Up until near the end of the eighteenth century the old harbour of Weymouth, formerly known as Ope Cove, had a larger inlet here than is obvious today. At the time John Hutchins wrote his History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset in 1774, the inlet ran up as far as where the Red Lion public house stands today.

Coming down the street from Brewers Quay in Hope Square into Hope Street, the buildings on the right hand side are of particular interest. Firstly is Number 1, now known as Pilgrim House but formerly known as the White House. It is believed to date from the eighteenth century and is an example of the standing of the former local merchants.

Pilgrim House was the first community centre in the area having been opened as such in 1962 after major fundraising efforts by the town's Rotary Club for restoration.

Towards the seaward end of Hope Street some of the buildings stood backing onto the inlet until further reclamation of land took place in the early nineteenth century resulting in the buildings being demolished. Hope Street still retains some of its charm from a bygone era.

The white painted house in the centre of the first picture is said to date from about 1620. According to Eric Ricketts in his Old Buildings of Weymouth, this house is typical of Weymouth around that time. The next house going down the street, number 22, dating from around 1800, was formerly the Hope Tavern. The bracket for holding the inn sign can still be clearly seen. As the Hope Tavern it was run by the Perks family towards the end of that century.

Standing on the opposite corner to Pilgrim House on the corner of Hope Street within Hope Square is the Red Lion public house. The building shows a date of 1878, but was known to exist in 1851 when Edward Newman was the landlord.

Beer was brewed on this site for hundreds of years, since at least 1252. It was the ideal site for a brewery as water was close by coming from a spring at Chapelhay and nearby at Radipole there were barley fields.

In 1462 John Devenish was appointed supervisor of all brewers in the King's realm. The Devenish family took over the entire site in Hope Square in the 1820's and they continued brewing beer here up until 1985.

Brewers Quay houses the Weymouth Museum telling the history of the town such as the Black Death, the Spanish Armada, the Civil War, smuggling, King George III who made regular visits to Weymouth, and much more. For more information about the museum, please visit their website: Weymouth Museum