The town's Roman name gives a hint that it's located on the sea, around the mouth of the Bristol Channel that separates England from the southern part of Wales.
It's had a couple of famous (or should that read infamous?) citizens like John Cleese and Jeffery Archer. My reason for visiting Weston super Mare was that it was the birthplace of one of my great great grandfathers. He'd emigrated before it became a classic Victorian-British seaside resort in the 1850's.
They still have the donkey rides.
The astounding thing for an Australian is the fact that there is plenty of beach but no water!The tide came in past the pier for one hour - the rest of the time it is out past the end of the pier.
The building at the end of the pier is/was an amusement arcade:
All sorts of rides and amusement machines were crammed in - think the sideshows at the Royal Melbourne Show crammed into the kiosk at the end of the St Kilda pier.
But now it's all gone.
Apparently, because the fire didn't happen when the tide was in, the Fire Brigade did not have a supply of water!
