Weymouth: Civil War cannonball

When I turned from looking at the ghost signs I blogged earlier this week and looked across to the other side of Maiden Street, I immediately found another item of historical interest. 

Though I didn't at first notice the object itself, I did quickly spot this plaque on the side of the building. 

And then I almost bumped in to a young woman who obviously also had a fascination for the old and interesting. She was photographing, and thus brought to my attention, these two plaques cemented in to the pavement opposite the building (and she was delighted when I pointed out the ghost signs to her). The plaques read:

The Maiden Street Cannonball

Just below the top window of the building opposite is a cannonball lodged in the wall. While the cannonball may be a replica, the damage originates from the time of the Civil War.

At the beginning of 1645 the important strategic port of Weymouth was under Parliamentary command. However in early February a plot by local Royalist sympathisers led to a surprise attack which left Weymouth, across the harbour, in the hands of the Royalists. This plot is known locally as the 'Crabchurch Conspiracy'.

The Parliamentarians took refuge in Melcombe Regis but came under heavy bombardment from Royalist artillery during the following week. The cannonball which struck the building may well have been fired from an elevated position across the harbour on the Nothe headland during this time.

By the end of the month the Parliamentarians had stormed the bridge and retaken Weymouth. However the whole town was left in ruins and the local economy would take years to recover. 

The building itself, which now houses the RAFA Club, other commercial enterprises and public conveniences, is Grade II listed, and the Historic England website entry confirms that the building dates to the 17th century, though the windows are 19th-century upgrades. The entry also confirms the presence of the cannonball, with no mention of the possibility of it being a replica: 'A C17 cannon ball remains embedded in the gable masonry to the left of the casement.'

Weymouth: ghost signs

Although the main reason for my mini breaks in Weymouth is to find and enjoy the local wildlife, in particular the birds, and, during the summer, the butterflies and dragonflies, every time I wander the streets of the old town I find more new and interesting things. 

During my most recent visit, a couple of weeks ago, I turned from Custom House Quay in to Maiden Street, my eyes wandering all the time up, down and around the street and buildings, when I noticed these signs on the building on the corner of Maiden Street and Helen Lane. 

The sign is in three separate parts, which appear to read: 'manures and cakes' (this made me chuckle), 'grain', and 'hay, straw and English grain', though I think there are words above that are not now legible. 

Though I've not been able to find any information about the building or its previous use (it is not one of the many Weymouth buildings that are heritage listed), I assume it was once used as a warehouse. Being so near to the harbour, it could easily have stored agricultural products that had arrived at the port or were being stored prior to being shipped elsewhere. 

In case you are not familiar with the term 'ghost sign', Historic England defines these as: 'fading advertising signs, or shop signs that are preserved on buildings longer than the businesses they represent'.

Weymouth: 'Tom' the torpedo

The coast path that runs along the edge of Portland Harbour by the marina is littered with a diverse range of objects and signs. This is one of those. 

As the writing on the sign may not be easily readable in my photo, I've transcribed it below:

"Tom" the torpedo

Robert Whitehead became interested in remotely controlling and detonating underwater explosive charges, and in 1868 had successfully demonstrated a practical torpedo design. The British Navy became interested and after purchasing some of the torpedos, encouraged Whitehead to set up a manufacturing facility in England.

Whitehead bought an eight acre site at Ferry Bridge, and built a factory which produced torpedos, using Portland Harbour for testing. Before the turn of the century he was manufacturing 14 and 18 inch diameter units with a range of 1000 yards and a speed of 20 knots.

The arrival of Whiteheads at Wyke Regis meant a considerable influx of skilled engineers and tradesmen, all of whom needed houses, schools and places to relax. Over the following years streets of red bricked terrace houses appeared alongside the cottages of old Wyke, as well as a new school and pubs and clubs.

After Whitehead's death, production carried on day and night to support World War I, but after the war demand fell and the factory shut down. In 1923 Vickers bought the site, and in response to threats from Germany a massive modernisation of the works was initiated, and by the start of the Second World War some 1500 men and women were employed.

When peace was declared in 1945, the yard again found itself in difficulties and although production reduced substantially, design and development work carried on including wire-guided and rocket propelled units. The last test firing of a Whitehead 21 inch torpedo produced at Ferry Bridge took place in Weymouth Bay in 1966.

The torpedo on display was donated to Portland Marina by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport www.submarine-museum.co.uk and it is a Mk 8, which was the mainstay submarine torpedo of WW 2 being responsible for the destruction of over two million tons of enemy shipping. The propulsion unit is a radial four cylinder semi-diesel engine, developing 350 BHP, giving a range of 5000 yards at 45.5 knots.