A church has stood on this site with its commanding views over Chesil Beach since as early as 1172. The first recorded priest was Nicholas Lungspi in 1263, but the present church of All Saints, Wyke Regis was built around 1455. The main door, on the south side, is thought to be the original. The font dates from the same time as the church building and is more ornate than those in other local churches. Perhaps that is not so surprising considering the importance of All Saints.

Above the main door there is a carving of the Royal Arms of Henry VIII, said to have been brought here originally from Sandsfoot Castle which lies within the parish.

All Saints was a very important church as can be imagined by its impressive size and style. It was the Mother Church to Weymouth and served the people of Weymouth until Holy Trinity was built by the harbour in 1836.

Its tower can be seen from some distance and has long been a landmark to mariners. It has seen many shipwreck disasters and being so close to the treacherous Chesil Beach, it has naturally been the serving church to those who have perished. In the churchyard many victims of Weymouth's most famous shipwreck, The East Indiaman, The Earl of Abergavenny, lie buried. The ship sank in Weymouth Bay in 1805 with the loss of hundreds of lives, including its Captain, John Wordsworth, brother of the poet, William Wordsworth.

The hub of village life in Wyke Regis was always The Square, in Chamberlaine Road at its meeting with Shrubbery Lane. Over time many events have taken place in the Square from street parties to celebrate Royal jubilees, to more local events. One important part of village life had many venues at one time - the local pub!

The Swan Inn, in the centre, now converted to private residence, is the taller white building on the right hand side of the photograph. Next door to that looking down towards the Albert Inn, is Hamilton House, believed to be the former home of the architect, James Hamilton. Adjacent to this was formerly an abattoir.

At this time, they were renovated and the land opposite them was also redeveloped into a housing estate. This land, enclosed by a tall wall, was formerly the site of Wyke House, which later became a hotel. Most of the wall was taken down in the redevelopment. Still it is necessary to negotiate the tight blind bend, partly formed by the wall, to get from one end of Shrubbery Lane to the other where the Baytree Cottages are.

From Shrubbery Lane coming back into Chamberlaine Road and back up towards the church, there still remains the old horse trough. It used to be said that unless you had fallen in the trough, you were not a true Wykite! Situated at the bottom of All Saints Road, a quick run down the hill and you were almost guaranteed to fall in it. Along just a little from the trough is what is now the Wyke Social Club on the site of the former New Inn.

Opposite the trough, on the corner of All Saints Road, was once situated the Church school where absenteeism was recorded for various local reasons such as a fox hunt in the parish, or most notably that of the time of the shipwreck of the Royal Adelaide in 1872. The building was pulled down in 1907 having been replaced by a new school in Victoria Road built in 1897. The present Memorial Hall was erected on the site.

Wyke Road & Rodwell area of Weymouth