Former Weymouth Rectory building could become Jurassic Coast museum
The site's been abandoned for the last ten years
Talks are ongoing to transform The Rectory building at the heart of Weymouth into a museum dedicated to the Jurassic Coast.
Once at the centre of Weymouth’s nighttime economy, The Rectory - formerly known as the Barracuda and most recently, The Clipper - has been unoccupied for over a decade.
The Grade II Listed property that spans five floors and dates back to the late 18th century has since fallen into poor repair.
Developers, DJ property say they’re on a mission to restore and revitalise the historic building across Dorset.
Mickey Jones, Chief Executive of DJ Property, told us: “If we can take some of these beautiful historic town centre buildings and repurpose them in order to bring more visitors into Weymouth then that’s a win.
“It's a grand building with a very noticeable façade and it's the sort of building that’s perfect for drawing in tourists.
“Combine that with the popularity of the Jurassic Coast and this could become a museum that garners global interest with people even travelling from abroad to see it.”
Since 2013, The Rectory has been left vacant but Mr Jones says not a reflection the property, “it’s a reflection of what's been happening to the highstreets up and down the UK”.
He told us: “The number of retailers is reducing year on year, so we've got find new innovative uses for the town centre and bringing the Jurassic Coast Trust is as good as I can think of.”
The Georgian gem holds immense potential and now there are “exciting plans” to save it from an uncertain future whilst preserving its unique architectural heritage.
Redevelopment of The Rectory will begin immediately with the submission of a listed building application to return the exterior of the building to its former glory.