Did You Know?

Weston-super-Mare, also known as just Weston is a seaside town in North Somerset, England, on the Bristol Channel 18 miles south west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill.

During the Ice Ages the sea-level was very different from today. Quarrying on the hillsides, has revealed the remains of animals such as giant deer, woolly mammoth and rhinoceros.

The bustling town has its ancient origins as an Iron Age hill fort. It was occupied by the Romans up until 5th century AD, after which time it became a thriving fishing and farming village. 

Weston-super-Mare became a spa town in 1820, making it a popular tourist destination. Tourism to the area was increased even further when a railway station was constructed in 1841, bringing an average of 15,000 passengers on a Bank Holiday weekend. 

By 1860, there were 100 bathing machines on Weston-super-Mare beach, which were popular with tourists who did not want to be observed as they changed to go into the sea. 

Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement; super mare is Latin for "above sea" and was added to distinguish it from the many other settlements named Weston in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

Diana Dors had her first success as a beauty queen in Weston-super-Mare aged just 14 in the Miss Modern Venus competition in the open air pool, in 1945 - although she only managed to come third.

Roald Dahl finished his education at St Peters Board School in Weston-Super-Mare before going on to become one of the world’s best-loved authors.

Weston-super-Mare's pier was originally intended to run regular passenger services from the pier to Cardiff but the tide and strong currents made tide mooring of ships too dangerous so the plan was abandoned.

Arthur Stanley Edington - who ‘proved Einstein right’ - grew up in Weston-super-Mare. He was an astrophysicist who was given his first telescope by his school teacher in Weston-super-Mare. He later measured the distortion of light during a solar eclipse proving a main tenet of Einstein’s relativity theory.

John Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare on 27 October 1939, as was actor Rupert Graves on 30 June 1963.