The Custom House is a former custom house at Weymouth, Dorset, England, operated by HM Customs to handle the trade of Weymouth Harbour. The building, which has origins to the late 18th century, has been Grade II listed since 1970. [1]
The Custom House is a former custom house at Weymouth, Dorset, England, operated by HM Customs to handle the trade of Weymouth Harbour. The building, which has origins to the late 18th century, has been Grade II listed since 1970. [1]
The Custom House was originally a warehouse and residence, completed around 1794. The warehouse was operated by Messrs Robilliard and Ahier, the former of whom lived in the ground floor residence. In the early 19th century, the building went through much modification. Later in 1874, the then-owner Sir Frederick Johnstone, leased the building to HM Customs, [1] who continued to use the building as a Custom House until 1985. Portland's HM Coastguard then took over and renovated the building for use as a Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, which opened in 1988. [1] In 2010, it was announced that the centre would be closed as part of government cuts. [2] The centre closed in September 2014 and was subsequently sold. [3]
In 2016, planning permission was approved to turn the ground floor of the building into a water sports training facility with a cafe, and the first, second and third floors into residential apartments. [4] [5]
The Isle of Portland is a tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) wide, in 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 is 13,417.
Portland Bill is a narrow promontory at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorious for the number of shipwrecked vessels over the centuries. The dangerous coastline features shallow reefs and the Shambles sandbank, made more hazardous due to the strong Portland tidal race.
RNAS Portland was an air station of the Royal Navy, situated at the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It was established in 1917 on the western edge of Portland Harbour as HMS Sarepta. From 1959 the station shared the name HMS Osprey, the anti-submarine establishment based at Portland, with helicopters used for research and development in anti-submarine techniques. RNAS Portland remained operational until 1999.
Weymouth is a sea-side town and civil parish in the Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, 11 km (7 mi) south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third-largest settlement in Dorset after Bournemouth and Poole. The greater Weymouth urban area has a population of 72,802.
Pier Bandstand Weymouth is an Art Deco bandstand on the shore of Weymouth Bay in Dorset, England.
Bowers Quarry/Mine is an active stone quarry on the west side of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The quarry is operated by Albion Stone and became the site of the first Portland Stone mine. In October 2002 the firm successfully initiated Portland's first ever underground mining operation, which was a precursor to Jordans Mine, which would start in 2008. It has also been the selected site for the planned Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory.
Portland Museum is a museum on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England. It is located at the southern end of the hamlet of Wakeham. The museum is housed in two 17th-century thatched cottages, which have both been Grade II Listed since 1951. One of the museum's cottages, Avice's Cottage, is featured in Thomas Hardy's 1897 novel The Well-Beloved, as the home of three generations of "Avices" - the novel's heroines.
Brewers Quay is a converted Victorian brewery on the south side of Hope Square near the Old Harbour in Weymouth, Dorset, southern England. Much of the complex dates from 1903–04, when it was built as the Hope Brewery for John Groves & Sons Ltd. It was later taken over by Devenish Brewery in 1960 and opened in 1990 as an indoor shopping complex with around twenty specialty shops together with heritage and science exhibits, until it closed in 2010. From 2013-17, the building housed an antiques emporium. It currently awaits redevelopment.
The Grove is a small village located at Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. The village is found close to the larger village Easton, and is most notable for containing the HM Prison Portland, including its museum Grove Prison Museum. As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, The Grove has been designated as a conservation area, as it is a place of special architectural and historic interest. The village was designated in 1981.
The Jurassic Skyline tower was an observation tower on Weymouth Pier in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It was situated next to Weymouth Beach and the Weymouth Pavilion, where it overlooked Weymouth town, the beach, the Pavilion, the Old Harbour, Nothe Gardens, the Nothe Fort, and Portland Harbour. It opened on 22 June 2012.
Victoria Gardens is a public garden, located at Underhill, Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found close to Fortuneswell village and overlooks both Victoria Square and Chiswell. The gardens, which were created to mark the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, have remained a focal point since their opening in 1904.
Governor's Community Garden is a public garden, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found within The Grove village, opposite the site of HM Prison Portland.
NCI Portland Bill is a National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) lookout station on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The station is situated 50 metres above sea level on the cliff edge, half a mile north of the tip of Portland Bill. It is located close to the Old Higher Lighthouse.
The Portland Mulberry Harbour Phoenix Units are two reinforced concrete caissons, built as part of the artificial Mulberry harbours that were assembled as part of the follow-up to the Normandy landings during World War II. Out of a total of 213 produced units, two units still remain at the Isle of Portland, in Dorset, southern England. They are located at Portland Harbour, close to Queen's Pier. The two units became Grade II Listed in 1993.
Maiden Street Methodist Church is a former Methodist church in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It was built in 1866–67 to the designs of Foster and Wood of Bristol. The church was the victim of fire in 2002 and was subsequently replaced by the Weymouth Bay Methodist Church which opened in 2009. The church, which is a Grade II* listed building, remains a ruin and awaits redevelopment.
Portwey Hospital is a former workhouse and hospital located at Weymouth, Dorset, England. Originally built in the 1830s as the Weymouth Union workhouse, it later became Portwey Hospital in the 1930s. After closing in 1987, the building was transformed during the 1990s into the housing development known as Union Court.
Weymouth Old Town Hall is a former town hall at Weymouth, Dorset, England. The building, which was built with Portland stone in the 1770s, has been Grade II listed since 1953. The bell turret is believed to date from the 17th century. Since 2009, the hall has been operated for community use by the Guardians of the Old Town Hall.
Alexandra Gardens Theatre was a theatre at Weymouth, Dorset, England. Originally known as the Alexandra Gardens Concert Hall, it was opened in 1924 and later converted into an amusement arcade in 1963. The building was destroyed by fire in 1993 and replaced with a new building which is still in use as the Electric Palace Amusement Arcade.
West Bay Methodist Church is a former Methodist chapel at West Bay, West Dorset, England. Opened in 1849, the chapel was locally known as "the chapel on the beach". It closed in 2007 and was transformed into the West Bay Discovery Centre in 2018. The former chapel has been Grade II listed since 1975.
Weymouth Bay Methodist Church is a Methodist church in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It was built in 2008–09 to replace the Maiden Street Methodist Church of 1866–1870 which was gutted by fire in 2002.