NCI Portland Bill

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NCI Portland Bill in 2011. Portland Bill NCI Lookout Station.jpg
NCI Portland Bill in 2011.

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. [1] It is located close to the Old Higher Lighthouse.

Contents

The coast of Portland Bill has been notorious for the many shipwrecks over the centuries. The dangerous coastline has proven more hazardous due to the strong tidal race known as the Portland Race. Portland Bill remains important as a way-point for coastal traffic. [2]

History

NCI Portland Bill in 2007. Coastguard Lookout Station, Portland - geograph.org.uk - 527424.jpg
NCI Portland Bill in 2007.
NCI Portland Bill in 2011. Lookout Station Portland Bill NCI.jpg
NCI Portland Bill in 2011.

The coastguard lookout at Portland Bill was first built in 1934. In 1994, HM Coastguard stations across the UK were shut down by the government in effort to save costs, though Portland Bill was one of the last lookouts to close as the station was considered to be vital due to the treacherous sea area. [3]

Shortly after the coastguard stations were closed a group of mariners, led by Captain Starling Lark, formed a group to re-open them, following the deaths of two young fishermen directly in front of the lookout at Bass Point in Cornwall. [4] However, by the time the Portland Bill lookout was chosen to be reopened, it was in desperate need of repair. In May 1996 a small band of enthusiasts, led by the first Station Manager Dave Crabb, undertook the task of refurbishing the station. The initial refurbishment was completed by early 1997, and on 27 May 1997 the station was declared officially open.

Despite the refurbishment the station was still inadequate, with only enough room for 2 watchkeepers. After a large fundraising campaign, started by the station manager Geoff Peters, it was rebuilt in 2004, and the watch room was extended to almost twice its original size. The recommencing of operations within the newly rebuilt station, on 27 July 2004, was marked with a service of blessing conducted by the Reverend Anita Thorne, which was attended by 100 guests. Whiskey Bravo (the Coastguard SAR Helicopter) also flew past in honour of the occasion. [5] The official opening was carried out soon after by The Princess Royal. [6]

In 2012, the station opened a recently built training centre as part of the station, which was funded entirely by donations. [6] [7] With the announcement of the HM Coastguard moving away from Weymouth, the training centre was built to replace the training facility used by the station at Weymouth and Portland Coastguard Headquarters. [8]

Operational details

A watchkeeper inside the lookout station in 2003, before it was rebuilt. NCI lookout, Portland Bill - geograph.org.uk - 345506.jpg
A watchkeeper inside the lookout station in 2003, before it was rebuilt.

The station is equipped with all the very latest technology, including radar, an AIS (Automatic Identification System) for identifying shipping, a weather monitoring system and high powered binoculars. In early 2012 a CCTV camera was installed at the top of Portland Bill Lighthouse to allow the station to monitor the inshore passage around the Bill, which was unable to be seen from the lookout. [9] In 2013, the station logged 15,962 vessels, with involvement in over 160 incidents. [6]

The lookout is run entirely on public donations, and this is partly achieved with local fundraising. The lookout costs £8,000 a year to keep active. It is staffed in four hour shifts, usually by 3 watchkeepers, from 07:00–19:00, 364 days each year. The station has 65 highly trained volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. [8] Overall, the team donate 9,417 work-hours to the community each year, which excludes time 'on call', as well as administration work and training. [6]

The station is officially part of the Dorset Search and Rescue, also working with HM Coastguards, the Search and Rescue Helicopter, the RNLI, UK Border Agencies, Immigration, Drug Alliance, Dorset Police, and the Marine Police. Additionally the station gives regular weather reports to HM Coastguards at Weymouth. [6]

Awards

In 2009 NCI Portland Bill was the winner of The Wessex Charity Award (Volunteers of the year). This award had 200 applicants. Following the recognition, Meridian Television created a 10-minute feature at the lookout, and this was screened throughout the region then sold to Westward Television. [5] During the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year (2012), the station was presented with The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service - the highest recognition possible for volunteers, and the equivalent of an MBE. That same year in August the Princess Royal returned, together with Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, to present the prestigious award. [10] [11] Following their appearance, both the Princess and Vice Admiral wrote letters to the station, and officially joined the team at Portland Bill by becoming Honorary Watchkeepers. [6] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

Isle of Portland Human settlement in England

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 it to the mainland. 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 12,797.

Chesil Beach Shingle beach in southern England

Chesil Beach in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain. Its name is derived from the Old English ceosel or cisel, meaning "gravel" or "shingle". It runs for a length of 29 kilometres (18 mi) from West Bay to the Isle of Portland and in places is up to 15 metres (50 ft) high and 200 metres (660 ft) wide. Behind the beach is the Fleet, a shallow tidal lagoon. Both are part of the Jurassic Coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and together form an SSSI and Ramsar Site.

Portland Harbour

Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its 520-hectare (1,300-acre) surface area made it the largest man-made harbour in the world, and remains one of the largest in the world today. It is naturally protected by Portland to the south, Chesil Beach to the west and mainland Dorset to the north. It consists of four breakwaters — two southern and two northern. These have a total length of 4.57 km and enclose approximately 1,000 hectares of water.

Portland Bill

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.

Castletown, Dorset Human settlement in England

Castletown is a small village in Underhill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is located close to Fortuneswell, on the shores of Portland Harbour, and includes a sandy beach, as well as one of Portland's notable highlights; Portland Castle, while the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is also located nearby.

National Coastwatch Institution Voluntary organisation of marine observatories

The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary organisation and registered charity providing a visual watch along the UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with HM Coastguard.

RNAS Portland (HMS <i>Osprey</i>)

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, Dorset Town in Dorset, England

Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, 11 kilometres (7 mi) south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,068 as of 2018. It is the third largest settlement in Dorset after Bournemouth and Poole.

Balaclava Bay

Balaclava Bay is a bay situated on the edge of Portland Harbour, where the breakwater meets the island, at the northern end of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, in southern England. The bay is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. The bay is overlooked by the Victorian East Weare Battery, built in the 1860s to protect the harbour. The nearest road within the dockyard of Portland Port is named Balaclava Road.

Brewers Quay

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.

Devenish Brewery

Devenish Brewery, also known as J. A. Devenish & Co. Ltd, was a brewery in Weymouth, Dorset, England, that was founded in 1821 by William Devenish. It primarily operated from Weymouth's Hope Square, but also had a facility at Redruth, Cornwall. Devenish was sold to Greenalls in 1993.

NCI Froward Point

NCI Froward Point is a busy National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) lookout station at Inner Froward Point at the easterly side of the mouth of the River Dart two miles by coast path from Kingswear in Devon in England. Its twin duties are to maintain an hours of daylight watch over the local coastal area and the South West Coast Path on whose route it lies. With some significant blind spots because of the coastline, NCI Froward Point covers the coastline from Start Point in the West towards Brixham in the East.

St Albans Head

St Alban's Head is a headland located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of Swanage, on the coast of Dorset, England. It is the most southerly part of the Purbeck peninsula, and comprises an outcrop of Portland Stone from the overlying Lower Purbeck Stone. It is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. It is designated a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union's Habitats Directive.

The Grove, Portland Human settlement in England

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 Youth Offender's Institute 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.

Nothe Gardens

Nothe Gardens is a public garden, located in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Positioned on the Nothe Peninsula overlooking both Weymouth and Portland harbours, the informal gardens are often acclaimed to be the most beautiful the borough has to offer.

Jurassic Skyline

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.

Governors Community Garden

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.

Freshwater Bay, Portland

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. It forms part of the Jurassic Coast.

Church of Our Lady and St Andrew, Portland

Church of Our Lady and St Andrew is a former Roman Catholic church in The Grove, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The church is now in private ownership.

Custom House, Weymouth

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.

References

  1. ↑ "NCI Portland Bill – QAVS | ……..eyes along the coast". Nci-portlandbill.org. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Portland Bill". trinityhouse.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "History | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS".
  4. ↑ "Portland Bill - Walk". South West Coast Path. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  5. 1 2 "History | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS". Nci-portlandbill.org. 27 July 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Who We Are | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS". Nci-portlandbill.org. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "CIVIC LEADERS VISIT NEW TRAINING CENTRE AT PORTLAND BILL | National Coastwatch Institution". Nci.org.uk. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Training Centre | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS". Nci-portlandbill.org. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Portland Bill CCTV keeps eye on Dorset coast (From Dorset Echo)". Dorsetecho.co.uk. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Princess Anne is greeted by 100 guests at Portland Bill lookout station (From Dorset Echo)". Dorsetecho.co.uk. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  11. 1 2 "The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS". Nci-portlandbill.org. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR PORTLAND BILL | National Coastwatch Institution". Nci.org.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  13. ↑ "Princess Anne and husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence join Portland Bill's National Coast-watch team (From Bournemouth Echo)". Bournemouthecho.co.uk. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "Royal Seal of Approval | NCI Portland Bill – QAVS". Nci-portlandbill.org. Retrieved 9 February 2014.

Coordinates: 50°31′18″N2°27′26″W / 50.5217°N 2.4573°W / 50.5217; -2.4573

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