Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland shown within Dorset
Population	12,710[1][A]
OS grid reference	SY690721
- London	200 km (125 mi) ENE
District	Weymouth and Portland
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PORTLAND
Postcode district	DT5
Dialling code	01305
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	South Dorset
List of places: UK • England • Dorset

Coordinates: 50°33′00″N 2°26′24″W / 50.55, -2.44

The Isle of Portland (pronounced /ˈpɔːtlənd/) is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The DT postcode area, also known as the Dorchester postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Beaminster, Blandford Forum, Bridport The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Dorset Police is the Home Office Police force with the responsibility of policing the English County of Dorset. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service is the Statutory Fire and Rescue Service for the area of Dorset, South West England. Divisions & Stations The trust is split into 2 divisions West - Devon and Cornwall including West Divisional HQ 999 and PTS Control at South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election South Dorset is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of settlements and other places in Dorset, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. 4 kilometres (1. 5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Chesil Beach connects it to the mainland, and the A354 road bridge connects it to Weymouth, which together form the borough of Weymouth and Portland. Chesil Beach, sometimes called Chesil Bank, is a Tombolo in Dorset, southern England. The A354 is a Primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a The population of Portland is almost 13,000.

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. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Its name is used for one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of North American and Australian towns. The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC radio broadcast of Weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. Portland limestone is still quarried here, and is used in British architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. Portland stone is a Limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.

The large, deep artificial harbour on Portland's northern shore was a Royal Navy base during World War I and World War II; the Navy and NATO trained in its waters until the 1990s. Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The North Atlantic Treaty The harbour is a small civilian port and popular recreation area; the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will host the sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games. Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast

Contents 1 History 1.1 Portland Harbour 2 Governance 3 Geography 3.1 Geology 3.2 Portland Bill 3.3 Ecology 3.4 Climate 4 Demography 5 Transport 6 Education 7 Culture 7.1 Sport and recreation 7.2 Rabbits 7.3 Literature 8 References and notes 9 External links 9.1 Photographs 10 Further reading

History

Portland has been inhabited since at least the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age)—there is archaeological evidence of Mesolithic inhabitants near Portland Bill,^[2] and of inhabitation in ages since. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking Portland Bill is a narrow Promontory (or bill) of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore The Romans occupied Portland; they reputedly called it Vindelis. ^[3][4] In 1539 King Henry VIII ordered the construction of Portland Castle to defend from attacks by the French; the castle cost the king £4,964. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Portland Castle is one of the Device Forts built in 1539 by Henry VIII on the Isle of Portland to guard the natural Portland anchorage known ^[5] It is one of the best preserved castles from this period, and is open to the public under the administration of English Heritage. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of ^[6]

Sir Christopher Wren, the notable architect and Member of Parliament for nearby Weymouth, used six million tons of white Portland limestone to rebuild destroyed parts of London after the Great Fire of 1666. Sir Christopher Wren ( 20 October 1632 &ndash 25 February 1723) was a 17th century English Designer, Astronomer A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Portland stone is a Limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. Well-known buildings in the capital, including St Paul's Cathedral^[7] and the eastern front of Buckingham Palace feature the stone. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. ^[8] After World War I a quarry was opened by the Crown to provide stone for the Whitehall Cenotaph and half a million gravestones for war cemeteries,^[4] and after World War II hundreds of thousands of gravestones were carved for the fallen soldiers of the Western Front. In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a Property portfolio associated with the monarchy. Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional See Western Front (disambiguation for other meanings Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World ^[4] Portland Cement is not manufactured on Portland; it was named such due to its similar colour to Portland stone when mixed with lime and sand. ^[9]

Railway branch lines have run on 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 the docks in Castletown, where Portland stone was shipped around the country. The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR which opened in 1825 was the world's first permanent Steam locomotive hauled public Railway. Tophill is a gently sloping area of land on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Castletown is a small Village in Underhill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. ^[10] The Weymouth and Portland Railway was laid in 1865, and ran from a station in Melcombe Regis, across the Fleet and below sea level behind Chesil Beach to Victoria Square station in Chiswell. Inception The need in the early 1820s to transport stone led to an older railway the Portland Railway being promoted Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England. Situated on the north shore of Weymouth harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole Chiswell (pronounced Chesil Chis-well or Chisel sometimes called Chesilton is a small fishing Village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill ^[11] The line continued as the Easton and Church Hope Railway, running through Castletown and ascending the cliffs at East Weares, to loop back north to a station in Easton. Easton is the second largest of eight villages on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. ^[10] The line closed to passengers in March 1965, and the final goods train ran in April that year. ^[11]

Coastal flooding has affected Portland's residents and transport for centuries—the only way off the tied island lies below sea level on the lee of Chesil Beach, as does the village of Chiswell. Chiswell (pronounced Chesil Chis-well or Chisel sometimes called Chesilton is a small fishing Village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill In autumn and winter Chesil Beach faces severe storms and massive waves, which have a fetch across the Atlantic Ocean. Fetch, often called the fetch length, is a term for the length of water over which a given Wind has blown ^[12] Following two severe flood events in the 1970s, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and Wessex Water decided to investigate the structure of the beach, and possible coastal management schemes that could be built to protect Chiswell and the beach road. Wessex Water is a water supply and sewerage utility company based in Bath Somerset serving parts of south west and southern England. In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean respectively defence against flooding and erosion In the 1980s it was agreed that a scheme to protect against a one-in-five year storm would be practicable; it would reduce flood depth and duration in more severe storms. A return period also known as a recurrence interval is an estimate of the interval of time between events like an Earthquake, Flood or river discharge ^[12] Hard engineering techniques were employed in the scheme, including a gabion beach crest running 1. In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean respectively defence against flooding and erosion 6 kilometres (1 mi) to 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. A seawall is a form of hard and strong Coastal defence constructed on the inland part of a Coast to reduce the effects of strong Waves. Chesil Cove is a beach which is the most southerly part of the long Chesil Beach in Dorset, England. A culvert is a conduit used to enclose a flowing body of Water. Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. ^[12]

Portland Harbour

Portland harbour is one of the deepest man-made harbours in the world at 12 metres (39 ft) to 20 metres (66 ft),^[13] and one of the largest at 8. Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. 6 square kilometres (2,125 acres). ^[5] The first stone of the Breakwaters was laid by Prince Albert in 1849, and the last by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1872. Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom ^[5] They were constructed mainly by civilians, but the stone was quarried by convicts—22 men lost their lives during their construction, and by completion the breakwaters contained 5,731,376 long tons of stone and cost £1,167,852. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency ^[5] The harbour and Weymouth Bay have an unusual feature: a double low tide, caused by the time it takes for water to pass Portland Bill. Weymouth Bay is a sheltered Bay on the south coast of England, in Dorset. Portland Bill is a narrow Promontory (or bill) of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore ^[14][15] The maximum tidal range is small, less than 2 metres (7 ft). The tidal range is the vertical difference between the highest High tide and the lowest Low tide. ^[15]

Portland Harbour has housed Royal Navy bases since 1919, the first named HMS Serepta. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) ^[16] During World War II Portland was the target of heavy bombing, because Navy ships were berthed in its harbour. To protect the harbour from torpedo and submarine attack, HMS Hood was sunk in the passage between the southern breakwaters. Design HMS Hood was laid down at Chatham Dockyard on 12 August 1889 ^[17] In 1946 local playing fields were turned into a heliport, and in 1959 the station was formally commissioned as HMS Osprey; the base was gradually improved with landing areas and one of England's shortest runways, at 229 metres (751 ft). RNAS Portland was an air station of the Royal Navy from 1917 The site was first built in 1917 as HMS Serepta, within the confines of Portland ^[16] There are still two prisons on Portland, HMP the Verne and HMYOI Portland, and the harbour contains Britain's only prison ship, HMP Weare, still berthed in the port after its closure in 2005. The Verne is one of HM Prisons on Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution (or HMYOI) is a type of British Prison intended for offenders aged between 18 and 21 A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a Prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies

The naval base closed at the end of the Cold War in 1995, and 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. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the Government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating Rescue at sea ^[16] MRCC Portland's area of responsibility extends 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). Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district It is one of the most southerly points in Devon, England,. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain ^[18] The 12 Search and Rescue teams in the Portland area dealt with almost 1000 incidents in 2005;^[19] most teams use lifeboats but the Portland crew use a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[18]

Governance

Portland is an ancient Royal Manor, and until the 19th century remained a separate liberty within Dorset for administration. A Royal Manor is an area of land in the United Kingdom owned by The Crown, such as the Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the Prince of Wales A Liberty was a local government unit in England. Originating in the Middle Ages, liberties were areas of widely variable extent which were independent of the usual It was an urban district from 1894 to 1974, until the borough of Weymouth and Portland formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of Local government district that covered an Urbanised area Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales This merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the Portland urban district. For local elections the borough is divided into 15 wards, and three of them cover Portland. The United Kingdom has five distinct types of Elections UK general elections elections to national/regional parliaments and assemblies elections to the European Parliament ^[20] Elections take place in a four-year cycle; one third of the councillors in all but three wards retire or seek re-election in years one, two and three, and county council elections are held in year four. ^[21]

The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is David Harris (Liberal Democrat), and Tim Munro (Independent) is Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Portland Town Council. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. ^[22] Weymouth, Portland and the Purbeck district are in the South Dorset parliamentary constituency, created in 1885. Settlements Settlements with a Population over 2500 are in bold. South Dorset is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly The constituency elects one Member of Parliament; the current MP is Jim Knight (Labour), the Minister of State for Schools. James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Sidcup) is a British politician for the Labour Party who has been The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a Parliamentary system. ^[23] South Dorset, the rest of the South West England, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU ^[24]

Weymouth and Portland have been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986,^[25] and the French town of Louviers, in the department of Eure in Normandy, since 1959. Holzwickede (hɔltsˈvɪkədə is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen usually shortened to NRW, official short form NW is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Louviers Colorado Louviers is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Eure is a department in the north of France named after the Eure River. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. ^[26] The borough and nearby Chickerell have been a Fairtrade Zone for three years. Chickerell is a village north-west of Weymouth in west Dorset, England. Fairtrade Town is a marketing tool in which this status is awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body (i ^[27]

Geography

The Isle of Portland lies in the English Channel, 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of Wyke Regis, and 200 km (125 mi) west-southwest of London, at 50°32′60″N, 2°26′24″W (50. Wyke Regis (ˌwaɪkˈriːdʒɪs is a village in south Dorset, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. 55, −2. 44). Portland is situated approximately half-way 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. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex ^[28] The South West Coast Path runs around the coast; it is the United Kingdom's longest national trail at 1,014 kilometres (630 mi). The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. The following Long-distance footpaths can be found in the United Kingdom: England and Wales National Trails National Trails are distinguished by being Portland is unusual as it is connected to the mainland at Abbotsbury by Chesil Beach, a tombolo which runs 29 kilometres (18 mi) north-west to West Bay. This article is about a village in England For the suburb in Sydney Australia see Abbotsbury New South Wales Abbotsbury is a large Village Chesil Beach, sometimes called Chesil Bank, is a Tombolo in Dorset, southern England. A tombolo is a deposition Landform such as a spit or bar which is attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land West Bay, formerly known as Bridport Harbour, is situated approximately two miles from the centre of Bridport on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset ^[29] 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). ^[30]

There are eight settlements on Portland, the largest being Fortuneswell in Underhill and Easton in Tophill. Fortuneswell is the largest of eight Villages on the Isle of Portland, just off the coast of Dorset in the English Channel. Easton is the second largest of eight villages on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Castletown and Chiswell are the other villages in Underhill, and Weston, Southwell, Wakeham and the Grove occupy Tophill. Castletown is a small Village in Underhill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Chiswell (pronounced Chesil Chis-well or Chisel sometimes called Chesilton is a small fishing Village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill Weston is a village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Southwell (pronounced south-well) is a small coastal village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, between Portland Bill and Wakeham is a small village near the village of Easton, in Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Older buildings are built out of Portland Stone; houses have walls 30–60 cm (1–2 ft) thick, and a similar layout governed by the culture and living standards at the time they were built. Most houses have not been painted and retain the yellow-grey colour of the stone, giving Portland's settlements a different character to the mainland.

Geology

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. Underhill is the name given to the area of land at the northern end of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, which is very steep and contains the Tophill is a gently sloping area of land on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Portland stone lies under Tophill; the strata decline at a shallow angle of around 1. Portland stone is a Limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. 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 Verne is one of HM Prisons on Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Portland Bill is a narrow Promontory (or bill) of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore ^[31] The geology of Underhill 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. In Geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp steep Elevation differential characterized The Kimmeridge Clay Formation is arguably the most economically important unit of rocks in the whole of Europe being the major Source rock for oil fields in the North This Kimmeridge Clay has resulted in a series of landslides, forming West Weares and East Weares. ^[31]

2. 4 kilometres (1. 5 mi) underneath south Dorset lies a layer of Triassic rock salt, and Portland is one of four locations in the United Kingdom where the salt is thick enough to create stable cavities. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago Halite is the Mineral form of Sodium chloride, Na[[chlorine Cl]] commonly known as rock salt. ^[32][33] Portland Gas has applied to excavate 14 caverns to store 1,000,000,000 cubic metres (35,000,000,000 cu ft) of natural gas, which is 1% of the UK’s total annual demand. A salt mine is an operation involved in the extraction of salt from Rock salt or halite a type of evaporitic deposit Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, ^[32][33] The caverns will be connected to the National gas grid at Mappowder via a 37-kilometre (23 mi) pipeline, which will be laid in 2009. Mappowder is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale nine Miles south east of Sherborne. ^[32][33] The surface facilities will be complete to store the first gas in winter 2010, and the entire cavern space will be available for storage in winter 2013. ^[33] As part of the £350 million scheme,^[32] a Grade II listed former engine shed is planned to be converted into an £1. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance 5 million educational centre with a café and an exhibition space about the geology of Portland. ^[34]

Portland Bill

Portland Bill should not be confused with the Isle of Portland—Portland Bill is a narrow promontory of Portland stone which forms the most southerly part of Tophill. Portland Bill is a narrow Promontory (or bill) of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore The Bill has three lighthouses; it is an important way-point for ships passing the headland and its tidal race. Tidal race (or tidal rapid) is a natural occurrence whereby a fast moving Tide passes through a constriction resulting in the formation of Waves eddies The current lighthouse was refurbished in 1996 and became computer-controlled; a visitor's centre giving information and guided tours of the lighthouse was built nearby. ^[35] Two earlier lighthouses stand further inland, one is an important observatory used by ornithologists, providing records of bird migration and accommodation for visitors. Ornithology (from Greek ὄρνις ὄρνιθος ornis, ornithos, "bird" and λόγος logos, "knowledge" is the branch of ^[35][36]

Portland Ledge (the Shambles) is an underwater extension of Portland Stone into the English Channel at a place where the depth of Channel is 20 metres (66 ft) to 40 metres (131 ft). Tidal flow is disrupted by the feature, at 10 metres (33 ft) 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. ^[37] The current only stops for brief periods during the twelve and half hour tidal cycle and can reach 4 metres per second (8 kn) at the spring tide of 2 metres (7 ft). ^[37]

Ecology

Due to its isolated coastal location, 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. In Botany, flora ( Plural: floras or florae has two meanings The first meaning flora of an area or of time period, refers to all Fauna is all of the Animal life of any particular region or time A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a Conservation designation denoting a Protected area in the United Kingdom. ^[28][36] Sea and migratory birds occupy the cliffs in different seasons, sometimes these include rare species which draw ornithologists from around the country. ^[28][38] Rare visitors to the surrounding seas include dolphins, seals and basking sharks. ^[36] 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. ^[38]

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. ^[36] Portland Sea Lavender can be found on the higher sea cliffs—unique to Portland it is one of the United Kingdom's rarest plants. ^[39] 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. ^[28] Species live on Portland that are rare in the United Kingdom, including the unique Silver Studded Blue. ^[40]

Climate

The mild seas which almost surround the tied island produce a temperate climate (Koppen climate classification Cfb) with a small variation in daily and annual temperatures. The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems It was developed by Wladimir Köppen, a German climatologist The average annual mean temperature from 1971 to 2000 was 10. 2 to 12 °C (50. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. 4 to 53. 6 °F). Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 ^[41] The warmest month is August, which has an average temperature range of 13. Temperature range is the numerical difference between the minimum and maximum values of temperature observed in a system such as Atmospheric temperature in a given location 3 to 20. 4 °C (55. 9 to 68. 7 °F), and the coolest is February, which has a range of 3. 1 to 8. 3 °C (37. 6 to 46. 9 °F). ^[42] Maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year are above England's average,^[43] and Portland is in AHS Heat zone 1. A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of Plant life is capable of growing as defined by Temperature hardiness or ability ^[B] Mean sea surface temperatures range from 7. Sea surface temperature (SST is the water Temperature close to the surface 0 °C (44. 6 °F) in February to 17. 2 °C (63. 0 °F) in August. ^[44]

Weymouth and Portland climatic averages Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average maximum temperature; °C (°F) 8. Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 4 (47. 1) 8. 3 (46. 9) 10. 0 (50. 0) 12. 5 (54. 5) 15. 4 (59. 7) 17. 9 (64. 2) 20. 3 (68. 5) 20. 4 (68. 7) 18. 3 (64. 9) 15. 0 (59. 0) 11. 5 (52. 7) 9. 3 (48. 7) 13. 9 (57. 0) Average mean temperature; °C (°F) 6. 0 (42. 8) 5. 7 (42. 3) 7. 2 (45. 0) 9. 6 (49. 3) 11. 8 (53. 2) 14. 1 (57. 4) 16. 4 (61. 5) 16. 9 (62. 4) 15. 0 (59. 0) 12. 2 (54. 0) 8. 9 (48. 0) 6. 9 (44. 4) 10. 9 (51. 6) Average minimum temperature; °C (°F) 3. 5 (38. 3) 3. 1 (37. 6) 4. 3 (39. 7) 6. 6 (43. 9) 8. 1 (46. 6) 10. 3 (50. 5) 12. 5 (54. 5) 13. 3 (55. 9) 11. 6 (52. 9) 9. 3 (48. 7) 6. 2 (43. 2) 4. 5 (40. 1) 7. 8 (46. 0) Average sunshine hours; total (per day) 62. Sunlight, in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the Electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. The hour (symbol h) is a unit of Time. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI A day (symbol d is a unit of Time equivalent to 24 Hours and the duration of a single Rotation of planet Earth with respect to the 4 (2. 0) 79. 9 (2. 8) 120. 6 (3. 9) 185. 2 (6. 2) 221. 9 (7. 2) 213. 8 (7. 1) 235. 1 (7. 6) 217. 5 (7. 0) 162. 9 (5. 4) 118. 8 (3. 8) 81. 7 (2. 7) 55. 7 (1. 8) 1768. 4 (4. 8) Average rainfall; mm (inches) 76. Rain is Liquid precipitation. On Earth it is the condensation of atmospheric Water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall often making it to The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 6 (3. 02) 64. 3 (2. 53) 62. 9 (2. 48) 47. 6 (1. 87) 46. 6 (1. 83) 47. 0 (1. 85) 35. 6 (1. 40) 52. 2 (2. 06) 66. 4 (2. 61) 77. 4 (3. 05) 84. 5 (3. 33) 90. 9 (3. 58) 751. 7 (29. 59) Sources: Weymouth and Portland Borough Council[42] and the Met Office[45] (1971–2000 averages)

The mild seas that surround Portland act to keep night-time temperatures above freezing, making winter frost rare: on average eight times per year—this is far below the United Kingdom's average annual total of 55. For the UKMET model see Tropical cyclone forecast model. The Met Office (originally an abbreviation for Meteorological Office, 6 days of frost. ^[46][47] Days with snow lying are equally rare: on average zero to six days per year;^[48] almost all winters have one day or less with snow lying. It may snow or sleet in winter, yet it almost never settles on the ground^[42]—coastal areas in South West England such as Portland experience the mildest winters in the UK. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to ^[49] Portland is less affected by the Atlantic storms that Devon and Cornwall experience. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar The growing season in Weymouth and Portland lasts from nine to twelve months per year,^[D] and the borough is in Hardiness zone 9. In Agriculture, the growing season is the period of each Year when crops can be grown A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of Plant life is capable of growing as defined by Temperature hardiness or ability ^[50][E]

Weymouth and Portland, and the rest of the south coast,^[51] has the sunniest climate in the United Kingdom. ^[28][52] The borough averaged 1768. 4 hours of sunshine annually between 1971 and 2000,^[42] which is over 40% of the maximum possible,^[C] and 32% above the United Kingdom average of 1339. The Climate of the United Kingdom is classified as a mid-latitude Oceanic climate ( Koppen climate classification Cfb) with warm summers 7 hours. ^[46] Four of the last nine years have had more than 2000 hours of sunshine. ^[42] December is the cloudiest and wettest month (55. 7 hours of sunshine, 90. 9 millimetres (3. 6 in) of rain) and July is the sunniest and driest (235. 1 hours of sunshine, 35. 6 millimetres (1. 4 in) of rain). ^[42] Sunshine totals in all months are well above the United Kingdom average,^[46] and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average, particularly in summer;^[46] this summer minimum of rainfall is not experienced away from the south coast of England. ^[51] The average annual rainfall of 751. 7 millimetres (29. 6 in) is well below the UK average of 1,125 millimetres (44. 3 in). ^[46]

Demography

Religion	%[53][F]
Buddhist	0. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices 21
Christian	74. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings 67
Hindu	0. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. 03
Jewish	0. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut 12
Muslim	0. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 30
No religion	15. Atheism 89
Other	0. The following is a list of Religions and spiritual traditions, however it excludes modern religions which can be found in List of new religious movements. 32
Sikh	0. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century 03
Not stated	8. 43

Age	Percentage[1]
0–15	19. 4
16–17	3. 1
18–44	38. 3
45–59	20. 6
60–84	17. 2
85+	1. 5

Year	Population[1]
1971	12,330
1981	12,410
1991	13,190
2001	12,800
2005	12,710[A]

The mid-year population of Portland in 2005 was 12,710;^[A] this figure has remained around twelve to thirteen thousand since the 1970s. In 2005 there were 5,474 dwellings in an area of 11. 5 square kilometres (2,840 acres), giving an approximate population density of 1100 people per km² (4. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 5 per acre). ^[1] The population is almost entirely native to England—96. 8% of residents are of white ethnicity. ^[1] House prices in Weymouth and Portland are relatively high by UK standards, yet around average for most of the south of England—the average price of a detached house in 2007 was £327,569; semi-detached and terraced houses were cheaper, at £230,932 and £190,073 respectively, and an apartment or maisonette cost £168,727. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency Semi-Detached (1998 was Therapy? 's last album for A&M Records. In Architecture and City planning, a terrace(d or row house or townhouse (though the latter term can also refer to Patio houses Residential dwellings can be built in a large variety of configurations ^[54][G]

Crime rates are below that of Weymouth and the United Kingdom—there were 9. 1 burglaries per 1000 households in 2005 and 2006; which is higher than South West England (8. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to 9 per 1000) but lower than England and Wales (13. History The Roman occupation of Britain was the first period in which the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit (with the exception 5 per 1000). ^[1] Unemployment levels are lower in summer than the winter—1. 8% of the economically active population in July 2006 were not employed, and 5. 3% were unemployed year-round,^[1] the same as the United Kingdom average. ^[55] The largest religion in Weymouth and Portland is Christianity, at almost 74. 7%,^[53] which is slightly above the UK average of 71. This article is about the development of religion in the United Kingdom (UK since its formation in 1707 6%. ^[56] The next-largest sector is those with no religion, at almost 15. 9%,^[53] also slightly above the UK average of 15. 5%. ^[56]

Transport

The A354 road is the only way off of the tied island, connecting to Weymouth and the A35 trunk road in Dorchester. The A354 is a Primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast The A35 is a Trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major Road &mdashusually connecting two or more cities, Ports Airports Dorchester is a Market town in southern central Dorset, England, on the River Frome at the junction of the A35 and A37 The road runs from Easton, splitting into 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. Easton is the second largest of eight villages on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Chiswell (pronounced Chesil Chis-well or Chisel sometimes called Chesilton is a small fishing Village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill Fortuneswell is the largest of eight Villages on the Isle of Portland, just off the coast of Dorset in the English Channel. Chesil Beach, sometimes called Chesil Bank, is a Tombolo in Dorset, southern England. Wyke Regis (ˌwaɪkˈriːdʒɪs is a village in south Dorset, England.

To relieve congestion between Weymouth and Portland, Jurassic Coast Railways proposed constructing a light railway along the route of the former Weymouth and Portland Railway in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. Light railway refers to a Railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail" Inception The need in the early 1820s to transport stone led to an older railway the Portland Railway being promoted ^[57] Local councillors and MPs support the scheme; however Jim Knight MP and the SWRDA expressed concern that preparations for the £60 million scheme may not be ready in time for the raliway to be integrated into the Osprey Quay development, which could block the proposed route. A regional development agency (RDA is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development primarily economic of one of England 's Government Office ^[58]

Local buses are run by FirstGroup, which has services from Portland to Weymouth town centre. FirstGroup plc ( is a Scottish Transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Canada, USA ^[59] Weymouth serves as the hub for south Dorset bus routes; providing services to Dorchester and local villages. ^[59] Weymouth is connected to towns and villages along the Jurassic Coast by the Jurassic Coast Bus service, which runs along the route of 142 kilometres (88 mi) from Exeter to Poole, through Sidford, Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Wool, and Wareham. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England Sidford is a small Village in the Civil parish of and on the outskirts of the Town of Sidmouth in the English county of The town of Beer is in south east Devon, England, on Lyme Bay. Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. Lyme Regis (ˌlaɪmˈriːdʒɪs is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 Miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter Charmouth is a village at the Mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England. Bridport is a town in Dorset, England. Located near the Coast at the Western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the rivers This article is about a village in England For the suburb in Sydney Australia see Abbotsbury New South Wales Abbotsbury is a large Village Wool is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. Wareham is a historic Market town and under the name Wareham Town, a Civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. ^[60] Travellers can catch trains from Weymouth to London and Bristol, and ferries to the French port of St Malo, and the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Saint-Malo ( Breton: Sant-Maloù; Gallo: Saent-Malô) is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Bailliage de Guernesey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. ^[61]

Education

The Chesil Education Partnership pyramid area operates in south Dorset, and includes five infant schools, four junior schools, twelve primary schools, four secondary schools and two special schools. An Infant school is a type of School which caters for young children usually between the ages of 4 and 7 years A junior school is a type of School which caters for children often between the ages of 4 and 11 See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes A special school is a school catering to students who have Special educational needs e ^[1] 69. 8% of Portland residents have qualifications, which is slightly below the Dorset average of 73. 8%. ^[1] 10. 2% of residents have higher qualifications (Level 4+), less than the Dorset average of 18. Further education (often abbreviated "FE" is Post-secondary Education (in addition to that received at Secondary school) that is distinct from 3%. ^[1]

There are two infant schools on Portland—Brackenbury Infant School in Fortuneswell and Grove Infant School. Fortuneswell is the largest of eight Villages on the Isle of Portland, just off the coast of Dorset in the English Channel. ^[62] Portland has one junior school (Underhill Community Junior School in Fortuneswell) and two primary schools (St George's Primary School in Weston and Southwell Primary School). Weston is a village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Southwell (pronounced south-well) is a small coastal village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, between Portland Bill and ^[62] Royal Manor Arts College in Weston is Portland's only secondary school,^[1] however it has no sixth form centre. The sixth form, in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish education systems Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Belize In 2007, 57% of RMAC students gained five or more grade A* to C GCSEs. The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE) is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject generally taken in a number of subjects by ^[63]

Some students commute to Weymouth to study A-Levels, or to attend the other three secondary schools in the Chesil Education Partnership. Weymouth (ˈweɪməθ is a town in Dorset, England situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, Budmouth College in Chickerell has a sixth form centre which had 296 students in 2006. Chickerell is a village north-west of Weymouth in west Dorset, England. ^[64] Weymouth College in Melcombe Regis is a further education college which has around 7,500 students from south west England and overseas,^[65] about 1500 studying A-Level courses. Weymouth College is a Further Education College located in Weymouth, England. Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England. Situated on the north shore of Weymouth harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole Further education (often abbreviated "FE" is Post-secondary Education (in addition to that received at Secondary school) that is distinct from South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to ^[64] In 2006, Budmouth students received an average of 647. 6 UCAS points, and Weymouth College students gained 614. The UCAS Points System is a means of differentiating students based upon grades from various post-GCSE qualifications 1. ^[64] Some secondary and A-Level students commute to Dorchester to attend The Thomas Hardye School; in 2007, 79% of Hardye school students received five or more A* to C GCSEs, and 78% of all A-Level results were A to C grades. Dorchester is a Market town in southern central Dorset, England, on the River Frome at the junction of the A35 and A37 The Thomas Hardye School is a Secondary school in Dorchester Dorset. ^[66]

Culture

Sport and recreation

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 National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast Weymouth and Portland's waters were credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe. Weymouth Bay is a sheltered Bay on the south coast of England, in Dorset. The Royal Yachting Association ( RYA) is the national governing body for Watersports in the United Kingdom. ^[67] Weymouth and Portland regularly host local, national and international sailing events in their waters; these include 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. ^[68]

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. ^[69] However, as part of the South West of England Regional Development Agency's plans to redevelop Osprey Quay, a new 600-berth marina and an extension with more on-site facilities will be built. The South West of England Regional Development Agency leads the development of a sustainable economy in the South West England, investing to unlock the region’s business potential ^[70] Construction is scheduled between October 2007 and the end of 2008, therefore Weymouth and Portland will be the first in the United Kingdom to finish building a venue for the Olympic Games. ^[71]

Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour are used for other water sports—the reliable wind is favourable for wind- and kite-surfing. Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail Kitesurfing, kiteboarding, uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small Surfboard or a kiteboard (which is like a Wakeboard) Chesil beach and Portland Harbour are used regularly for angling, diving to shipwrecks, snorkelling, canoeing, and swimming. ^[72] 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 is the most common style. Rock climbing is a Sport in which participants climb up or across natural rock formations or man-made rock walls with the goal of reaching the Bouldering is a style of Rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs so that a fall will not result in serious injury Sport climbing is a style of Rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock especially bolts for protection. ^[73]

Rabbits

Rabbits have been associated with bad luck for centuries on Portland; use of the name is still taboo—the creatures are often referred to as "Underground Mutton", "Long-Eared Furry Things" or just "bunnies". ^[74] The fear of the word 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. A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows which can occur ^[75] There have been cave-ins, and in one instance a crane operator died when his crane toppled on weak ground above the burrows. If a rabbit was seen in a quarry, the workers would pack up and go home for the day, until the safety of the area had been assured. ^[74]

Even today older Portland residents are offended or go quiet at the mention of rabbits;^[75] 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 the Were-Rabbit. Wallace & Gromit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British stop-motion animated film the first feature-length Wallace and Gromit In respect of local beliefs the adverts omitted the word 'rabbit' and replaced the film's title with the phrase "Something bunny is going on". ^[74]

Literature

In The Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell suggests that Portland was the Isle of the Dead, a place of internal exile, where the causeway was guarded to keep the 'dead' (people suffering insanity) from crossing the Fleet and returning back to the mainland. The Warlord Chronicles is a Trilogy of books about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell (perhaps best known for his Richard Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English Historical novelist He is best known for his The Isle of the Dead is associated with pre-Christian Celtic mythology and occurs as a theme in a number of European countries However, there is no archaeological evidence of such occurrences. ^[76]

Thomas Hardy called Portland the Isle of Slingers in his novels; the isle was the main setting of The Well-Beloved, and was featured in The Trumpet-Major. Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928 was an English novelist Short story writer and poet of the naturalist movement though he saw The Well-Beloved is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1912 The Trumpet-Major is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1880. ^[77] 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 as Portland Bill. Hardy named Portland the Gibraltar of the North, with reference to its similarities with Gibraltar; its physical geography, isolation, comparatively mild climate, and Underhill's winding streets. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar Underhill is the name given to the area of land at the northern end of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, which is very steep and contains the ^[78]

References and notes

External links

• Map sources for grid reference SY 690 721.
• Weymouth & Portland borough council
• Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England
• Exploring Portland
• Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust

Photographs

• Photographs of Portland
• Pictures of England: Portland
• Portland Picture Galleries
• Preserved Images of Portland

Further reading

• Stuart Morris, 1985 Portland, an Illustrated History The Dovecote Press, Wimborne, Dorset: ISBN 0-946159-34-3
• Stuart Morris, 1998 Portland (Discover Dorset Series) The Dovecote Press, Wimborne, Dorset: ISBN 1-874336-49-0.
• Jackson, Brian L. 1999. Isle of Portland railways. ISBN 0853615403
• Palmer, Susann. 1999. Ancient Portland: Archaeology of the Isle. Portland: S. Palmer. ISBN 0953281108
• Stuart Morris, 2002 Portland: A Portrait in Colour The Dovecote Press, Wimborne, Dorset: ISBN 1-874336-91-1.
• Stuart Morris, 2006 Portland, Then and Now The Dovecote Press, Wimborne, Dorset: ISBN 1-904349-48-X.

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