Verne Citadel

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Verne Citadel
Uk dor verne.JPG
Main entrance to The Verne
Dorset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Verne Citadel
Coordinates Coordinates: 50°33′44″N2°26′09″W / 50.5622°N 2.4357°W / 50.5622; -2.4357
Site information
Open to
the public		No
ConditionComplete
Site history
Built1857-1881
In usePrison
MaterialsEarth
Masonry

Verne Citadel is a 19th-century citadel on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Located on the highest point of Portland, Verne Hill, it sits in a commanding position overlooking Portland Harbour, which it was built to defend. It later became HM Prison The Verne in 1949.

Contents

History

The citadel was built between 1857–81, as Portland Harbour's main defensive fortification. [1] [2] [3] Naturally inaccessible from the north and east, the south and west sides were protected with the digging of a large ditch. [4] Both East Weare Battery and East Weare Camp, located below the eastern side of the Verne, were considered part of the citadel's outworks. [5]

The moat Moat surrounding the Verne Citadel, Portland - geograph.org.uk - 771243.jpg
The moat

The citadel was designed with open gun emplacements on the north, east and west sides. [2] As its defensive role came to an end, by 1903 the citadel had become an infantry barracks. [3] During World War I and II, the Verne became the Headquarters of Coast Artillery. [1] During World War II, a Chain Home Low Radar set was installed within the citadel, and the main magazine became a hospital. [6] After the war, the last military use of the fort was by the Royal Engineers. [2]

The citadel was turned into a prison in 1949, becoming a Category C prison for 575 adult males, serving medium-to-long term sentences. [2] In 2013, the prison closed and became an immigration removal centre for 600 detainees awaiting deportation in 2014. [7] The centre was transformed back into a prison in 2017–18. [8]

Grade listed features

The battery at the southern entrance of the Verne Verne Battery, Portland - geograph.org.uk - 1359729.jpg
The battery at the southern entrance of the Verne

The citadel, including the Verne High Angle Battery, is a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. [9] In recent years the Citadel has been listed on English Heritage's Risk Register. [10]

Both the North and South Entrances, as well as the south west and south east casemates, are Grade II* Listed. [11] [12] [13] The railings at the approach to the north entrance form part of the original construction at The Verne, and are Grade II Listed. [14] The prison's reception centre is also Grade II Listed. In September 1978, five features of the citadel became Grade II Listed, including the prison's blacksmith's shop, [15] the prison chapel, [16] the officer's block B, [17] the prison gymnasium, [18] and the detached Governor's house. [19]

The East Weare Battery, and the detention barracks of East Weare Camp (built circa 1880), both became Grade II Listed in May 1993. [20] [21] The Verne High Angle Battery was built in 1892, approximately 150 metres south of the citadel's southern entrance, as part of Britain's Coastal Defences. Decommissioned in 1906, it became Grade II Listed in May 1993 too. [22]

Related Research Articles

Portland Harbour Port in Dorset, England

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.

Fortuneswell Human settlement in England

Fortuneswell is a village in Underhill on the Isle of Portland, in Dorset, England. It lies on steeply sloping land on the northern edge of the island, known as Underhill, where Chesil Beach connects the island to the mainland. Adjoining Fortuneswell are Chiswell to the west and Castletown to the north. Fortuneswell occupies the steeper land above sea level, whereas Chiswell and Castletown occupy flat land close to sea level, next to Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour respectively. Fortuneswell has a main shopping street, and along with Easton, is the main hub of the island's activities.

East Weare Battery

East Weare Battery is a former 19th-century gun battery to the east of the Verne Citadel on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The battery was built in the 1860s as a result of the Royal Commission to guard the new Portland harbour and Royal Navy institutions on the island. Five open batteries were built housing 20 9" and 10" RMLs. After 1877 the batteries were designated by letter 'A' to 'E'.

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

The Verne High Angle Battery is a former 19th-century gun battery on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Situated close to the Verne Citadel, the battery is Grade II Listed, and forms part of the citadel's scheduled monument status. The battery has become a tourist attraction, while the battery's tunnels are often referred to by their local name 'Ghost Tunnels'.

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 Village in Dorset, 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.

HM Prison Portland

HM Prison Portland is a male Adult/Young Offenders Institution in the village of The Grove on the Isle of Portland, in Dorset, England. It is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. The prison was originally opened in 1848 as an adult convict establishment, before becoming a Borstal in 1921, and a YOI in 1988. In 2011 it became an Adult/Young Offenders establishment.

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 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.

St Andrews Church, Portland Church in Dorset, England

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.

St Peters Church, Portland Church in Dorset, England

St. Peter's Church is a former Church of England church in The Grove, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Designed by Major-General Sir Edmund Du Cane, the church was built in 1870-72 and is now a Grade II* Listed building. The gate piers and boundary walls to the north and west of the church are also Grade II Listed, along with the church's vicarage. St. Peter's Church is included on English Heritage's "Heritage at Risk" register.

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.

RAF 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.

East Weare Camp

East Weare Camp is a former 19th-century detention barracks on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It is located at East Weares, overlooking Portland Harbour and East Weare Battery. The camp became Grade II Listed in 1978. Both East Weare Battery and East Weare Camp remain on the private property of Portland Port Ltd, and have not been opened to the public.

Grove Lime Kiln Historical industrial site in Dorset, England

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.

Merchants Railway

Merchant's Railway was a horse drawn and cable operated incline railway on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England, built for the stone trade on the island. It was the earliest railway in Dorset, opening in 1826. The railway ran two miles from many working quarries at the north of Tophill, along the edge of Verne Hill, to a pier at Castletown, from where the Portland stone was shipped. It was in operation from 1826 to 1939. Since becoming disused the original path of the railway has become a popular public footpath.

Verne Cistern

Verne Cistern is a water supply cistern on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is situated at the southern flank of the Verne Ramparts, on the slopes of Verne Hill, along the route of the horse drawn and cable operated Merchant's Railway - now a public footpath. It is on the edge of the Verne Citadel, a 19th-century fort, which is now HM Prison The Verne. The cistern became Grade II Listed in May 1993.

Verne Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery

Verne Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery is a World War II anti-aircraft battery on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located on private property in the north-east area of the island, south of the Verne Citadel. The battery became a scheduled monument in March 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Verne (Citadel)" (PDF). victorianforts.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Official information board situated outside Southern Entrance of Verne Citadel
  3. 1 2 Historic England. "Monument No. 451838". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Jurassic Coast - The Verne". jurassicagent.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "East Weare Batteries" (PDF). victorianforts.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Monument No. 1478294". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Danny Shaw (4 September 2013). "BBC News - Prisons to close in England as super-prison site revealed". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "HMP The Verne". Justice.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1002411)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "English Heritage | English Heritage". Risk.english-heritage.org.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203116)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1206120)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203117)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1206113)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  15. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280366)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280372)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203118)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280377)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281832)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  20. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281863)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  21. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1205814)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281857)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 28 September 2015.

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