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.
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.
The Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, built as a Gunnery Establishment at the beginning of the Cold War, was closed in 1995 alongside Portland's naval base. [1] [2] The establishment buildings remained empty for two years, until Roy Haywood and Ray Bulpit, whose business was the acquisition and development of former military sites, purchased the site in 1997. [3] The first tenants of Southwell Business Park arrived that year, and the park continued to expand its range of business tenants. In the 2000s, the site was recorded as employing almost 500 people and being home to over 100 businesses. [4] It was estimated that the total turnover generated at the park from 1997 to 2008 reached over £200 million. [3]
In 2006, work commenced on developing unused parts of the park, including an unused 1970s-built wing, into the Portland Spa and an 80-bedroom hotel, known as the Venue Hotel. Completed in 2007, the spa included a gym, a fitness studio and an indoor swimming pool. [3] The Orchid Restaurant was also converted from the former AUWE canteen. It was later renamed to the Cliff Panoramic Restaurant and Bar. [3] In 2010, the park went into administration after the UK recession made it difficult to repay borrowed money used to create the spa and hotel. [5] The site was sold to Compass Point Estates. [6] After a succession of ownership changes and names, the tenants of the Ocean Spa took over the hotel and restaurant in 2013. [7]
In 2016, the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy's new £14 million campus was opened within the park. [8] The Ocean Spa and Hotel had closed in 2014 due to the new school premises, [9] however by 2015 the hotel had reopened with new management, and was named Ocean Hotel and Bar. The hotel is currently known as the Maritime Hotel. [10]
In 2017, business and enterprise director Calvin Samways acquired a stretch of real estate at Southwell Business Park from the Compass Point Estates for a six figure sum. [11] The unused site was then redeveloped into seven industrial units, named the Network Enterprise Complex (NEC). It was officially opened in 2018 by South Dorset MP Richard Drax and Weymouth and Portland's Mayor and Mayoress. [12] [13]
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 is a small coastal village in Tophill on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. As Portland and Dorset's southern-most 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.
The Weymouth Pavilion, formerly the Ritz, is a theatre in Weymouth, Dorset. The complex contains a 988-seat theatre, 600 (maximum) capacity ballroom known as the Ocean Room, the Piano Bar restaurant, Ritz Cafe and other function and meeting rooms.
Dorset Green Technology Park is a science and technology park which is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency. The site was the former UKAEA Winfrith Atomic Energy Establishment which was in service from the 1950s to early 1990s. The Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor was also developed at the site.
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.
South West Coaches is a privately owned bus company that operating services around Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire in South West England.
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, 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.
The Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment was an Admiralty research department dedicated to underwater detection systems and weapons. It was formed at the Isle of Portland in 1959 and later became part of the Admiralty Research Agency (ARE) in 1984.
Tout Quarry, now known as Tout Quarry Sculpture Park and Nature Reserve, is a sculpture park and nature reserve based within a disused quarry on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located within the north-west corner of Tophill. The sculpture park has existed since 1983, while the site also become a nature reserve around 2004. To date, the quarry displays a collection of various carvings and works in Portland stone.
Blacknor Fort is a 20th-century fort on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located at Blacknor Point on the western side of Portland, close to Weston village.
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 overlooks Weymouth town, the beach, the Pavilion, the Old Harbour, Nothe Gardens, the Nothe Fort, and Portland Harbour. It opened on 22 June 2012 as a temporary attraction.
The Trinity House Obelisk, also known as the Trinity House Landmark, is a 19th-century obelisk located at Portland Bill, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Built as a daymark, it has been Grade II Listed since 1978.
King Barrow Quarry is a disused site of former 19th century stone quarries on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located in the north-east corner of Tophill. The quarry, now a Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve, covers 12.2 hectares. Both King Barrow and the nearby Tout Quarry make up the Dorset Wildlife Trust's Portland Quarries Nature Park. Portland also has two butterfly reserves: Broadcroft Quarry and Perryfield Quarry.
Chiswell Earthworks is a land sculpture, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found above Chesil Beach's most southerly part Chesil Cove, at the end of the promenade sea wall, towards West Weares. It was created by John Maine RA, between 1986 and 1993.
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.
RAF Portland is a former Royal Air Force and ROTOR radar station on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Located close to the Verne Citadel and East Cliff, the station was established in the 1950s as part of a nationwide air defence radar system built by the British Government during the Cold War. The station became a scheduled monument in 2004 and is now the site of the community farm, Fancy's Family Farm.
Castle Cove, also known as Sandsfoot Cove, is a small secluded sandy beach to the west of Weymouth, in Dorset, southern England. It is found within the village of Wyke Regis and close to Sandsfoot Castle, one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built around 1541 opposite its contemporary Portland Castle to protect Portland Roads. The beach is privately owned, but has remained open to the public and is a favourite spot for swimming, sailing, snorkelling and diving.
HMS Osprey was an anti-submarine training establishment located at the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It was active between 1924 and 1941, and again from 1946 to 1999. The helicopter station RNAS Portland formed part of the establishment from 1959 to 1999.
Coombefield Quarry is an active stone quarry located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is situated near the island's southernmost village Southwell. The large quarry has been worked over many years, and has two voids known as Coombefield North and Coombefield South. The quarry today incorporates the former Suckthumb Quarry, which is situated at the northwest part of the quarry, and is now filled in. The quarry is owned by Portland Stone Firms Ltd, along with Broadcroft and Perryfield Quarry. The firm is the largest landholder on the island.
Coordinates: 50°32′37″N2°27′14″W / 50.54356°N 2.45381°W
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