South West - Dorset

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PORTLAND CASTLE

Castletown, Portland,
Dorset
DT5 1AZ
t: 01305 820539
e: portland.castle@english-heritage.org.uk
w: www.english-heritage.org.uk/portland

Overlooking and defending Portland harbour, this coastal artillery fortress was built by Henry VIII. It still strikingly retains its squat, rounded seaward form, designed to deflect incoming cannon shot.


Much fought over during the Civil War, Portland Castle was taken and retaken several times by both Parliamentarians and Royalists. It later protected shipping against pirates and privateers, and vainly tried to control the local smuggling industry, before ‘standing-to’ again when Napoleonic invasion threatened.

Following a spell as a private home, it became a seaplane station during World War I: during World War II it was an important anti-submarine base and signal post. In 1944 British and American forces carried out top-secret preliminary training for the D-Day landings in the bays nearby.

Presentations and interactive exhibits around the site, along with an audio tour, bring the fort’s long and varied history to life.
 

  • Visit the Tudor kitchen, armoury and gun decks.
  • Relax in the contemporary Governor’s Garden, a perfectly sheltered spot to enjoy the dramatic sea and harbour views.
  • Enjoy refreshments in the Captain’s Tearoom.
  • Take the opportunity to visit historic Weymouth, and tour the unique scenery of the Jurassic Coast.