Pennsylvania Castle

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Pennsylvania Castle
Pennsylvania Castle - geograph.org.uk - 527899.jpg
Pennsylvania Castle
General information
Type English country house
Architectural styleGothic Revival
Location Isle of Portland, Dorset, England
Coordinates 50°32′19″N2°25′50″W / 50.538514°N 2.430482°W / 50.538514; -2.430482
Construction started1797
Completed1800
Client John Penn
Design and construction
Architect James Wyatt

Pennsylvania Castle is a Gothic Revival mansion on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located in Wakeham and overlooks Church Ope Cove. The castle is Grade II Listed, [1] as is the adjacent gatehouse and lodges, which are now in separate ownership. [2]

After becoming a hotel in 1950, the castle reverted to being a private residence in the 1990s. It is now hired out for functions and events, and is Portland's most expensive residential property. [3] The castle, built of Portland stone, was originally a rectangular block until it was extended in the 20th century. It also has projecting corner turrets, embattled parapets and a circular tower.

History

The castle was built in 1797-1800 to designs by the architect James Wyatt for John Penn, Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. [4] [5] Penn discovered the area on one of his trips with King George III, and subsequently chose it for a marine mansion. [6] King George III's daughter Princess Elizabeth officially opened the mansion in 1800. [7]

A few years later, Penn had a bath built below the gardens of the castle, during a time when sea bathing was popular. However, when it was completed, Portland's Court Leet demanded rent for its use as it was built on common land. Penn refused to pay and the bath was abandoned. [8] The castle later appeared as "Sylvania Castle" in Hardy's 1892 novel The Well-Beloved . [4] During World War II, Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower and General de Gaulle visited the castle, where they met to finalise their plans for the Normandy landings. [4]

In 1950, the private residence was turned into a hotel, known as "The Pennsylvania Castle Hotel", which continued to operate into the 1990s. [9] The mansion then reverted to a private house and was sold again in 2011 for £4 million to a buyer from Australia. [10] The castle was then made available as a holiday home, also catering for weddings, private and corporate functions and other events. [11]

Related Research Articles

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.

Easton, Dorset Human settlement in England

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 is a place of special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974.

Verne High Angle Battery

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Wakeham Human settlement in England

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 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.

Weston is a village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It abuts the main village Easton. As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, Weston has been designated as a conservation area, as it is a place of special architectural and historic interest. The village was designated in 1994.

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.

Southwell, Dorset Human settlement in England

Southwell is a small coastal village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. As Portland and Dorset's southernmost village, it lies between Portland Bill and the villages of Easton and Weston. Though close to the Bill, the village is sheltered by hills on three sides. It is the only village on Portland not to be designated a conservation area.

Church Ope Cove

Church Ope Cove is a small secluded beach on the sheltered eastern side of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England and is part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found close to the village of Wakeham. The beach has many unusual features for the Isle of Portland. The beach used to be sandy, but quarry debris now covers the sand, and has been worn into rounded pebbles. The pebbles cover a small stream which runs to the sea, which is one of the few active streams remaining on the Isle of Portland.

Chiswell Human settlement in England

Chiswell, sometimes, is a small village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is the oldest settlement on the island, having formerly been known as Chesilton. The small bay at Chiswell is called Chesil Cove, and the beach promenade and sea wall which form Chiswell's coastal defences are a prominent feature.

Rufus Castle Grade I listed castle in the United Kingdom

Rufus Castle, also known as Bow and Arrow Castle, is a partially ruined castle overlooking Church Ope Cove on Portland, England. Its name derives from King William II, known as William Rufus, for whom the original castle was built.

Portland Museum, Dorset Museum in England

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.

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.

Hallelujah Bay Bay in United Kingdom

Hallelujah Bay is a bay located on the west side of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The bay is situated below West Weares, with Clay Ope, Blacknor Point and Mutton Cove further south. Near the cove is a large mound of rock and earth beneath the clifftops known locally as the Green Hump.

St Andrews Church, Portland

St Andrew's Church is a ruined church located above Church Ope Cove on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. St Andrew's was Portland's first parish church and remained as such until the mid-18th century. It is now one of the island's prime historical sites, and is a Grade II* Listed Building and a Scheduled Monument. The southern retaining wall of the churchyard is also Grade II Listed, as are three remaining churchyard monuments, approximately 7 metres south of the church.

Trinity House Obelisk Daymark at Portland Bill, UK

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Portland Windmills

The Portland Windmills are two disused stone towers which were used as windmills from at least the early 17th century. They are located south of Easton village and the east of Weston village. The towers, which are relatively short mills with conical caps, stand approximately 135 metres apart. They have been separate Grade II Listed monuments since September 1978, and are the only historic windmill remains to survive in Dorset.

Avalanche Memorial Church

The Avalanche Memorial Church, also known as the Church of St Andrew, is a Church of England church in Southwell, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It was built in 1879 and remains active as part of the Portland Parish. The church, along with its boundary wall, has been a Grade II Listed building since September 1978.

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.

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Grove Lime Kiln is a disused 19th century lime kiln on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located close to HM Prison Portland and The Grove village. Owned by the prison service, the lime kiln has been Grade II Listed since 2009.

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References

  1. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203103)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  2. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203078)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. "Portland castle sells for £3.5million". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Monument No. 868650". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203103)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  6. Morris, Stuart (1985). Portland: An Illustrated History. Dovecote Press. p. 46. ISBN   978-0946159345.
  7. "History | Penn Castle". Thepenn.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  8. "Penn's Bath, Portland, Dorset". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  9. "Area around Church Ope Cove". Geoffkirby.co.uk. 1935-07-25. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  10. "BBC News - Pennsylvania Castle in Portland sold for £4m". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  11. "History - Pennsylvania Castle". Thepenn.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-10.