George III Weymouth History

Weymouth Holidays and King George III
Weymouth holidays have been popular for centuries, however King George III is credited for making Weymouth holidays as popular as they are today. King George III first visited Weymouth in 1789, he was recovering from a serious mental illness and leading physicians of the day had long been recommending the benefits of the cold sea water as a cure for wide ranging ailments including those of the mind. King Georges visit to Weymouth was hugely popular with the Weymouth locals who wanted to show the King their appreciation at choosing to holiday in Weymouth. Weymouth was covered with royal material and God save the King was played at every opportunity. Even when the king was privately taking in the waters on weymouth beach, God save the king rang out. One can only imagine the proud and elated holiday atmosphere as the king was in town.

King Georges Weymouth holiday home
King George stayed in his brothers sizeable Weymouth holiday lodge on the seafront during his holidays in Weymouth. He later purchased the lodge himself and turned it into his permanent Weymouth holiday home called 'Gloucester lodge'. Here King George stayed every year between 1789 and 1805, save for the odd year when he missed his annual Weymouth holidays altogether. King Georges frequent visits to holiday in Weymouth during this glorious era for Weymouth included many of the usual Weymouth holiday favourites, some of which are still popular today - bathing in the waters, sailing and visiting his warships at Portland harbour, walking and talking to his loyal subjects, especially those who worked the land, earning himself the nickname 'Farmer George'. King George also enjoyed visiting the local Dorset landowners of the day.

King Georges last Weymouth holiday
Despite King Georges medicinal holidays to Weymouth every year, his health continued to deteriorate and in 1811, he became so ill that he was replaced by his son, Prince George, the Prince Regent. Sadly King George ceased visiting Weymouth in 1805 due to his health and he passed away at Windsor Castle at respectable age of 81.

King Georges Weymouth holiday legacies
There are a number of reminders of King Georges love of Weymouth holidays and the gratitude that the towns inhabitants paid to him. His Weymouth holiday home Gloucester lodge still remains on the seafront. Also on the sea front can be found the King George III monument, a statue showing King George standing proudly facing his beloved Weymouth bay and its medicinal waters. Close by is a replica of his bathing machine, such machines were popular with the wealthy Weymouth holiday makers of the day who wanted to enter and exit the sea in privacy. Perhaps the most famous reminder of King Georges close association to Weymouth is the White Horse carved into the chalk cliffs of Osmington and viewable to thousands of Weymouth holiday makers from the seafront and pier. Legend states that the White horse was supposed to depict King George riding in Weymouth. The King is supposed to have taken offence at the fact that the horse was facing as though he was riding out of Weymouth rather than to his holidays here and supposedly believed that this was a sign that Weymouth no longer wanted him to visit. The unfortunate creator, having heard of King Georges dissapointment comitted suicide. This is of course extremely unlikely as the only fact we can be certain of is that the White Horse was created after King Georges last holiday in Weymouth and therefore was never seen by the King himself. The white horse although impressive from the sands of Weymouth beach, is even more impressive close up when one realises just how huge the creation is, covering over an acre of cliff top it is carved into. Another and perhaps the most famous chalk depiction in England is the Cerne Abbas giant, etched into a huge area of hills overlooking the Dorset village of Cerne, he can be reached from Weymouth with a 30 minute drive, just outside the county town of Dorchester, the drive is well worth doing if you are on holiday here.

Weymouth holiday resort is beautiful and has many fantastic natural advantages to its name, a beautiful fine sandy beach, calm waters, one of the warmest climates in England and a beautiful busy harbour make holidays in Weymouth highly desirable but King George can be credited for putting Weymouth on the map for English tourism. Once the king started holidaying here, all of the afluent people of the time wanted to holiday in Weymouth.