A harbour shaped by passenger services and waterfront industry
Weymouth’s maritime history includes both military service and coastal trade. The harbour’s own history records that it supplied fifteen ships and 263 mariners for the siege of Calais in 1347, and six ships for the campaign against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
In 1848 Captain Joseph Cosens established the business that became closely associated with Weymouth’s paddle steamers. Portland ferry crossings and coastal excursions developed alongside ship repair and engineering work. The company’s steamers also served in wartime; Emperor of India took part in the Dunkirk evacuation.
The harbour tramway opened in 1865, initially with horse-drawn trains, linking the railway with cargo and ferry services. Locomotives followed, and passengers could travel directly to the quay for Channel Island sailings. Regular goods traffic ended in 1972 and the last passenger train ran in 1987; a final train movement took place in May 1999. The story connects the present waterside streets with the harbour’s former rail and ferry operations.