Brean Down

Brean Down Fort was a Victorian naval fortification designed to protect the Bristol Channel. It was built 60 feet (18 m) above sea level on the headland at Brean Down, 9 miles (14 km) south of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. The site has a long history because of its prominent position. The earliest recorded settlement is from the Early to Middle Bronze Age. The current buildings were constructed in the 1860s as one of the Palmerston Forts to provide protection to the ports of the Bristol Channel, and was decommissioned in 1901. During World War II it was rearmed and used for experimental weapons testing. The site has been owned by the National Trust since 2002, following a £431,000 renovation project, as part of its Brean Down property and is open to the public. The fort was used as a location for filming of the second episode, "Warriors", of the BBC television drama Bonekickers. The fort was also used for exterior scenes of the Royal Marines attack on the villains base on Cragfest Island in episode six of 1978 HTV series The Doombolt Chase.

Weston Bay is an inlet of the Bristol Channel in North Somerset, England. It lies between Brean Down, which is now owned by the National Trust, is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest to the south, and Worlebury Hill to the north. Quarrying took place at various places on Worlebury Hill from the late 18th century until the town quarry was abandoned in 1953. Weston Woods, which cover a large part of the hill top, were awarded a Planting Places Award in a scheme run by Sustainability South West to celebrate "brilliant examples of urban greenspaces" on 6 March 2008.Much of the bay forms the seafront for Weston-super-Mare. Two piers stick out into the bay. The grade II* listed Birnbeck Pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. The early 20th century Grand Pier, is supported by 600 iron piles, and is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long. It has been damaged by fire on two occasions, once in 1930 and again in 2008.Owing to the large rise and fall of the tides in the Bristol Channel, the low tide mark is about a mile from the seafront. Although the beach itself is sandy, further seawards the shore is thick mud, which is very dangerous to walk in and is crossed by the mouth of the River Axe. From the bay, views of the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm are visible.

Brean is a village and civil parish between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, England. The name is derived from "Bryn" Brythonic and Modern Welsh for a hill and it has a population of 635. Close to the village is Brean Down, a promontory standing 320 feet (98 m) high and extending 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into the Bristol Channel, on which stands Brean Down Fort, marking the end of Weston Bay. The village is on a strip of land between the sea and the River Axe. It is the home of Brean Leisure Park, a tropical bird garden, other tourist attractions and several caravan parks. The sandy beach has been used for land sailing since 1970. Sometimes, Brean can also be linked with the nearby village, Berrow so the villages can also be called Berrow & Brean.

The River Axe is a river in South West England. The river is formed by water entering swallets in the limestone and rises from the ground at Wookey Hole Caves in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, and runs through a V-shaped valley. The geology of the area is limestone and the water reaches Wookey Hole in a series of underground channels that have eroded through the soluble limestone. The river mouth is in Weston Bay on the Bristol Channel. The river was navigable from the middle ages until 1915, during early centuries of which seeing some European trade.

Bulldog Coaster, formerly named Shock Wave or Crazy Loop is a roller coaster at Brean Leisure Park in Brean, Somerset, England. The ride, which was manufactured by Italian company Pinfari, features a loop, sharp turns and near support misses.

Brean Leisure Park is an amusement park in the coastal resort of Brean, near Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, England. The park covers an area of 200 acres (80.9 ha).Open from March to November every year, the leisure park has also been a concert venue for artists such as DJ Casper,Peter Andre,Jason Donovan and The Wurzels. Sky filmed an episode of Brainiac: Science Abuse entitled "Funfair Physics" at the park. An episode of BBC TV series Casualty was also filmed there in 2007 and again 2013. And an episode of CBBC TV series The Sparticle Mystery was filmed of the titled of the episode The FunFair. In 1997 there was location filming for Rosie and Jim of the characters riding a Merry-go-Round.

Astro Storm is an enclosed, sit down roller coaster at Brean Leisure Park in Brean, England, created by German amusement ride manufacturer Zierer. It used to be located at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Blackpool, England where it was known as Space Invader 2.

Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island, a 1.2-hectare (3-acre) rocky island just to the west of Worlebury Hill. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. Birnbeck Pier is one of only six Grade II* piers surviving in the country. The refreshment and waiting rooms of 1898 were designed by local architect Hans Price and the clocktower and the piermaster's house have been attributed to him. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994 and is now on the Buildings at Risk Register. During the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries the pier was popular both with locals and tourists to the town. As a boarding point for steamers plying their trade in the Bristol Channel, it underwent various extensions and modifications over the years. During the Second World War the pier was commissioned as HMS Birnbeck by the Admiralty as part of the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD) for research into new weapons. Notably conducting trials on the Barnes Wallis 'bouncing bomb'. The pier reopened after the war, but the number of visitors and steamer passengers declined. The final excursion visited the pier in 1979. Since its closure, ownership has changed many times and it has been subject to a series of proposals for its redevelopment which have all proved fruitless. The pier remains in a largely derelict state and part of it collapsed during storms in 2015. In 2023, the pier was purchased by North Somerset Council, with plans to restore it using funding from various sources.

The Old Church of St Nicholas at Uphill, Somerset, England, is described as 'Norman' but was remodelled in later Middle Ages. Regular services ceased in 1846. The church is partially ruined but still consists of a tower, chancel and a roofless nave. It is designated Grade II* listed building and in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, although the roofed portion is still used for services occasionally.

St Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. It was built in 1858, and was designed by Charles Francis Hansom and extended by Alexander Scoles in 1893. It is located on Camp Road to the north of the town centre. It was first Catholic church to be built in Weston-super-Mare since the Reformation and it is in the Gothic Revival style.

Spring Cove Cliffs (grid reference ST310625) is a 2.0 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the town of Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, notified in 1952. The site is listed in the Geological Conservation Review, because of the stratigraphic and igneous features which are displayed. The sequence of Dinantian volcanic rocks, about 18 metres (59 ft) thick, lying to the south of the St George's Land landmass, and also because of the submarine character of the lavas and their intimate relationship with adjacent carbonate sediments. The lava, which is pillowed in places, is believed to have been extruded upon a sloping seafloor.

The Tropicana, formerly a Lido site that once contained an outdoor swimming pool, is located in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, on the southern section of the seafront.The iconic seafront landmark re-opened in 2015 following fifteen years of closure, with the creation of the Bay Café licensed café and lounge. The venue now offers multi-use indoor and outdoor event space, with capacities suitable of accommodating a diverse range of events including corporate, charity, exhibitions, music, arts and culture events.