Weston-super-Mare faces an identity crisis with officials in the town sharing their ambitions to creating “pockets of Shoreditch” to boost the seaside getaway’s fortunes
Officials in the seaside town chosen by graffiti artist Banksy for his satirical art piece “Dismaland” have said its fortunes can turn around with ambitious plans that could lead to its revitalisation.
Weston-super-Mare council Tourism and Information Services Manager Warren Parker-Mills hopes to revitalise its fortune by creating a brand around the town. He argued the brand could be a marketable product despite it not having a stellar reputation.
Warren said he is aware that others do not view the seaside town as he does and added: “If you go on YouTube and search ‘Weston-super-Mare,’ you will find some negative content.” Rows of uninterrupted empty shopfronts of South Parade do not paint the town in the best light.
Speaking to BritsolLive, Warren floated the thought of using Weston-super-Mare’s “huge arts scene” to highlight the potential of the empty shops. He added: “Could we get a couple of artists to come in and hand paint a green grocers on the inside of the glass, and a barbershop next door, and a butchers next door?”
The seaside town gained international attention in 2015 due in large part to Banksy’s Dismaland project. The month-long exhibition at the Tropicana, a disused lido, parodied Disneyland and was described by the artist as a “family theme park unsuitable for children.”
The exhibition was met with high demand from fans, although it received mixed reviews from art critics. Despite the mixed reviews more than 150,000 people visited the exhibition and the town’s tourist business raked in an estimated £20million, according to Visit Somerset.
“I used to spend a lot of time in London and actually, I can almost envisage Western further down the line to have little pockets of Shoreditch or little pockets of Islington,” said Warren. He is hopeful that the town could have opera and ballet performances at the Old Town Quarry an artistic community complete with art exhibitions.
Thankfully for Weston-super-Mare locals, its iconic 16-year-old Birnbeck Pier has been awarded £10million in funding to support its restoration. It is hoped that the move will help reinstate its status as a beloved jewel of the Somerset coastline. Residents have looked on in despair at the current degradation of the pier that was once an emblem of the town’s seaside charm.
The restoration has been met with strong support by Weston-super-Mare mayor John Crockford-Hawley who previously told The Guardian: “I’m old enough to remember when it was in full fling.
“As a young teenager, my mum would give me and my friends sandwiches and off we’d go on a paddle steamer. We’d go cruising around the channel or down to Ilfracombe. It was all great fun.”
