Preston is a coastal village and suburb of
Weymouth in south
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England. It is approximately north-east of Weymouth town centre and west of the village of
Osmington.
Preston contains two
Haven campsites, Seaview and Weymouth Bay. It is home to a 14th-century church, St Andrew's, which was built on the site of a much earlier
Norman church. It has three public houses: The Bridge Inn (formerly called The Swan), The Spice Ship and The Springhead. On the coast is the beach resort of
Bowleaze Cove.
Preston has a village hall, used for many local groups including the local pantomime group.
Since 2019 Preston has been represented by Cllr Tony Ferrari (Conservative) and Cllr Louie O'Leary on
Dorset Council as part of the
Littlemoor and Preston ward. On 6 November 2023, councillor Tony Ferrari died after collapsing while running.
In 1931 the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
had a population of 855. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished and merged with Weymouth,
Bincombe and
Poxwell.
Notable people
The Wesley family (the founders of
Methodism
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
) lived at Manor Cottage, which lies just south of The Spice Ship.
References
External links
Preston Local History
Villages in Dorset
Geography of Weymouth, Dorset
Former civil parishes in Dorset
{{Dorset-geo-stub