It’s nearly 250 years since King George III made our local town, Weymouth, into one of the kingdom’s most fashionable places to be seen.

He did it simply by choosing to come here to recuperate from an early bout of the illness that eventually saw him locked away in Windsor Castle. 

His many visits between 1789 and 1805 helped to shape the town that we see today. This short walk takes you on a tour of Georgian Weymouth.

This circular walk starts and ends at the Pavilion car park. The full walk is about two and a half miles and will take about an hour – there’s an option to save a half-mile.

As you go, look out for information tablets set into the pavement, which tell you more about the history of the town.

The land that’s home to the Pavilion and the car park did not exist when George III visited. Historic pictures show a narrow breakwater that protected the entrance to the harbour.

Today’s theatre was built in 1958. It’s on the site of an earlier theatre, put up in 1908, which burned down in 1954.

Outside the theatre, with your back to it, go left towards the harbour, then turn right to follow this towards the Town Bridge.

It may surprise you that many tourists don’t discover the town’s historic harbour. They come to Weymouth for the beach, and don’t venture this far. 

Weymouth has been a busy harbour for hundreds of years. Medieval traders sailed from here, and there’s no doubt that some locals were involved in smuggling and piracy.

Some of those who emigrated in the early days of the American colonies left from here.

When he visited, King George III enjoyed going aboard Royal Navy ships that were in the harbour.

Keep walking along the harbourside to the Town Bridge. From here, you get a good view of the many Georgian houses on the other side of the harbour.

So far you’ve been walking in the town once known as Melcombe Regis. The town of Weymouth was on the other side of the harbour. For hundreds of years they were separated by the stretch of water, and there was strong rivalry between the inhabitants.

The separation ended in 1597, when the first bridge was built. This was nearly 200 years before George III arrived, and by the time he did, the name Weymouth was used for the areas on both sides of the harbour.

The bridge George would have seen was made from wood, with a drawbridge section in the middle, which opened to allow tall ships through.

The first stone bridge opened in 1824, nearly 20 years after George’s last visit.

Cross the bridge and turn left to walk along the harbourside.

As you walk along the harbour, you’ll come to the house that belonged to Weymouth’s first tourist, Ralph Allen. The house is opposite a parking area and has a plaque commemorating Allen.

Ralph Allen made a fortune in business. His friends included royalty, some of whom visited him here. That’s probably why King George III chose to come to Weymouth to recuperate from his illness.

From the house, follow the road to the right, away from the harbour. This is Trinity Street.

There are some very old buildings along Trinity Street. On the left, you’ll see the Old Assembly Rooms, where people met to dance and socialise. Unfortunately, it is empty and unused.

Almost opposite is the Tudor House Museum, which may be open for you to look around. It’s cared for by Weymouth Civic Society. 

The house was built long before George III visited Weymouth. It was one of several stone houses on this side of the harbour at that time. Most of the others have not survived.

Carry on walking up Trinity Street, and turn left into St Leonard’s Road to go into Brewery Square. Keep walking, past Brewers Quay, and go up the narrow Hill Lane to Barrack Road. Cross this, onto the Lookout. Walk to the end.

Because the king’s visits made Weymouth fashionable, many wealthy people came here in the late Georgian era. We know that Jane Austen’s sister, Cassandra, was one of them.

Several guidebooks were printed for these visitors, and most of these describe taking a walk to the Lookout. That’s the area where you are now.

It was named because of being an excellent viewpoint over the town and out to Portland. Today, the views aren’t quite so good because of all the houses and tall trees. Pictures from over 200 years ago show the area was much more open.

Now you can choose to retrace your steps to the Town Bridge, or take a longer walk (an extra half mile) around the Nothe peninsula. To do this, turn left and follow the path into Nothe Gardens. You’ll eventually reach the Victorian fort. Follow the path left and you’ll come back to the harbour, which is reached by steps down. From here, it’s left back to the Town Bridge.

Crossing the bridge back into Melcombe Regis, follow the road as it turns right into St Edmund Street, then left into St Mary Street.

A short way along here, on the right, is the church of St Mary’s. This is a Georgian church, opened in 1817.

It’s built on the site of an older, smaller church that George III and his family often attended for Sunday services. 

You may be able to go inside, as the church is often open. Look out for the grave marker to Ffloyd Morgan, who was ‘cruelly murdered’ in 1792. It’s near the front, on the floor on the left side of the aisle.

Leaving St Mary’s, turn right and follow the street until you come to the King’s Statue.

This was created to commemorate the King’s many visits. Unfortunately, he never got to see it, because it wasn’t ready until after his final trip here. It was put up in 1810, to mark the 50th year of his reign.

Continue walking a short distance along the seafront and you’ll come to the building called The Gloucester.

This was Gloucester Lodge, the holiday home of George III and his family. He bought it from his brother, the Duke of Gloucester, hence the name. For a while it was effectively Weymouth’s seaside royal palace. The king and queen were quite frugal in their tastes, so it was always a relatively simple building, inside and out.

George III’s eldest son, also called George, did not like Weymouth. He much preferred Brighton, which is where he built the Royal Pavilion. The younger George, who was Prince Regent and later George IV, sold Gloucester Lodge after his father died in 1820.

Now turn around and walk along the seafront towards the Pavilion Theatre. You’re walking along the southern section of the Esplanade. For the last 250 years, this has been a popular place to promenade, but previous to that it was the town rubbish tip.

Until the 1700s, people weren’t interested in the beach, so it was a dumping ground. This changed when sea bathing became fashionable. Developers started building smart houses facing the sea.

Lots of these houses are still standing, along with other Georgian buildings. As you walk along the Esplanade, you’ll pass what was Harvey’s Library, a fashionable meeting place where people read books, newspapers and shared local gossip.

Alexandra Gardens, with its rides and amusements, was an area of tidy lawns. 

One run of elegant Georgian houses faces onto the Gardens – this is Pulteney Buildings, identifiable by the blue bow windows, and around the corner facing the Pavilion are Devonshire Buildings. These were both built in the very early 1800s. An interesting detail is that the very last house in Devonshire Buildings, before the harbour, has a rounded end. It was built with a square end, but developers took it down and rebuilt it with the curved end.

You’re now back at the Pavilion, having completed a short walk around Georgian Weymouth.

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