Former railway inn revitalised as co-working space

Corporation Street was on the waterfront before a 1920s land reclamation scheme

A 19th-century railway inn is starting a new chapter as a co-working project for small businesses.

The Portland Railway Hotel, on the corner of Weymouth's Corporation Street and King Street, dates back to the 1860s, when Corporation Street was on the waterfront.

The building, which remained a pub for more than a century, was taken on by Weymouth Area Development Trust (WADT) in 2018.

Starfish Enterprise, due to open on 25 September, is the first project completed by WADT - a not-for-profit community interest company which works to bring buildings back into use.

The building is being renovated by Weymouth Area Development Trust

Chris Wilson, a director and founder of WADT, said: "We take on regeneration projects for the town.

"We are opening our first saved building this month – a purpose-built railway hotel from 1860 when the railway came to Weymouth – repurposing it as a community co-workspace, bringing jobs and small businesses into Weymouth."

The Portland Railway Hotel was built on the old waterfront - before a major land reclamation scheme in the 1920s - and trains ran along the street in front of its windows.

According to planning documents, the building operated as a pub until at least 1974 and was later used as a homeless shelter.

In 2018, WADT secured government funding for the regeneration project with the aim of supporting small businesses with "wrap-around business advice" while nurturing "growth, collaboration and economic regeneration".

WADT is also leading a separate project to turn the Rectory in St Thomas Street into a visitor and cultural centre.