Born in 1891 and from a wealthy family, Mary Stock’s family acquired one of the houses in Pier Terrace at West Bay in 1900. From her teenage years she rebelled against restricted women’s clothes. Unlike her male cousins she had to face the discomfort and constriction of clothes. The contrast Read more…
William Barnes the Dorset poet was born 200 years ago on the 22nd February 1801. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect. His poems were admired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and he is thought to have influenced Thomas Hardy. His best known poem is Linden Lea set to Read more…
Of all the buildings in West Bay, Pier Terrace evokes the most interest from visitors to the Centre. They are lots of stories we could tell you about the building but as it is Valentines Day we are going to concentrate on a romantic one! Pier Terrace was built in Read more…
We are delighted to share news that West Bay Discovery Centre has won a silver award at the Dorset Tourism Awards 2020 Finals in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category. The Accessibility and Inclusive category focusses on how well attractions and tourism providers respond to the needs of visitors with Read more…
This week marks the 199th Anniversary of the formation of HM Coastguard. As Britain is a maritime nation, there has always been a need to give assistance to ships in distress, maintain a watch over shore and coastal waters for attack or invasion and prevent smuggling. The formation of the Read more…
We are delighted to share news that the judging panel for the 2020 Dorset Tourism Awards have chosen West Bay Discovery Centre as one of the Finalists in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category. The Accessibility and Inclusive category focusses on how well attractions and tourism providers respond to the Read more…
The South West Coast Path is one of the UK’s greatest and most famous walks; 630 miles in total, running from Somerset around Devon, Cornwall and finally into Dorset and through West Bay ending at Poole Harbour. West Bay Discovery Centre is proud to be one of their Way Makers, which Read more…
Did you know that it is believed that the first jigsaw puzzle was created in 1760 by an Englishman called John Spilsbury? He mounted a map of England on a thin sheet of mahogany and cut around the county boundaries. These puzzles were initially used as educational tools to teach Read more…
We have always welcomed visitors on Boxing Day and the week between Christmas and New Year but sadly this year due to Covid we won’t be opening. As many of our visitors will be missing the Boxing Day Swim, we couldn’t let you also miss our annual Mouse Hunt which Read more…
Wishing all of our visitors and supporters happiness over the festive season and into 2021.Your support has been invaluable to us throughout this difficult year.