Freshwater Bay, Portland

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Freshwater Bay, Cheyne House and the pumping station. Freshwater Bay, Portland, Dorset.jpg
Freshwater Bay, Cheyne House and the pumping station.

Freshwater Bay is a bay on the east side of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England, south from Church Ope Cove and between the villages of Wakeham and Southwell. [1] It forms part of the Jurassic Coast.

Freshwater Bay. Cliffs Near Southwell, Dorset (geograph 2051714).jpg
Freshwater Bay.
Freshwater Bay, and the pumping station. Coastal quarries on Portland Bill.jpg
Freshwater Bay, and the pumping station.

Freshwater Bay takes its name from a freshwater spring which emerged at the bottom of the cliff. An Admiralty pumping station was built on the clifftop in the 19th century for supplying fresh water to the naval base and to the harbour's breakwaters during their construction. Cheyne House was built for the attendant of the station. The man-made tunnel for the pumped water was known as Cheyne Tunnel, and in 2011 this was blocked by a rockfall. [2]

For many decades and through to the second half of the 20th century the bay was in regular use by commercial fishermen. [3]

The Great Southwell Landslip, Britain's second largest recorded historical landslide, occurred in 1734, between Durdle Pier and Freshwater Bay, along a length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). [4]

Freshwater Bay is reputed to be one of the best places on Portland for fossil locating. [5] [6] The area is known to be popular for fishing, [7] and the cliffs of the bay are also popular with rock climbers. [8]

Above Freshwater Bay is Cheyne House and its grounds which were used, along with other locations across Portland and Weymouth, in the 1963 film The Damned .

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Pulpit Rock, Portland

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Newtons Cove

Newton's Cove is a small cove with sand, shingle and rock pools, 0.5 kilometres (0.3 mi) south of Weymouth, Dorset, England, overlooking Portland Harbour and next to the Nothe Fort. The beach is mainly used by locals and by tourists who visit the Nothe Gardens and the fort.

Kimmeridge Bay

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Redcliff Point

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Balaclava Bay bay in Dorset, England

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Furzy Cliff human settlement in United Kingdom

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Durdle Pier

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Mutton Cove, Portland

Mutton Cove is a cove, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found on the west side of Portland. Presumably named after the once-famous Portland sheep, the cove is an erosional indentation just south of the promontory of Blacknor. On the cliff tops of the cove is part of the South West Coast Path and further south is Wallsend Cove and Portland Bill.

Wallsend Cove

Wallsend Cove is a cove, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found on the west side of Portland, further south from Mutton Cove, and situated between Southwell Business Park and Portland Bill. The cliff tops above the cove are part of the South West Coast Path.

Culverwell Mesolithic Site

Culverwell Mesolithic Site is a Mesolithic settlement, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found in the local area known as Culverwell, along the Portland Bill Road. It is within an area of unspoiled countryside, with no past quarrying. The site is maintained by the Association for Portland Archaeology – a small group dedicated to researching, investigating and excavating on Portland.

Great Southwell Landslip

The Great Southwell Landslip occurred in 1734 on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England near the southerly village of Southwell and extended for a length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) between Durdle Pier and Freshwater Bay. It remains Britain's second largest recorded historical landslide.

NCI Portland Bill

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.

Southwell Business Park Business park in Dorset, England

Southwell Business Park is a business park on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is housed at the former Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, which closed in 1995 and became the Southwell Business Park in 1997.

References

  1. ↑ "Pictures- Portland, Dorset". Weymouth-pictures.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  2. ↑ "Cheyne, Portland". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  3. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1990). Portland Camera. Dovecote Press. pp. Photo 78. ISBN   978-0946159796.
  4. ↑ "Quick facts about the Jurassic Coast". Jurassiccoastline.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  5. ↑ "Freshwater Bay fossils and fossil collecting". Freshwaterbay.ukfossils.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-08-29. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "Portlandbill.co.uk". Portlandbill.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  8. ↑ "Databases | Neddyfields > Neddyfields Bouldering". Rockfax. Archived from the original on 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-10.

Coordinates: 50°31′48″N2°26′14″W / 50.5301°N 2.4373°W / 50.5301; -2.4373

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