Castletown, Dorset

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Coordinates: 50°34′05″N 2°26′39″W / 50.56815°N 2.444077°W / 50.56815; -2.444077
Castletown
Castletown

 Castletown shown within Dorset
Civil parish Portland
District Weymouth and Portland
Shire county Dorset
Region South West
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Portland
Postcode district DT5
Dialling code 01305
Police Dorset
Fire Dorset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament South Dorset
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
Castletown and Portland Harbour, seen from The Verne. The National Sailing Academy and Portland Castle are on the left. The large buildings in the foreground are former naval buildings, now converted into luxury flats.
Portland Castle entrance.

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

History

Castletown has a long naval history, and the village developed with growth of trade and the navy from the late 18th century onwards. By the 1850s it was the hub of stupendous activity for the Portland Breakwater works and shops, services and hotels soon followed. However, fishing suffered in the village as the long beach was squeezed by a century of naval development.[1]

The village featured a single Victorian terrace, which through bay windows, enjoyed a panoramic view over the beach to Portland Harbour.[2]

Area

The Royal Navy had a base in the harbour until 1999. Now Portland Port is commercial, whilst still servicing and berthing Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The Royal Naval Cemetery is also found above the harbour, honouring many servicemen associated with Portland's Harbour.

A popular location for divers due to the close distance to Portland Harbour, Castletown features a purpose-built commercial dive boat jetty next to a hotel, gas station and diving shop, a large public car park and a free slipway for boats.[3]

A small beach is found in the village, close to the entrance of Portland Port, whilst the shops in the area include the Sea-Horse shop, a newsagents and the diving shop Underwater Explorers.[4] The shop remains the only diving centre since the original Castletown diving centre closed, where it was replaced by the Sea-Horse shop before it also closed.[5] Outside of the Sea-Horse store is an anchor and a DUKW, a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck developed by the United States during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. The village has a post office during the late 19th century which closed further into the following century.[6]

The area also features several hotels and pubs, largely established for the navy personnel of Portland Port. The hotels include The Aqua,[7] The Portland Roads Hotel,[8] the Royal Breakwater Hotel[9] and the public house/hotel The Green Shutters.[10] The other pub in the village is the Sailors Return whilst The Jolly Sailor pub had closed and since the derelict pub has had announced plans in 2012 to become a residential care home.[11]

Between the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and Castletown lies the Portland Search and Rescue Helicopter base, also close to Portland Castle. In this area is also the now derelict Air Traffic Control building which was operated for use of the Royal Navy helicopters when they were based on the island.[12] Also along the main road to Castletown is the Royal Manor Health Care Centre.[13]

Osprey Leisure Centre

The Osprey Leisure Centre is located in Castletown, which was formally known as the Boscawen Centre, where it was officially opened to the public at the beginning of May 2007.[14] The centre includes a 25m Swimming Pool, a Cardio/Multi Gymnasium, Squash Courts and a Sports Hall,[15] as well as a unisex Hairport Salon.[16]

Ocean Views

Alongside the main road of Castletown, two large construction blocks are found on the right just into the entrance of the village. The blocks were built as barracks/accommodation for the use of Royal Navy personnel. However, they were only in use for a short time before the Royal Navy left Portland in 1995, causing the blocks to become a victim of vandalism once derelict. A little while into the new millennium and plans were put forward by the Government to house several hundred immigrants, but major negative response from the local area caused these plans to be withdrawn.

In 2006 the abandoned blocks were eventually purchased by brothers Luke and Brian Comer, who planned to turn the barracks into luxury apartments via a £100 million scheme. Construction work began for the right block in 2007 and were largely completed by June 2008. The block, named Ocean Views, includes 554 apartments ranging from £169,000 to penthouses for £605,000. Reportedly, 2,500 inquiries for the apartments were made in only days after the apartments was publicised. The left block remains derelict today, awaiting construction, whilst the Comer brothers rank Portland as being one of their most important sites, where they also have sites located in New York, Belgium and London.[12]

The site also features a private health and fitness club, swimming pool and a spa, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi for private residents.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1990). Portland Camera. Dovecote Press. pp. Photo 118. ISBN 978-0946159796. 
  2. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1990). Portland Camera. Dovecote Press. pp. Photo 119. ISBN 978-0946159796. 
  3. ↑ http://www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk/wordpress/wp-photos/DivePortlandBrochure.pdf
  4. ↑ "Underwater Explorers, Portland, Dorset, UK. Quality Training & Equipment". Underwaterexplorers.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  5. ↑ "DIR and select hogarthian shopping - worldwide, shop based and online". Underwater Explorers. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  6. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1990). Portland Camera. Dovecote Press. pp. Photo 119. ISBN 978-0946159796. 
  7. ↑ "The Aqua - Three Star Accommodation on the Jurassic Coast". Hotelaqua.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  8. ↑ "Portland Roads Hotel, Dorset". www.PortlandRoadsHotel.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  9. ↑ "Portland Dorset". Royal Breakwater Hotel. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  10. ↑ "The Green Shutters". The Green Shutters. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  11. ↑ "'Eyesore' pub on Portland to become care home (From Dorset Echo)". Dorsetecho.co.uk. 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Portland Castle". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  13. ↑ "Home". Royal Manor Health Care. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  14. ↑ "Osprey Leisure Centre - South Dorset Community Sports Trust". Ospreyleisure.co.uk. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  15. ↑ "Osprey Leisure Centre - Facilities @ Osprey". Ospreyleisure.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  16. ↑ "Osprey Leisure Centre - Hairport". Ospreyleisure.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  17. ↑ "Specifications & Features". Ocean-views.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 

External links

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