Wyke Regis

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Wyke Regis
latitude= 50.592
longitude= -2.475
map_type=Dorset
population = 5,458
shire_district= Weymouth and Portland
shire_county = Dorset
region= South West England
constituency_westminster= South Dorset
postcode_district = DT4 9
postcode_area= DT
os_grid_reference= SY663770

Wyke Regis (pronEng|ˌwaɪkˈriːdʒɪs) is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is part of the south western suburbs of Weymouth, on the northern shore of Portland Harbour and the south-eastern end of Chesil Beach. Wyke is convert|15|km|mi|0 south of the county town, Dorchester. The village has a population of around 5,500. [ [http://www1.dorsetcc.gov.uk/LIVING/FACTS/Census2001.nsf/0/44e8a2515b635e5680256d730032f2e9?OpenDocument Census data] Office for National Statistics, 2001.]

History

All Saints' Church in the village is known to have been frequented by King George III during his summer visits to Weymouth between 1790-1805. The church was the main place of worship for Weymouth citizens until the first sizeable church was built in the main part of the town in the 19th century. The victims of the wreck of the "Earl of Abergavenny", including its captain John Wordsworth, brother of poet William Wordsworth, are buried in the churchyard as are bodies recovered from the wrecked East Indiaman "Alexander". Construction of the church started around 1451, it took 4 years to build and was dedicated on 19th October 1455. The church is constructed of local stone brought from quarries on Portland and at Upwey.

Thanks to treacherous local currents and the long sweep of Chesil Beach on which many ships ran aground, the village, as well as the neighbouring Isle of Portland gained a reputation for both smuggling and the looting of wrecks. This reputation is reflected today in the name of the local public house, the Wyke Smugglers.

Industry

The major industry in the area was Whitehead Torpedo Works, which has now closed. As the major employer in the village, Whitehead's funded the building of two schools, which opened in 1897. Whitehead's expertise also led to the Royal Naval establishment at Portland becoming a major anti-submarine and torpedo warfare centre in both the First and Second World Wars. The Whitehead site is now a housing estate.

All Saints' Church of England School

All Saints' is a Church of England secondary school, and is located in the north of the village near Foord's corner. There were 921 students on roll in 2006, and 58% of its pupils gained five or more GCSEs of grades A* to C. [ [http://localinfo.dorsetecho.co.uk/li/secondary_schools.in.Weymouth Secondary Schools (GCSE) in Weymouth] Dorset Echo, 2006.]

Wyke Regis Infant And Junior School

The Infant school is situated along Portland Road, and the nearby Junior school is on the High Street. There is a Nursery school within the grounds of the Infant school. The Infant school has approximately 200 children, and the Junior school has about 350.

Location

Wyke Regis looks over Chesil Beach and the Fleet lagoon to the west, the Isle of Portland to the south and Portland Harbour to the south and east. The village provides an excellent viewpoint for spectators of events at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, such as the J24 World Sailing Championships, and in 2012 the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games. The South West Coast Path passes around the coast of the village, which is also around half-way along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

External links

* [http://wykeonline.100webspace.net/ Wyke Regis Online - The new Wyke website with latest news and features]
* [http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~wykedh/ Wykenet: Wyke Regis Website]
* [http://www.all-saints-church.org.uk/ All Saints Church]

* [http://www.weymouth-dorset.co.uk/wyke-regis.html Wyke Regis Local History]
* [http://www.weymouth-pictures.co.uk/dor/wey/wyk/pic_wykeregis.htm Pictures of Wyke Regis]

References