was home to Nothe Fort. 517,816 troops embarked through the borough to fight at the Battle of Normandy, and the Bouncing bomb was tested in the Fleet lagoon to the west of town. The history of the area is documented at the Time walk museum in Brewers Quay; the former brewery is a tourist attraction and shopping village on the southern shore of Weymouth Harbor.
You can buy
Olympic Sailing Tickets to watch it live. You can purchase Olympic Sailing Tickets from Global Ticket Market. Global Ticket Market offers you all sorts of
Olympic Tickets at very reasonable price. Especially, Olympic Sailing Tickets are being sold at very cheap rates at Global Ticket Market.