THE history of West Bay is the topic for this week's Looking Back as we explore its demise as a popular port for industry and trade to the holiday attraction it is today.

We're starting at AD42 when the timber quay of a Roman military port was established. This is buried deep below the shingle and buildings between the Bridport Arms Hotel and East Cliff.

From Saxon times cargo was offloaded here and taken to Bridport by river. In 1385 a Royal Licence was granted by Richard II to collect money for the construction of a proper harbour, which was built in similar shape to today’s harbour, along with two piers at the original location of the estuary of the River Brit, by East Cliff. This was the area called Bridport Haven.

A rope, netting and sailcloth industry had existed in Bridport since the 13th century, but by the 18th century the piers and harbour were too small for the global markets that were opening. Alongside this, it was prone to silting up and damage from storms.

In 1744 a new harbour and pier was started 270 metres west from its original site and the River Brit was diverted to run between two wooden piers and sluice gates built to control the entry of the river into the harbour. The works cost £3,500 (£650,000 in today’s money). The new harbour was capable of holding up to 40 100-ton sailing ships. A second pier was added a few years later. Reconstruction of the harbour in 1823-25 gave us the harbour we see today. It proved to be one of the most important events in the flax and hemp industry and for Bridport town itself as it gave Bridport a competitive advantage at a time when canals and railways had not yet been built. The harbour was not only built for the rope industry, other commodities were also exported, such as butter and cheese.

The harbour led to a resurgence of trade, principally the import of flax and hemp from Russia, timber from Scandinavia and for the export of rope, twine and net. It wasn’t until 1819 that a direct road was built to link the harbour with Bridport. Prior to that there had been several tracks over the marshy area between the harbour and Bridport. The new road was called Harbour Road, known to us now as West Bay Road.

In 1832 500 vessels were using Bridport Harbour each year and it became a bonded port with the establishment of a customs house originally in Clarence House for the purposes of collecting customs payments

Warehouses were built to store goods coming into the harbour and for the storage of goods to be exported, which would have arrived by horse and cart from Bridport, and after 1830 they also stored coal for the new steam-powered machinery for the textile industry. Around 1780 the oldest and largest of the warehouses was built and owned by the Good family. Known as Good’s Yard, it stored flax, hemp, iron and wine. It was possibly built by French prisoners of war as the structure bears a Norman resemblance and the cellars are similar to those found in France. The cool vaulted cellar was used to store wine and spirits imported from aboard. The warehouse was featured in Eden Phillpotts book The Spinners, where the heroine is lulled into the warehouse and then ruined. Part of Warehouse was used for net making.

Stormy weather removed the East Beach at West Bay in 1835 and before the waves returned, beachcombers explored the exposed terraces, finding Roman coins and peculiar shells.

Trade through the harbour peaked in 1850, and a thriving shipbuilding industry existed from 1769, being one of the most important shipbuilding centres during the Napoleonic wars. But the building of the railway from Maiden Newton to Bridport in 1857 resulted in the number of ships using the harbour declining, although it remained viable due to the availability of a return cargo. The last ship to be built in Bridport was in 1879.

As the importance of the harbour as a commercial port dwindled and goods once coming by sea were being transported to and from the town by the Bridport railway, it lost its bond port status, and the prospects for the harbour lay in its redevelopment as a seasonal resort.

Several projects were planned, and one of these was the building of an extension line from Bridport to Bridport Harbour. It opened on March 31 1884 after which Bridport Harbour became the more visitor-enticing West Bay. The Neptune Inn changed its name to the West Bay Hotel. The journey from Bridport to West Bay took seven minutes and the first passengers travelled on the first train down to West Bay at 7.32am, returning on the 7.45am. Overall, 5,100 first day tickets were issued.

The expected boom to the tourism failed to materialise and on Monday, September 22 1930 the passenger train service between Bridport and West Bay was withdrawn and along with East Street Station the line was officially closed for passenger traffic.

The other projects planned for the new tourism destination of West Bay was a hotel and lodging house on East Cliff and a swimming pool and covered veranda on the opposite side of the harbour. However, the only one that came to fruition was Pier Terrace, designed by Arts and Crafts architect, Edwin Prior, which was built on the site of an old lime kiln, for the well-to-do visitor. It comprised 10 houses and 60 bedrooms, to be run by landladies who would serve the needs of the gentry. It still remains, although most have been converted to flats.

As West Bay continued to develop as a holiday destination, facilities included the laying down of a golf course on West Cliff in 1891, which was later moved to East Cliff in 1911. They also included three bathing machines on the beach and a Pavilion, built on the Mound to provide refreshments and entertainment.

The Esplanade was constructed by the Bridport borough Surveyor, Frederick W Cooper, to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887, along with a new road. The money was provided by Mr Thomas Colfox who left a bequest of £1,000 and it was very popular. The Volunteer Band played here two to three times a week and a policeman regularly patrolled the esplanade on Sundays during the summer.

By 1936 West Bay had an 18-acre campsite. It was advertised as open-air, carefree holidays at a reasonable cost. Its popularity was attributable for the excellent sanitary facilities and connections in the field to main water. It was primarily used by caravan owners. One portion of the field is set aside for hikers and tent dwellers. The kiosks followed in the 1950s.

The west pier we have today was built and formally opened by the Duke of York in 2005.

West Bay beach was used in the introduction to the BBC television series 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin' and for location filming in the television series Harbour Lights. The harbour and beach were used as locations in the 2013 ITV series Broadchurch.