West Bay, formerly known as
Bridport Harbour, is situated approximately two miles from the centre of
Bridport on the
Jurassic Coast in
Dorset. It has a fairly small
harbour, two
piers and two
beaches. The east beach is part of
Chesil Beach. West Bay and Chesil Beach make up part of the Jurassic Coast
world heritage site, conferred by
UNESCO on the beautiful and varied geography of the southern coast.
Records of West Bay's harbour history can be traced back to the 13th century when sluices were constructed across the mouth of the River Brid to form a navigable entrance.
The
Great Western Railway reached Bridport in 1857, resulting in the decline of Bridport Harbour and its renaming to West Bay. Local business men including the archaeologist
Augustus Pitt Rivers and the
Earl of Ilchester funded an extension to the harbour, which was completed by 1883.
West Bay was the location of a television series by the
BBC called Harbour Lights, which aired in 1999 and 2000 which starred
Nick Berry. East beach was used in the introduction to the
BBC television series
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. West Bay and East beach are the setting for the current (March-April 2013) ITV murder mystery series called Broadchurch starring
Olivia Colman and
David Tennant see
www.visit-dorset.com .