Pier Terrace Through Time

The Centre’s latest exhibition, Pier Terrace Through Time, has been a favourite with visitors — and runs weekends until 15th March 2026.

Pier Terrace is West Bay’s most iconic building, and with 2025 marking its 140th anniversary, this feels like the perfect time to celebrate its remarkable story. Since its construction in the late Victorian era, Pier Terrace has fascinated both local residents and visitors alike, and has even served as a striking backdrop for television and film productions.

The terrace was originally built as the first bold step in an ambitious plan to transform Bridport Harbour into West Bay — a seaside resort designed to rival popular destinations such as Bournemouth and Weymouth. While the wider vision evolved over time, Pier Terrace remains a powerful symbol of that era’s optimism and architectural flair.

The exhibition explores the social history of the people who have lived, worked in, and stayed at the terrace, tracing its story from Victorian times to the present day. Visitors will discover the dramatic events that shaped the building’s past — including the two devastating fires — alongside touching and inspiring personal stories.

Many remarkable women feature prominently throughout the exhibition: from royalty to rock stars, from industrious landladies to pioneering social reformers, all of whom have left their mark on Pier Terrace’s unique legacy.

One of the exhibition’s standout displays is a beautifully crafted doll’s house, specially adapted to recreate everyday life inside Pier Terrace during the 1900s and 1950s. This imaginative exhibit offers a vivid glimpse into domestic life across two contrasting eras.

Whether you are a local resident, history enthusiast, or first-time visitor, Pier Terrace Through Time offers a fascinating journey into the past of one of West Bay’s most treasured landmarks.