This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Jurassic Coast’s designation as a World Heritage Site, a milestone that the Discovery Centre is celebrating in the new Changing Landscapes exhibition. The exhibition invites visitors to step into the story of a coastline that has been changing for millions of years. Read more…
Our current exhibition ‘West Bay in the War’ has attracted many visitors. It looks at West Bay’s coastal defences, food rationing and the recollections of local people and GI’s living in West Bay. In November 1943 the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment US arrived in Dorset and were Read more…
Our exhibition over the winter invited our visitors to relive their “West Bay Memories”. The exhibition used photographs and stories that have been shared with the Centre by local people and visitors. Many of our film clips and images came from holiday makers who were more likely to have captured Read more…
Looking back at historical maps of Bridport Harbour (renamed West Bay) we noticed that one from 1860s listed a hospital on the beach and we just had to find out more! The hospital was built to isolate and treat patients who were suffering from cholera, just like Covid it was Read more…
A chance boyhood discovery of an ammonite led to Robert Chandler becoming an internationally recognised expert. Bob’s discovered his first ammonite in a collapsed stone wall on West Bay Road during a school trip. He even recorded the precise time of his find as 18.00 on May 30th 1967. This Read more…
Last week we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Bridport Ian Bark to view our current exhibition ‘Turning the Tide’, which is about plastic pollution. The Mayor writes a weekly blog where he supports, encourages and praises organisations and people in the town. It has also allowed him to Read more…
West Bay Discovery Centre regularly run children’s events during school holidays. Due to COVID our last event we ran was in February 2020. We have missed seeing the fun and enjoyment that our young visitors gain from these experiences. Our pop up exhibitions always involve the local community and include Read more…
On this Remembrance weekend, we look back at some of the individual stories of sacrifice, we have uncovered in some of our previous pop up exhibitions. In 2018 on the 100th Anniversary of the ending of the First World War we joined forces with St John’s Church, and Bridport Heritage Read more…
Can you remember the first railway journey you ever took? Just imagine the excitement of children living in outlying villages around Bridport and experiencing their first trip in a train along the very short trip from Bridport to West Bay. As our pop-up exhibition ‘Down the track’ closes we take Read more…
On Friday 20th July 1894 the railway station at West Bay was broken into and ransacked. Fortunately, Mr Price, the station-master, had not left any money about and the thieves had to content themselves by pillaging a collection box for the Widows’ and Orphans’ Railway Benevolent Society. A box containing Read more…