85-650: Wakeham is a hamlet near the village of Easton , in Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset , England . It is situated between the Straits part of Easton, and Pennsylvania Castle . As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, Wakeham has been designated as a conservation area, as it is a place of special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974. The hamlet features
170-498: A distinctively wide road running through it, once built to allow space for horse-drawn carts transporting stone by road. Many of Wakeham's older buildings of the 17th and 18th century survive. Wakeham was established around a natural watercourse and various springs, which the Romans are likely to have developed. Among the archaeological finds of Wakeham are Roman stone sarcophagi, and Iron Age underground chambers. The original settlement
255-597: A flat or maisonette costs £110,500. Crime rates are below average—there were 5.4 burglaries per 1000 households in 2009 and 2010; which is lower than South West England (7.6 per 1000) and significantly lower than England and Wales (11.6 per 1000). Unemployment levels are very low, at 1.9 per cent in July 2011, compared to the British average of 7.7 per cent. The most common religious identity in Weymouth and Portland
340-524: A group of citizens who had gathered to stop them. When one man was taken and the crowd attempted a rescue, the captain fired on them. The marines under his command also opened fire. There were three people killed, and another two wounded, one of whom, Mary Way, later died of her wounds. From the 1840s onwards Portland saw a large increase in its population, leading to Easton expanding, and becoming more urbanised. Both Reforne and Wakeham were separate hamlets until this time, when they merged into Easton. During
425-725: A new 600-berth marina and an extension with more on-site facilities were built. Construction was scheduled between October 2007 and the end of 2008, and with its completion and formal opening on 11 June 2009, the venue became the first of the 2012 Olympic Games to be completed. Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour are used for other water sports – the reliable wind is favourable for wind and kite-surfing . Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour are used regularly for angling, scuba diving to shipwrecks, snorkelling, canoeing, and swimming. The limestone cliffs and quarries are used for rock climbing ; Portland has areas for bouldering and deep water soloing, however sport climbing with bolt protection
510-601: A northbound section through Chiswell and a southbound section through Fortuneswell , then along Chesil Beach and across a bridge to the mainland in Wyke Regis . Formerly the Portland Branch Railway also crossed to the island. The corridor is now a traffic-free walking and cycle path. Local buses are run by FirstGroup , with services to Weymouth. Weymouth is the hub for south Dorset bus routes, with services to Dorchester and local villages. Weymouth
595-810: A parish in Jamaica . Portland has been inhabited since at least the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age )—there is archaeological evidence of Mesolithic inhabitants at the Culverwell Mesolithic Site , near Portland Bill , and of habitation since then. The Romans occupied Portland, reputedly calling it Vindelis . Although the beginning of the Viking Age in England is dated to their raid in 793, when they destroyed
680-735: A pier at Castletown , from where the Portland stone was shipped around the country. The Weymouth and Portland Railway was laid in 1865, and ran from a station in Melcombe Regis , across the Fleet and along the low isthmus behind Chesil Beach to a station at Victoria Square in Chiswell . At the end of the 19th century the line was extended to the top of the island as the Easton and Church Ope Railway, running through Castletown and ascending
765-527: A rabbit was seen in a quarry, the workers would go home for the day, until the safety of the area had been assured. As of 2006, older Portland residents were said to be 'offended' (sometimes for the benefit of tourists) by the mention of rabbits; this superstition came to national attention in October 2005 when a special batch of advertisement posters were made for the Wallace and Gromit film, The Curse of
850-504: A scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. St Andrew's Church sits between the castle and the cove. It has been Grade II* Listed since the same time as the castle. Pennsylvania Castle is found just on the edge of Wakeham, near Church Ope Cove. The castle and its attached walls has been Grade II Listed since January 1951. The gatehouse and lodges to the castle were also made Grade II Listed at
935-531: A shallow tidal flat, The Mere, was infilled, and sports fields taken to form a heliport. The station was formally commissioned as HMS Osprey, which then became the largest and busiest military helicopter station in Europe. The base was gradually improved with additional landing areas and one of England's shortest runways, at 229 metres (751 ft). The naval base closed after the end of the Cold War in 1995, and
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#17327808185191020-592: A wide array of architecture and buildings, a number of which are Grade Listed. 4 Easton Square, 30 Easton Square, 31 Easton Square, a fish house to the north of No. 31 Easton Street, 28 Easton Street, 32 Easton Street, 42 and 44 Easton Street, 41 Easton Street, as well as 23 Delhi Lane and its railings, are all Grade II Listed. Easton Methodist Church , along with its former manse and boundary walls, has been Grade II* Listed since May 1993. The church dates from 1906 and opened in September 1907. The church hall of
1105-608: Is 13,417. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast , a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Portland stone , a limestone famous for its use in British and world architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters , continues to be quarried here. Portland Harbour , in between Portland and Weymouth,
1190-598: Is Christianity, at 61.0 per cent, which is slightly above the England and Wales average of 59.3 per cent. The next-largest sector is those with no religion, at 29.3 per cent, also slightly above the average of 25.1 per cent. The A354 road is the only land access to Portland, via Ferry Bridge, connecting to Weymouth and to the wider road network at the A35 trunk road in Dorchester . It runs from Easton , splitting into
1275-729: Is Grade II Listed. At Easton Lane is one of various lime kilns remaining on Portland. At the time of becoming Grade II Listed in November 1984, it was abandoned, and in poor condition. It lay in ruin for decades, but by 2002 was turned into a residence and craft workshop. Opposite this lime kiln is another which is larger and more complete, but not Grade Listed. Within Reforne there are various notable buildings. The Sugar Loaf Cafe, 26 Reforne, 30 Reforne, 107 and 109 Reforne, 135 Reforne, Apsley House (54 Reforne), 111 and 113 Reforne, and 28 Reforne, are all Grade II Listed. St George's Church
1360-470: Is a place of special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974. The village has a small square with many shops and shopping arcade, three churches, a small park, and other amenities, including various pubs, as well as the nearby Secondary school Royal Manor Arts College, (which has now been closed down, with the only secondary school on the island being Atlantic Academy Portland). Along with Fortuneswell , Easton
1445-597: Is adjoined by the Weymouth Lowlands to the north. Geologically, Portland is separated into two areas; the steeply sloping land at its north end called Underhill , and the larger, gently sloping land to the south, called Tophill . Portland stone lies under Tophill; the strata decline at a shallow angle of around 1.5 degrees, from a height of 151 metres (495 ft) near the Verne in the north, to just above sea level at Portland Bill . The geology of Underhill
1530-517: Is also Grade II Listed. Portland Museum is located within Wakeham and close to Church Ope Cove . The museum is housed in two former cottages, one titled Avice's Cottage, and both of which became Grade II Listed in January 1951. With both retaining thatched roofs, the cottages act as a reminder of the type of cottage that once appeared all across the island. Avice's Cottage was an inspiration within
1615-482: Is connected to towns and villages along the Jurassic Coast by the Jurassic Coast Bus service, which runs for 142 kilometres (88 mi) from Exeter to Poole , through Sidford , Beer , Seaton , Lyme Regis , Charmouth , Bridport , Abbotsbury , Weymouth, Wool , and Wareham . Trains run from Weymouth to London, Southampton , Bristol and Gloucester but ferries no longer transport passengers to
1700-399: Is different to Tophill; Underhill lies on a steep escarpment composed of Portland Sand, lying above a thicker layer of Kimmeridge Clay , which extends to Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour. This Kimmeridge Clay has resulted in a series of landslides, forming West Weares and East Weares. 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) underneath south Dorset lies a layer of Triassic rock salt , and Portland
1785-479: Is found at the far end of Reforne - a Church of England church. The church was designated as a Grade I listed building in January 1951, and is one of three buildings on Portland to be Grade I. Its graveyard wall also became Grade II Listed in September 1978, and in May 1993 the church's lych gate entrance became Grade II Listed too. The George Inn is a public house at Reforne. It is one of the oldest inhabited buildings on
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#17327808185191870-411: Is largely residential. Unlike the majority of Portland's villages, Wakeham has little commercial business in the area. Accommodation in Wakeham village is a leading business and includes The Alessandria Hotel, the self-contained holiday let Church Ope Studio, and the bed and breakfast Leam Guest House. The Cove Holiday Park is found on the outskirt of Wakeham. The Mermaid Inn, now closed, was once open in
1955-612: Is one of four locations in the United Kingdom where the salt is thick enough to create stable cavities. Portland Gas applied to excavate 14 caverns to store 1,000,000,000 cubic metres (3.5 × 10 cu ft) of natural gas, which is one per cent of the UK's total annual demand. It was proposed that the caverns should be connected to the National gas grid at Mappowder via a 37-kilometre (23 mi) pipeline. Plans had it that
2040-475: Is one of the United Kingdom's rarest plants. The wild flowers and plants make an excellent habitat for butterflies; over half of the British Isles' 57 butterfly species can be seen on Portland, including varieties that migrate from mainland Europe. Species live on Portland that are rare in the United Kingdom, including the limestone race of the silver-studded blue . The mild seas which almost surround
2125-528: Is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. The harbour was made by the building of stone breakwaters between 1848 and 1905. From its inception it was a Royal Navy base, and played prominent roles during the First and Second World Wars ; ships of the Royal Navy and NATO countries worked up and exercised in its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and popular recreation area, and
2210-502: Is situated approximately halfway along the UNESCO Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site ; the site includes 153 kilometres (95 mi) of the Dorset and east Devon coast that is important for its geology and landforms. The South West Coast Path runs around the coast; it is the United Kingdom's longest national trail at 1,014 kilometres (630 mi). Portland is unusual as it is connected to
2295-558: Is the main hub of the Isle of Portland's activities. St George's Centre and The George Inn lies within the Reforne area of Easton, and provides facilities for many local events. Easton was established around a natural watercourse and various springs, of which there are indications of medieval inhabitants. The village pond was situated at Easton Square, and a well head and pump were later installed in 1775. Easton largely developed through Tophill's prime industry of agriculture. By 1782, Easton
2380-652: Is the most common style. Since June 2003 the South West Coast Path National Trail has included 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi) of coastal walking around the Isle of Portland, including following the A354 Portland Beach Road twice. Isle of Portland has a Non-League football club Portland United F.C. who play at Grove Corner. They also have a youth set up called Portland United youth football Club. Rabbits have long been associated with bad luck on Portland. Use of
2465-852: Is the nearest further education college, which has around 7,500 students from south west England and overseas, about 1500 studying A-Level courses. In 2000, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy was built in Osprey Quay in Underhill as a centre for sailing in the United Kingdom. Weymouth and Portland's waters were credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe. Weymouth and Portland regularly host local, national and international sailing events in their waters; these include
2550-401: The 2019 structural changes to local government , Portland is in the Dorset unitary authority , administered by Dorset Council . The whole island forms Portland ward which is one of the 52 wards and elects three members to the council. Portland is an ancient royal manor , and until the 19th century was a separate liberty , with certain judicial functions for the isle held separately from
2635-537: The English Channel . The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth , forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset , England. A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins Portland with mainland England . The A354 road passes down the Portland end of the beach and then over the Fleet Lagoon by bridge to the mainland. The population of Portland
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2720-520: The Western Front . Portland cement has nothing to do with Portland; it was so named due to its similar colour to Portland stone when mixed with lime and sand. There have been railways in Portland since the early 19th century. The Merchant's Railway was the earliest—it opened in 1826 (one year after the Stockton and Darlington railway ) and ran from the quarries at the north of Tophill to
2805-618: The abbey on Lindisfarne , their first documented landing occurred in Portland four years earlier, in 789, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . Three lost Viking ships from Hordaland (the district around Hardanger fjord in west Norway ) landed at Portland Bill. The king's reeve tried to collect taxes from them, but they killed him and sailed on. A castle on the site of the present Rufus Castle , standing over Church Ope Cove , may have been built for William II of England (also known as William Rufus) soon after
2890-457: The 1970s. In 2011 there were 6,312 dwellings in an area of 11.5 square kilometres (2,840 acres), with a population density of 1112 people per km . The population is almost entirely native to the United Kingdom and 93.9 per cent of residents are of white British ethnicity, well above the England and Wales average of 80.5 per cent. The average price of a detached house on Portland in 2010 was £ 194,200; terraced houses are cheaper, at £149,727, and
2975-440: The 19th-century, the Easton & Church Hope Railway put forward plans to extend the Weymouth and Portland Railway Line to Easton. On 1 October 1900 Easton station was opened to goods trains, and to the public on 1 September 1902. The line closed to passengers in 1952 and goods trains in 1965. The station site was demolished in 1970, and is now the site of a residential home. In 1904, Easton Square, which had long been barren land,
3060-459: The East Weares part of the island to control scrub in 2007. The comparatively warm and sunny climate allows species of plants to thrive which do not on the mainland. The limestone soil has low nutrient levels; hence smaller species of wild flowers and grasses are able to grow in the absence of larger species. Portland sea lavender can be found on the higher sea cliffs; unique to Portland, it
3145-824: The French port of St Malo and the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey . St George's Community Primary School is located in Easton . The only other school on Portland is the Atlantic Academy , an all-through school for pupils aged 3 to 19 based at two different sites. Formerly known as the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy, it formed in 2012 by merging four primary schools and one secondary school. Some students commute to Weymouth or Dorchester to study A-Levels , or to attend other secondary schools nearby. Weymouth College in Melcombe Regis
3230-403: The Isle of Portland has an extensive range of flora and fauna ; the coastline and disused quarries are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest . The Isle of Portland SSSI encompasses 352 hectares (870 acres), and includes 17 monitored features ranging from Jurassic fossils, calcareous grassland, rock sea-lavender and nationally scarce butterflies. Sea and migratory birds occupy
3315-917: The J/24 World Championships in 2005, trials for the 2004 Athens Olympics, the ISAF World Championship 2006, the BUSA Fleet Racing Championships, and the RYA Youth National Championships. In 2005, the WPNSA was selected to host sailing events at the 2012 Olympic Games —mainly because the academy had recently been built, so no new venue would have to be provided. However, as part of the South West of England Regional Development Agency 's plans to redevelop Osprey Quay,
3400-540: The North , with reference to its similarities with Gibraltar ; its physical geography, isolation, comparatively mild climate, and Underhill 's winding streets. A. E. Housman wrote of the place in his poem, "The Isle of Portland", from A Shropshire Lad . Hilaire Belloc 's book The Cruise of the " Nona " is about sailing near Portland, and the reflections it occasions. He describes Portland Race as "the master terror of our world", and says "... if you were to make
3485-609: The Portland Breakwaters from 1848. For a few years until 2005 Britain's only prison ship , HMP The Weare , was berthed in the harbour. There are two tiers of local government covering Portland, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Portland Town Council and Dorset Council . The town council is based at the Portland Community Venue, a converted school in Fortuneswell. Since
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3570-510: The Portland area dealt with almost 1000 incidents in 2005. Portland lends its name to one of the BBC 's Shipping Forecast regions. There are still two prisons on Portland: HMP The Verne , which until 1949 was a Victorian military fortress, and a Young Offenders' Institution ( HMYOI ) on the Grove clifftop. This was the original prison ( HM Prison Portland ) built for convicts who quarried stone for
3655-626: The Royal Naval Air Station closed in 1999, although the runway remained in use for Her Majesty's Coastguard Search and Rescue flights as MRCC Portland until 2014. MRCC Portland's area of responsibility extended midway across the English Channel , and from Start Point in Devon to the Dorset/ Hampshire border, covering an area of around 10,400 square kilometres (4,000 sq mi). The 12 Search and Rescue teams in
3740-470: The United Kingdom average, and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average, particularly in summer; this summer minimum of rainfall is not experienced away from the south coast of England. The average annual rainfall of 672.3 millimetres (26.5 in) is well below the UK average of 1,163.0 millimetres (45.8 in). The population of Portland in 2021 was 13,417; this figure has remained around twelve to thirteen thousand since
3825-536: The United Kingdom. Portland averaged 1822.6 hours of sunshine annually between 1991 and 2020, which is 42% of the maximum possible, and 36% above the United Kingdom average of 1402.7 hours. December is the cloudiest month (62.2 hours of sunshine), November the wettest (82.6 millimetres (3.3 in) of rain) and July is the sunniest and driest month (237.4 hours of sunshine, 36.9 millimetres (1.5 in) of rain). Sunshine totals in all months are well above
3910-514: The Were-Rabbit . Out of respect for local beliefs the adverts omitted the word 'rabbit' and replaced the film's title with the phrase "Something bunny is going on" . Thomas Hardy described Portland as "the peninsula carved by Time out of a single stone", and named it the Isle of Slingers and Isle of the Race in his Wessex novels; it was the main setting of The Well-Beloved (1897), and
3995-489: The annual mean is 11.8 °C (53.2 °F). The mild seas that surround Portland act to keep night-time temperatures above freezing, making air frost rare: on average 6.3 days per year — this is far below the United Kingdom's average annual total of 55.6 days of frost. Days with snow lying are equally rare: on average zero to five days per year; almost all winters have no more than one day with snow lying. It may snow or sleet in winter, yet it almost never settles on
4080-631: The area. In 2010, work was successful in turning the pub into a house. Wakeham has a wide array of architecture and buildings, a number of which are Grade Listed. Tudor Cottage (167 Wakeham), 203 Wakeham, along with its attached outbuilding, 209 and 211 Wakeham, 99 Wakeham, 95 Wakeham, 205 and 207 Wakeham, 97 Wakeham, 213 Wakeham, 65 Wakeham, 106 Wakeham, Woodbine Cottage (112 Wakeham), 6 Wakeham, 127 Wakeham, 137 and 139 Wakeham, 129 and 131 Wakeham, 116 Wakeham, 114 Wakeham, 118 Wakeham, 215 Wakeham, 79 Wakeham, and 81 Wakeham are all Grade II Listed. A dovecote, approximately 5 metres west-south-west of 106 Wakeham,
4165-770: The capital after the Great Fire of London of 1666. Well-known buildings in the capital, including St Paul's Cathedral and the eastern front of Buckingham Palace feature the stone. After the First World War, a quarry was opened by The Crown Estate to provide stone for the Cenotaph in Whitehall and half a million gravestones for war cemeteries, and after the Second World War hundreds of thousands of gravestones were hewn for soldiers who had fallen on
4250-512: The church was formerly a Wesleyan school, dated 1878 on porch. It was also designated Grade II. The church is still active today, alongside Underhill Methodist Church , as part of the Portland Methodist Circuit. Within Straits, the area of Easton linking to the hamlet of Wakeham, is the 20th-century Anglican church All Saints Church . It is Grade II Listed. At Easton Gardens, the prominent Clock Tower, completed in 1907,
4335-552: The cliffs at East Weares, to loop back north to a station in Easton . The line closed to passengers in 1952, and the final goods train (and two passenger 'specials') ran in April 1965. The Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck stationed a lifeboat at Portland in 1826, which was withdrawn in 1851. Coastal flooding has affected Portland's residents and transport for centuries—the only way off
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#17327808185194420-461: The cliffs in different seasons, sometimes these include rare species which draw ornithologists from around the country. Rare visitors to the surrounding seas include dolphins, seals and basking sharks. Chesil Beach is one of only two sites in Britain where the scaly cricket can be found; unlike any other cricket it is wingless and does not sing or hop. Ten British Primitive goats were introduced to
4505-467: The conquest of England by his father William the Conqueror . None of that castle remains; the existing castle probably dates from the 15th century. In 1539 King Henry VIII ordered the construction of Portland Castle for defence against attacks by the French; the castle cost £4,964 (equivalent to £4.21 million in 2024 ). It is one of the best preserved castles from this period, and is opened to
4590-766: The current MP is Lloyd Hatton ( Labour ). Weymouth and Portland have been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986, and the French town of Louviers , in the department of Eure in Normandy, since 1959. The borough and nearby Chickerell have been a Fairtrade Zone since 2007. The Isle of Portland lies in the English Channel , 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of Wyke Regis , and 200 km (120 mi) west-southwest of London, at 50°33′0″N 2°26′24″W / 50.55000°N 2.44000°W / 50.55000; -2.44000 (50.55, −2.44). Portland
4675-405: The feature; at 10 metres (about 5 fathoms) deep and 2.4 kilometres (1.3 nmi) long, it causes a tidal race to the south of Portland Bill, the so-called Portland Race. The current only stops for brief periods during the 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 -hour tidal cycle and can reach 4 metres per second (9 mph) at the spring tide of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). Due to its isolated coastal location,
4760-463: The founder of Pennsylvania, had the Gothic revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle built on a platform above the cove, and at the bottom of Wakeham. In order to expand his land, he had Southwell Road diverted, and purchased a number of cottages at the bottom of Wakeham. From the 1840s onwards, Portland saw a large increase within its population, due to the construction of Portland Harbour's Breakwaters. With
4845-582: The ground—coastal areas in South West England such as Portland generally experience the mildest winters in the UK. Portland is less affected by the Atlantic storms that Devon and Cornwall experience. The growing season lasts for more than 310 days per year, and the borough is in Hardiness zone 9. Weymouth and Portland, and the rest of the south coast, has the sunniest climate in
4930-401: The headland and its tidal race . The current lighthouse was refurbished in 1996 and became remotely controlled. It now contains a visitors' centre giving information and guided tours of the lighthouse. Portland Ledge is an underwater extension of Portland Stone into the English Channel at a place where the depth of Channel is 20 to 40 metres (about 10 to 20 fathoms). Tidal flow is disrupted by
5015-565: The highest in the British Isles, and by far warmer than the United Kingdom average. However, due to the island's proximity to the sea, summers are cooler than the national average, with temperatures rarely climbing to the extremes seen in in-land areas further north. As a result of its coastal extremity and mild winter minimum temperatures, Portland is suitable for plants with the Royal Horticultural Society 's hardiness rating H2. Mean sea surface temperatures range from 7.0 °C (44.6 °F) in February to 17.2 °C (63.0 °F) in August;
5100-471: The island by land is along the causeway in the lee of Chesil Beach. At times of extreme floods (about every 10 years) this road link is cut by floods. The low-lying village of Chiswell used to flood on average every 5 years. Chesil Beach occasionally faces severe storms and massive waves, which have a fetch across the Atlantic Ocean. Following two severe flood events in the 1970s, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and Wessex Water decided to investigate
5185-475: The island of Portland. The Bill has three lighthouse towers. The Higher Lighthouse is now a dwelling and holiday apartments whilst the Lower Lighthouse is now a bird observatory and field centre providing records of bird migration and accommodation for visitors, which opened in 1961. The white and red lighthouse on Bill Point replaced the Higher and Lower Lighthouses in 1906. It is a prominent and much photographed feature; an important landmark for ships passing
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#17327808185195270-437: The island, and has been Grade II Listed since May 1993. St George's Centre, also in Reforne, was a former school opened in 1857, and now a community information and activity centre. It is Grade II Listed. The centre's community hall and boundary walls to the south are also Grade II listed. Isle of Portland The Isle of Portland is a tied island , 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) wide, in
5355-432: The mainland at Abbotsbury by Chesil Beach , a tombolo which runs 29 kilometres (18 mi) north-west to West Bay . Portland is sometimes defined incorrectly as a tombolo—in fact Portland is a tied island, and Chesil Beach is the tombolo (a spit joined to land at both ends). There are eight settlements on Portland, the largest being Fortuneswell in Underhill and Easton on Tophill. Castletown and Chiswell are
5440-438: The name is still taboo—the creatures are often referred to as "underground mutton", "long-eared furry things" or just "bunnies". The origin of this superstition is obscure (there is no record of it before the 1920s) but it is believed to derive from quarry workers. They would see rabbits emerging from their burrows immediately before a rock fall and blame them for increasing the risk of dangerous, sometimes deadly, landslides . If
5525-439: The need for housing, and the expansion of Portland's villages, Wakeham became part of Easton village. After the First World War, a number of inland quarries were opened around Wakeham area. Opposite Portland Museum at the bottom of Wakeham, a small quarry was opened to provide stone for the Whitehall Cenotaph. The museum was opened in 1930, after Marie Stopes donated two houses for a museum. Today Wakeham remains part of Easton, and
5610-401: The north of Chiswell, an extended sea wall in Chesil Cove , and a culvert running from inside the beach, underneath the beach road and into Portland Harbour , to divert flood water away from low-lying areas. At the start of the First World War, HMS Hood was sunk in the passage between the southern breakwaters to protect the harbour from torpedo and submarine attack. Portland Harbour
5695-416: The novel The Well-Beloved , written by Thomas Hardy , as the home of three generations of "Avice's" – the novel's heroines. Although not quite a part of Wakeham, near to Portland Museum, and above Church Ope Cove is Rufus Castle – a ruined castle dating from the late 15th century, on the site of an earlier building. It has been Grade I Listed since January 1951. In addition to this, the castle has become
5780-423: The only historic windmill remains to survive in Dorset. In early 2011, a Tesco, Portland's first major supermarket was opened in Easton. The Portland Museum is located near to Easton, in Wakeham , close to Church Ope Cove . The museum was founded by Marie Stopes and opened in 1930. The castellated building at Easton Lane is the Drill Hall of 1868. It was once the home of the Portland Volunteers. Easton has
5865-410: The other villages in Underhill, and Weston , Southwell , Wakeham and the Grove are on the Tophill plateau. Many old buildings are built out of Portland Stone; several parts have been designated Conservation Areas to preserve the unique character the older settlements which date back hundreds of years. The Isle of Portland has been designated by Natural England as National Character Area 137. It
5950-483: The public by the custodians English Heritage . In the 17th century, chief architect and Surveyor-General to James I, Inigo Jones , surveyed the area and introduced the local Portland stone to London, using it in his Banqueting House, Whitehall , and for repairs on Old St Paul's Cathedral . His successor, Sir Christopher Wren , an architect and the Member of Parliament for nearby Weymouth, used six million tons of white Portland limestone to rebuild destroyed parts of
6035-399: The rest of Dorset. The whole isle was also an ancient parish ; the original parish church was St Andrew's at Church Ope Cove on the east side of the island, which was replaced by St George's Church in the eighteenth century after St Andrew's was damaged by landslips. The isle was gradually divided into smaller ecclesiastical parishes , but remained a single civil parish . The parish
6120-414: The same time, although the lodges are now separated in ownership from the castle. Easton, Dorset Easton is a village on the Isle of Portland in Dorset , England . The village is situated at Tophill , within the centre of the island. As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, Easton, including the settlements Reforne and Straits, has been designated as a conservation area, as it
6205-408: The structure of the beach, and coastal management schemes that could be built to protect Chiswell and the beach road. In the 1980s it was agreed that a scheme to provide storm protection with a 20% annual exceedance probability to reduce flood depth and duration in more severe storms. Hard engineering techniques were employed in the scheme, including a gabion running 550 metres (600 yd) to
6290-456: The surface facilities should be complete to store the first gas in 2011, and the entire cavern space available for storage in winter 2013. As part of the £350 million scheme, the Grade II listed former Old Engine Shed would be converted into a £1.5 million educational centre with a café and an exhibition space about the geology of Portland. Portland Bill is the southern tip of
6375-479: The tied island produce a temperate climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) with a small variation in daily and annual temperatures. The average annual mean temperature from 1991 to 2020 was 11.5 °C (52.7 °F). The warmest month is August, which has an average temperature range of 14.8 to 19.5 °C (58.6 to 67.1 °F), and the coolest is February, which has a range of 4.7 to 8.4 °C (40.5 to 47.1 °F). Mean winter temperatures are amongst
6460-549: Was created for the former urban district, with its council taking the name Portland Town Council. The town council continued to be based at the old urban district council's building at Fortuneswell until 2016. In 2019, the borough of Weymouth and Portland was abolished when Dorset moved to a unitary authority structure of local government. Portland forms part of the South Dorset parliamentary constituency , created in 1885. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament;
6545-653: Was featured in The Trumpet-Major (1880). The cottage that now houses Portland Museum was the inspiration for the heroine's house in The Well-Beloved . Portlanders were expert stone-throwers in the defence of their land, and Hardy's Isle of Slingers is heavily based on Portland; the Street of Wells representing Fortuneswell and The Beal Portland Bill. Hardy also called Portland the Gibraltar of
6630-590: Was formed (1848–1905) by the construction of breakwaters, but before that the natural anchorage had hosted ships of the Royal Navy for more than 500 years. It was "the home of the Asdics," a centre for Admiralty research into asdic submarine detection and underwater weapons from 1917 to 1998; the shore base HMS Serepta was renamed HMS Osprey in 1927. During the Second World War Portland
6715-519: Was home to Portland's first parish church, St Andrews Church , which was probably first established above the cove by the Saxons, and rebuilt in the 12th century. The church was later replaced in the 18th century by the new parish church St George's. During the construction of the new church, between 1754 and 1766, a temporary place of worship was established within Wakeham. Between 1797 and 1800, John Penn, Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn,
6800-480: Was made a local government district in 1867, governed by an elected local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894. In 1933/1934, Portland Urban District Council built itself a new headquarters at 3 Fortuneswell. Portland Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 to become part of the borough of Weymouth and Portland . A successor parish
6885-499: Was situated within the small valley at the south of the hamlet, and this land later became part of the grounds of Pennsylvania Castle. In 789 AD, the first recorded Viking attack within British Isles, including Ireland, occurred on Portland's coast. It is believed that Church Ope Cove was the location, and at the time would have shown Wakeham above it. The exposed location was later defended by the Norman 12th-century Rufus Castle . Wakeham
6970-568: Was the island's second largest settlement. The island's first school, Maister's School, opened in Straits during 1720. St. George's Church was built as the island's parish church within Reforne, between 1754 and 1766, replacing St Andrew's. The village saw an infamous event during 1803, known as the Easton Massacre , which saw British armed forces shoot and kill three citizens, when trying to press males of Portland into service. The press gang arrived at Easton Square where they were met by
7055-456: Was the target of 48 air raids and a total of 532 bombs, although most warships had moved north as Portland was within enemy striking range across the Channel. Mulberry Harbour Phoenix Units can be seen at Black Barge beach, near Portland Castle . Portland was a major embarkation point for Allied forces on D-Day in 1944. Early helicopters were stationed at Portland in 1946–1948, and in 1959
7140-527: Was transformed into Easton Gardens . All Saints Church was built at Straits between 1914 and 1917, and became the new parish church for Tophill. Easton remains one of Portland's main hubs of activity to date. The area of Easton is surrounded by quarries, both working and non-working. To the south of the village, and near Weston, are the two Portland Windmills . The disused and historic stone towers date from as early as 1608. Both windmills have been separate Grade II Listed monuments since September 1978, and are
7225-579: Was used for the 2012 Olympic Games . The name Portland is used for one of the British Sea Areas , and has been exported as the name of several North American and Australian towns, such as Portland, Victoria , and Portland, Oregon ; the latter of which was named after the city in Maine , which named itself after the isle. The name is also used for a popular street in Kowloon, Hong Kong , and
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