Bridport is a market town within Dorset, England. It is located roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the small River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Bridport consists of a number of compact suburban districts, a number of which had previously been separate villages. 1.5 miles away from the town centre and inside the town's boundary is West Bay, a fishing harbour called Bridport Harbour until the creation of the town's railway. As per the 2012 Census, the town features a population of about 14,700, which highlights a reasonable increase from the around 13,568 recorded in the 2011 Census. In accordance with council tax records, in 2014, the proportion of properties inside Bridport's built-up area that were second homes was 4.8%. The town's origins are Saxon and it has a lengthy history as a rope-making area, although numerous of its buildings date back to the 18th century. In the 21st century, Bridport's arts scene has contributed to the town becoming increasingly popular with those from outside the town. It has an arts centre, theatre, library, cinema and museum, and various annual events. The Lyric Theatre, which reopened in 2010, hosts quirky theatre, puppetry, comedy, clowning and music. It is also the base of children's theatre company Stuff and Nonsense. Bridport Museum, positioned in South Street, consists of an in depth archive of the town's lengthy history of rope-making. The town also features as Port Bredy in the fictional Wessex of Thomas Hardy's novels. For all your home improvements, be certain that you choose reputable professionals in Bridport to make sure you get a great quality service.