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Towns & Villages
Castletown,
Chiswell,
Easton, Fortuneswell, Grove, Southwell, Weston
VERNE FORT
The former fortification atop verne Hill (about 500 feet high), overlooking Fortuneswell, used to guard West Bay. It is now a prison built in to the hillside from which thausands of tons of earth and stone were removed to quarry the stone used in the construction of the breakwaters for the harbour.
The "Beating of the Bounds ceremony (which is open to the public), takes place every seven years on Ascension Day. It was last performed in 2002.
The Northern boundary of Portland is re-established by laying two senior students from the Royal Manor School on Portland across the Bound Stone on the Chesil beach opposite Wyke Regis Army Camp, and ceremoniously "beating" them with the Reeve Staff.
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Legend has it that Chesil Beach was created in the space of a single long night by a mighty storm, the likes of which has not been witnessed since. The sea threw up the shingle bar so fast that it trapped a portion of itself behind it, the Fleet, and lost the Isle of Portland.
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PREHISTORIC & ROMAN
The prison at the north end of Portland is built on a site which was occupied during prehistoric and Roman times (on the eastern side is a Borstal institution).
THE DOMESDAY BOOK, 1087
The Conqueror's survey of taxable property records that;-
The King holds the island of Portland. King Edward held it in his lifetime. There are eight acres of meadow and this manor with its appurtenances of Wyke and Waymouth renders 65 shillings to blanch money. Here are 900 sheep, 3 horses of burden, 14 beast and 27 hogs.
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TUDOR
Portland's great natural harbour, to the north of the headland, is part of Weymouth Bay. To protect this anchorage during Tudor times, Henry VIII built two castles in 1539;
Portland Castle, near the entrance to the Naval Base, is still in use but Sandsfoot Castle on the Weymouth shore has long been a ruin. Portland Castle cost less than £5;,000 to build and was designed for ordnance in times when archers were still important in warfare. It comprises a two-storey tower, a casement for the main battery and wings for garrison quarters. The castle is open to the public during the summer months.
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| The Battle of Portland February 18th-20th, 1653 |
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The battle began three miles off Portland when an 80-strong English fleet
under Blake and Monck intercepted a Dutch convoy comprising 200 merchantmen and about
70 warships under the command of Van Tromp. During the battle, the 32-gun
Samson was one of an unknown number
of ships which were sunk, and went down with its captain and most of the ship's crew.
The Dutch lost at least thirty merchantmen and four warships. The
battle ended off the Isle of Wight.
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THE WAR MEMMORIAL
The War Memmorial stands on the hill overlooking Fortuneswell, West Bay and Weymouth. It takes the form of a simple obelisk weighing 42 tons.
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The Cenotaph in whitehall is also made of Portland Stone - a quarry having been specially opened to extract the stone.
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The memmorial was erected on the top of the hill after much discussion as to whether it should be sited on or below the hill-top site.
The memmorial was not unveiled until 1926 - it rained throughtout the morning of November 11th, including the silence. Dramatically, the sun came out as the lone bugle sounded.
| 982 | | Three ships raid Portland (ASC) | | | | 1052 | | Earl Godwin leads a vicious attack on the Isle of Portland in Dorset | | BAAAGBRO BAAAGDIU | | circa 1142.Nov | | Earl Robert seizes the Isle of Portland and Lulworth in Dorset | | BAAAGCBO BAAAGBYS | | 1653.Feb.18 | | During the three-day Battle of Portland, three miles off the promontory: the 32-gun Sampson and several Dutch ships sunk
The English, under Blake, chase Admiral Tromp\\\'s Dutch fleet up the channel to eventual defeat of the Isle of Wight on the 20th
| | BAAAGEFQ BAAAGCQU BAAAGCEM BAAAGEFZ BAAAGBFI BAAAGEKB BAAAGEKF BAAAGEKG | | 1675 | | Christopher Wren virtually controls quality of stone output of Portland stone quarries (-1707) | | BAAAGBYS | | 1707 | | Christopher Wren virtually controls quality of stone output of Portland stone quarries (1675-) | | BAAAGBYS | | 1822 | | Richard Bishop of Swyre in Dorset was imprisoned for unlawfully making a light on the sea coast | | BAAAGCQW BAAAGCQU BAAAGCQO BAAAGCQY | | 1824.Nov.22 | | The Great Gale rages for 2 days, during high tides, battering the West Country and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake
The bad weather continued - a week later
the Dutch vessel Leonora went ashore at Chesil Beach between Wyke and Portland, all her crew and cargo lost | | BAAAGBHZ BAAAGCRN BAAAGCEK BAAAGCQU BAAAGCQO | | 1824.Nov.22 | | The storm destorys thirty houses at Chiswell on Portland, renders about a hundred others
uninhabitable and kills 26 people | | BAAAGCRN BAAAGCRW BAAAGBQX | | 1824.Nov.22 | | The 80-ton sloop Ebeneezer, on a voyage from Plymouth to Portsmouth with government stores, cast ut near the crest of Chesil Beach by the Great Gale
The captain lost his life but the rest of the crew survived. Later hauled into the Fleet, the Ebeneezer floated sufficiently to be towed to Portland for repairs | | BAAAGCKN BAAAGCQY BAAAGCQU BAAAGCRN BAAAGDZE BAAAGGAM | | 1838.Nov.28 | | (Wednesday) Great Gale utterly destroys five ships on the shingle of Chesil Beach leaving no survivors
The Weymouth sloop Dove under Captain Bussell was wrecked on Chesil Beach - all hands and part of its cargo were saved | | BAAAGCRN BAAAGBUZ BAAAGBVB BAAAGCQU | | 1916.Nov.30 | | Sinking of a German submarine UB-19 off Portland Bill by the Q-ship Penshurst
| | BAAAGCQU | | 1917.Feb.17 | | 2,233-ton steamship Valdes torpedoed 7 miles off Portland with the loss of 6 lives | | BAAAGCQU | | 1917.Mar.12 | | Torpedoing of the 2,897-ton steamship Tandil 20 miles off Portland Bill with the loss of 4 lives | | BAAAGCQU | | 1917.Oct.14 | | Sinking of the German submarine UB-62 off Portland | | BAAAGCQU | | 1918.Jan.28 | | Steam vessel WHL torpedoed 8 miles SSE of Portland Bill | | BAAAGCQU | | 1918.Sep.15 | | ]15th/16th?[ The merchantman Ethel hit by a torpedo from UB-104 and sank while on tow to Portland
The last of many vessels to be sunk of the Dorset coast during WWI | | BAAAGCQU | | 1930.Sep.20 | | French sailing ship Madelaine Tristan wrecked on the Dorset coast at Chesil Cove (Dead Mans Bay), Portland
The Madelaine Tristan was the last of the big sailing ships lost on the Dorset Coast - it remained beached for five years | | BAAAGCQU BAAAGCPO | | 1940.Jul.04 | | The tug Silverdial sunk in Portland Harbour by enemy aircraft fire | | BAAAGCQU | | 1940.Jul.11 | | 1,124 ton yacht Warrior II, built in 1904, sunk by enemy aircraft off Portland | | BAAAGCQU | | 1944.Apr | | Exercise Tiger: two landing craft practising for the D-Day landings off the Dorset coast, sunk by torpedos from German E-Boats 12 miles off Portland with the loss of the lives of over 500 American troops | | BAAAGCQU | | 2002.Jul.16 | | Portland Sea Rescue Helicopter crash lands at Hamworthy and is completely burnt with no loss of life | | BAAAGBSX BAAAGBYS |
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| | | | OTHER PLACES | | Chesil Beach
Dorset, England
The shingle bar protecting the Dorset coast is a unique feature | 13.1 km NW | | The Fleet
Dorset, England
Animportant aquatic
habitat on the Dorset Coast, protected by the unique Chesil Beach | 13.1 km NW | | Chaldon Down
Dorset, England | 13.8 km NE | | Durdle Door
Dorset,
England | 14.4 km NE | | Lulworth Cove
Dorset, England
The sea has carved out a near-circular cove in the Dorset coast | 15.9 km NE | | Mupe Rocks
Dorset,
England
The series of diminishing stacks pointing eastwards make a
spectacular sight | 17.5 km NE | | Winfrith Heath
Dorset, England | 19 km NE | | Bovington Camp
Dorset
The tank museum houses the world s finest indoor collection of armoured fighting vehicles. There is a large car park, outdoor children s play area, gift shop and licensed restaurant. Free audio guides are available. There are Tanks in Action displays thro | 22.2 km NE | | Bindon Abbey
Dorset, England | 22.4 km NE | | | | | Camping Sites | | Osmington Mills Corner Campsite
Kenberlea, Church Lane, Osmington, Dorset DT3 6EW | | 12.2 km NW | | Portesham Dairy Farm
7 Bramdon Lane, Portesham, Dorset DT3 4HG | | 16.4 km NE | | Home Farm Camping & Caravan Park
Rectory Lane, Puncknowle, Dorset DT2 9BW | | 23.1 km NE | | | | | Public Houses | | The New Inn
35 Easton St, Easton, Dorset DT5 1BS | | 0 km | | The Corner House Inn
49 Straits, Easton, Dorset DT5 1HG | | 0.3 km NW | | The George Inn
133 Reforne, Portland, Dorset DT5 2AP | | 0.4 km NE | | The Punch Bowl
Easton St, Portland, Dorset DT5 1BT | | 0.4 km NW | | Royal Exchange
46 Weston Rd, Portland, Dorset DT5 2BZ | | 0.6 km SE | | The Mermaid Inn
195 Wakeham, Portland, Dorset DT5 1HS | | 0.6 km SW | | The Clifton Hotel
50 Grove Rd, Portland, Dorset DT5 1DA | | 0.7 km NW | | | | | Video Sales & Hire | | Groovy Movies
111 Portland Rd, Wyke Regis, Dorset DT4 9BG | | 6.1 km NE | | Blockbuster Entertainment
72 St. Thomas St, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8EL | | 7.4 km NE | | Film Spotting
113 Dorchester Rd, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 7JY | | 8.9 km NE | | Littlemoor Stores & Video Library
205 Littlemoor Rd, Weymouth, Dorset DT3 6AF | | 11.5 km NE | | Apollo Home Entertainment
12-13 Trinity St, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1TU | | 18.9 km NW |
CHESIL BEACH
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