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WEYMOUTH had long been a port before the Georgians popularized it as a resort. It's possible that a ship unloading a cargo here in 1348 first brought the Black Death to English shores, and it was from Weymouth that John Endicott sailed in 1628 to found Salem in Massachusetts. A few buildings survive from these pre-Georgian times: the restored Tudor House on Trinity Street (June-Sept Tues-Fri 11am-3.45pm; Oct-May first Sun of month 2-4pm; GBP1.50) and the ruins of Sandsfoot Castle (free access), built by Henry VIII, overlooking Portland Harbour. But Weymouth's most imposing architectural heritage stands along the Esplanade, a dignified range of bow-fronted and porticoed buildings gazing out across the graceful bay, an ensemble rather disrupted by the garish Clock Tower commemorating Victoria's jubilee. The more intimate quayside of the Old Harbour is lined with waterfront pubs from where you can view the passing yachts, trawlers and ferries. Weymouth's slightly faded gentility is now counterbalanced by a number of "all-weather" attractions, the most high-profile of which is the Sea Life Park in Lodmoor Country Park east of the Esplanade (daily: 10am-5pm; winter weekdays closes at 4pm; last admission 1hr before closing; GBP6.50, GBP4.95 from tourist office; tel 01305/761070), where you can get close to sharks and rays and wander among multichrome birds in the tropical house. Other attractions include the Deep Sea Adventure at the Old Harbour (late July to early Sept 9.30am-8pm; rest of year 9.30am-7pm; last entry 1hr 30min before closing; GBP3.75), which describes the origins of modern diving and the sobering story of the Titanic disaster. Over the river on Hope Square, The Timewalk housed in Brewer's Quay (Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 11am-4.30pm; public & school holidays open until 9pm; GBP4.25), contains an entertaining and educational walk-through exhibition of Weymouth's maritime and brewing past. A fifteen-minute walk southwards leads to the Palmerston-era Nothe Fort (May to mid-Sept daily 10.30am-5.30pm; rest of year hours are variable; tel 01305/787243; GBP3), which has a number of displays on military themes, as well as a museum detailing the centuries-old practice of coastal defence, made obsolete in 1956 by advancing technology.
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