THE fruits of a talented young photographer's hard work have recently been unearthed by his mother.

Glynne Hebbern was having a sort-out when she came across these pictures taken by her son, James, when he was doing his A-levels in 1989-90.

The photographs capture some important moments in Weymouth's history.

Glynne said: "I found them in the loft when I was clearing out the last box of his that had been left here for years.

"We thought we would take it to Colchester where he now lives. I checked through and found these photographs. He probably took them for a technology project."

Mrs Hebbern thought the photographs might be particularly topical in view of last year's wild weather. The pictures show flooding and, in particular, reveal the problems suffered before the construction of the present Preston Beach Wall when the A353 Preston Beach Road was subject to frequent flooding in stormy weather.

Before the building of the wall, the force of the sea would dump thousands of tons of pebbles on the roadway causing severe traffic congestion. Various solutions were attempted over the years to prevent the shingle spilling over onto the road, including groynes erected on the beach to prevent shingle drift - these became worn - and large stone blocks placed on the beach, which were thought to increase the problems. The old sea wall was frequently damaged as seawater poured over it.

Work on a new scheme of sea defences began in January 1995 and included the replacement of thousands of tons of lost shingle and the construction of a rock groyne at the Weymouth end of the beach to retain drifting shingle.

A massive new sea wall was constructed, incorporating a broad walkway, which has extended the Esplanade from Overcombe to the harbourside. The Duke of York officially declared the scheme complete on September 7, 1996.

Two other photographs amongst James's collection record the 1989 demolition of the Jubilee Hall to make way for a shopping precinct.

The demolition occurred after a long campaign spearheaded by Geoff Poole to preserve the Victorian building.

"Demolition workers took it down bit by bit," said Geoff. "The ironwork was put in the back of a quarry on Portland and forgotten for a while."

After years exposed to the elements, what remains of the hall are some finely-decorated Victorian cast iron columns, lattice girders, brackets and carved stone blocks from the great arch. The massive timber roof, which made the Jubilee Hall unique in historical and architectural terms, had to be sectioned' to get if off site in 1989 and rotted, now suitable only as pattern for any restoration.

"All that has gone to Poundbury now," said Geoff, "they have certainly got enough to make patterns.

"I was a trustee, so were John Mowlem and John Reeby, and as trustees we gave it over to the Poundbury development and said, What you do with it is entirely up to you'. The ironwork is going to be in the Queen Mother Square, which gives it the royal touch."

The plan is that the ironwork will be reused in the building of a pannier market.

The Jubilee Hall was erected in 1887, marking the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Plans for a grand Promenade and Concert Hall' were published early that year.

"It was an amazingly ambitious project," said Geoff. "It could hold 6,000 people standing and 3,000 sitting. It had wonderful vision; the architect Crickmay did it who also did the museum in Dorchester."

By the late summer of the same year - the hall was built in five short months - the building bore close similarities to the plans, with one great difference.

Geoff wrote in a letter to the Echo: "Looking up as they entered the hall on that opening day in late summer of '87, Weymouthians would gaze in astonishment at a massive timber roof almost medieval in appearance. The iron roof of the plans had been replaced by wood. All in a matter of weeks."

Around the turn of the century, the hall was transformed into a theatre; the roof boarded in, the glazing blacked out, a deep stage and loft constructed with dressing rooms and offices. As well as being used for theatricals, balls, exhibitions, public meetings, and music hall turns; the Jubilee Hall in 1909 was the first local entertainment venue to show moving pictures on a regular basis, calling itself The Royal Victoria Jubilee Hall and Picture Palace'.

In a smaller area alongside, later enclosed and known as Arcadia, roller-skating began in 1909. In 1926 the buildings were altered, reopening as The Regent Theatre and Dance Hall' and in October 1929 this was the first cinema in Weymouth to show talkies'.

In 1951 it was renamed The Gaumont Cinema and Dance Hall, but the dance hall closed within months and the following year was taken over for light industrial use by the radio component manufacturing company Weyrad.

The Gaumont Cinema was modernised in 1959 and became The Odeon in September 1968. With its final name change in February 1976 it became the New Invicta', a combined cinema and Top Rank bingo hall. In less than a year, on January 29, 1977, the last film was shown and bingo prevailed.

"It was a wonderful place; they never should have demolished it," said Geoff.

As for the young photographer who captured its destruction, James Hebbern is now 34 and, in a departure from his roots in photography, is now a computer consultant living in Colchester.