Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Weston-super-Mare (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Old Church of St Nicholas, Weston-super-Mare Town Hall, and Sand Bay. Also, be sure to include Odeon Cinema in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Weston-super-Mare (England).
Table of Contents
Old Church of St Nicholas
Church in Weston-super-Mare, England. The Old Church of St Nicholas at Uphill, Somerset, England, is described as 'Norman' but was remodelled in later Middle Ages. Regular services ceased in 1846.
The church is partially ruined but still consists of a tower, chancel and a roofless nave. It is designated Grade II* listed building and in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, although the roofed portion is still used for services occasionally.[1]
Weston-super-Mare Town Hall
Weston-super-Mare Town Hall is a municipal building in Walliscote Grove Road in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. The building, which is the headquarters of North Somerset Council, is a Grade II listed building.[2]
Address: Walliscote Rd, Weston-super-Mare
Sand Bay
Bay in the United Kingdom. Sand Bay is a strip of coast in North Somerset bordered to the south by Worlebury Hill and to the north by Middle Hope and Sand Point. It lies 2 miles north of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare, and across the Bristol Channel from South Wales. It is adjacent to the village of Kewstoke.[3]
Address: Kewstoke Road, Weston-super-Mare
Odeon Cinema
Movie theater in Weston-super-Mare, England. The Odeon Cinema, Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England, is an art deco cinema building, designed by Thomas Cecil Howitt. Still largely intact and retaining its originally installed Compton organ, it is a Grade II listed building.[4]
Address: The Centre, BS23 1UR Weston-super-Mare
The Helicopter Museum
Museum in Weston-super-Mare, England. The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military. It is based at the southeastern corner of the former Weston-super-Mare Airport.[5]
Address: Locking Moor Rd, BS24 8PP Weston-super-Mare
The Playhouse
Theatre in Weston-super-Mare, England. The Playhouse is a 664-seat theatre in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, South West England that hosts shows all year round including opera, ballet, comedy, music and pantomime performances.
In 1946 an old market building, designed by Hans Price, a local architect, was converted into a 500-seat theatre. For the next 18 years this theatre, The Playhouse, provided the town with a great variety of entertainment. Stars included Frankie Howerd, Bob Monkhouse and Ken Dodd. On 21 August 1964 a fire destroyed most of the theatre and the unsafe structure had to be demolished. In 1969 at a cost of £230,000 a new theatre opened and has been in continuous use ever since. The stage measures 59 feet (18 m) by 28 feet (9 m) and can be extended by covering the orchestra pit.
On 6 June 2007 the theatre staged the world première of Houdini—The Musical, which is based on the life of the escapologist Harry Houdini. The musical includes Houdini's famous trick the Chinese Water Torture Cell.
The theatre suffered a major flooding incident on the evening of 27 April 2017 whilst hosting the North Somerset Schools Dance Festival. A rising water main burst on one of the upper floors leading to the evacuation of over 200 children and over 600 members of the audience. The fire brigade were called with 6 tenders attending to pump out the basement level which was completely flooded.[6]
Address: Weston-super-Mare, High Street
The Blakehay Theatre
Theatre in Weston-super-Mare, England. The Blakehay Theatre is a 207-seat theatre in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. Its building was originally a 19th-century Baptist church.[7]
Address: Weston-super-Mare, Wadham Street
Ellenborough Park
Park in Weston-super-Mare, England. Ellenborough Park is a park situated in the centre of Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England.
The western half of the park, an area of 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres), is of significant biodiversity interest, due to its plant communities, and was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1989. The eastern half of the park contains a play area for local children, which was opened in 2005.
Ellenborough Park was also the subject of a significant legal case Re Ellenborough Park in 1955 which determined criteria for easements in English property law.[8]
Grand Pier
The Grand Pier is a pleasure pier in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, situated on the Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles southwest of Bristol. It opened in 1904 and has been Listed Grade II since 1983. It is 366 metres long.
The pier's pavilion has been destroyed by fire on two occasions, in 1930 and 2008. It is one of two major piers in the town, along with Birnbeck Pier, which closed in 1994 and stands derelict.[9]
Address: Marine Parade, BS23 1AL Weston-super-Mare
Birnbeck Pier
Pier in Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom. Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately 18 miles south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island, a 1.2 hectares rocky island just to the west of Worlebury Hill. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. Birnbeck Pier is one of only six Grade II* piers surviving in the country. The refreshment and waiting rooms of 1898 were designed by local architect Hans Price and the clocktower and the piermaster's house have been attributed to him. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994 and is now on the Buildings at Risk Register.
During the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries the pier was popular both with locals and tourists to the town. As a boarding point for steamers plying their trade in the Bristol Channel, it underwent various extensions and modifications over the years. During the Second World War the pier was commissioned as HMS Birnbeck by the Admiralty as part of the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD) for research into new weapons. The pier reopened after the war, but the number of visitors and steamer passengers declined. The final excursion visited the pier in 1979.
Since its closure, ownership has changed many times and it has been subject to a series of proposals for its redevelopment which have all proved fruitless. The pier remains in a largely derelict state. Part of the pier collapsed during storms on 30 December 2015.[10]
Weston-super-Mare Museum
Museum in Weston-super-Mare, England. Weston Museum is a museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. It was established in 1861. and is home to North Somerset Council museum collection with exhibits relating to Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding area from 400 million years ago to the present day.[11]
Address: Burlington Street, Weston-super-Mare