Weston
Weston is a village in Tophill, south-west of Easton and north of Southwell. As with the majority of Portland's villages and settlements, Weston is a conservation area for its architectural and historic interest, having been designated in 1994 with boundary extensions in 2014.
History
Weston's origins as a settlement likely dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With the area's natural springs providing a water supply, a pond and various wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain. Weston's pond was located at the centre of the original hamlet, at the junction that exists today between Weston Road and Weston Street. North of the settlement was another pond and Merry Well. With Weston's traditional industry being agriculture, it was surrounded on all sides by lawnsheds, a form of strip farming which saw fields partitioned into long, narrow strips.
Weston retained its original character and remained a small settlement for many centuries. By 1782, it only held 15 of the island's 280 houses. In order to serve the growing Methodist following on Portland, a small Wesleyan Methodist chapel was later opened in 1858, while a Primitive Methodist chapel followed in 1860. The arrival of a piped water supply for Portland in 1899 resulted in Weston's pond, along with the one at Merry Well, being filled in soon afterwards. A small reading room (now demolished) was soon erected on the site of the main pond, while today, a surviving stone capping can be seen on the site, which once directed water to the pond.
Weston's character was significantly altered throughout the 20th century. With quarrying on the island moving inland from the traditional clifftop sites, Suckthumb and Weston Quarries in particular began to encroach on the surrounding fields to the south from the late 19th century. Although a limited number of new houses had been erected in the first half of the 20th century, most notably a row north of the original hamlet, the post-war period onwards saw major expansion of Weston. A large estate of prefabricated houses, Courtlands, was established off the west side of Weston Road and the Pound Piece estate was built to the north-east. In the early 1950s, accommodation for RAF personnel of Portland's ROTOR Station was provided at West Cliff.
With the closure of the ROTOR Station in 1958, the West Cliff site was acquired by the Admiralty for the construction of married quarters for use by personnel of HMS Osprey and HM Naval Base Portland. The first 150 permanent quarters were completed in 1965 and construction began on a further 118 in 1966. Married quarters were also erected in Wyke Regis. Further quarters were built at Portland in the 1970s, most notably at the new estates of Haylands and Greenways, south of Pound Piece. By the mid-1980s, there were 243 quarters at West Cliff and 135 at Haylands. Meanwhile, by the early 1970s, the Courtlands estate had been redeveloped and new estates, including Westcliff Road and Four Acres to the south and Croft Road to the north-west, were added.
The same period saw the Ministry of Defence begin selling some of their Weston properties to private owners. The first disposal took place in October 1986 with the sale of Pride, Sullivan and Taylor Courts to the Welbeck Estate Group. The same company purchased Mitchell and Shepherd Court in April 1987, and Hinkley and Odgers Court in February 1988. By 1991, the quarters had reduced to 172 at West Cliff and 106 at Haylands. The rest were sold off over the course of the decade, in light of HMNB Portland's closure in 1996 and RNAS Portland in 1999. Despite this large amount of modern development, Weston is still bordered by some fields to the east and south.
Features
The village features a small number of commercial businesses based along the main Weston Road. Outside of the former Royal Manor Arts College is an ancient sheep pound, built of Portland stone and once used by the Court Leet to impound stray sheep and cattle. It was moved to its present location in 1946 when the Pound Piece housing estate was built. At Reforne and near Weston is St George's Church, while Weston also contains the Portland Cemetery.
Grade listed features
Other notable buildings
Public houses (past and present)
Roman Villa
On the west side of Weston Road, opposite the former school, is one of the few archaeological sites on Portland. In 2004, work started on a new all-weather sports pitch for the school, but was halted when workmen discovered ancient remains under the topsoil. The council commissioned a land survey to discover more about the finds, which led to the discovery of a well-preserved first century Roman building and related artefacts. After campaigners were successful in saving the findings from being covered over by the new pitch, Dorset County Council announced in December 2004 that the proposed pitch would be built in a new location within the playing fields, allowing a full excavation to go ahead. Since then, the site has been excavated and various discoveries have been reported.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
2) Exploring Portland - Southern Weston - Geoff Kirby - website page
3) Exploring Portland - Weston Estate - Geoff Kirby - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
5) HMS Osprey: Information Handbook - various editions spanning from 1960s to 1990s - The Constitutional Press Ltd - book
6) Megalithic - News - More prehistoric discoveries on Portland - November 2004 - website page
7) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
8) Pastscape - various entries on database - website page
9) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 154 - book
10) Portland Picture Archive - Weston - website page
11) Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
12) Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
13) Portland Year Book 1905 - The Island's Water Supply - Paul Benyon - website page
14) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 88 - book
15) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
History
Weston's origins as a settlement likely dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With the area's natural springs providing a water supply, a pond and various wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain. Weston's pond was located at the centre of the original hamlet, at the junction that exists today between Weston Road and Weston Street. North of the settlement was another pond and Merry Well. With Weston's traditional industry being agriculture, it was surrounded on all sides by lawnsheds, a form of strip farming which saw fields partitioned into long, narrow strips.
Weston retained its original character and remained a small settlement for many centuries. By 1782, it only held 15 of the island's 280 houses. In order to serve the growing Methodist following on Portland, a small Wesleyan Methodist chapel was later opened in 1858, while a Primitive Methodist chapel followed in 1860. The arrival of a piped water supply for Portland in 1899 resulted in Weston's pond, along with the one at Merry Well, being filled in soon afterwards. A small reading room (now demolished) was soon erected on the site of the main pond, while today, a surviving stone capping can be seen on the site, which once directed water to the pond.
Weston's character was significantly altered throughout the 20th century. With quarrying on the island moving inland from the traditional clifftop sites, Suckthumb and Weston Quarries in particular began to encroach on the surrounding fields to the south from the late 19th century. Although a limited number of new houses had been erected in the first half of the 20th century, most notably a row north of the original hamlet, the post-war period onwards saw major expansion of Weston. A large estate of prefabricated houses, Courtlands, was established off the west side of Weston Road and the Pound Piece estate was built to the north-east. In the early 1950s, accommodation for RAF personnel of Portland's ROTOR Station was provided at West Cliff.
With the closure of the ROTOR Station in 1958, the West Cliff site was acquired by the Admiralty for the construction of married quarters for use by personnel of HMS Osprey and HM Naval Base Portland. The first 150 permanent quarters were completed in 1965 and construction began on a further 118 in 1966. Married quarters were also erected in Wyke Regis. Further quarters were built at Portland in the 1970s, most notably at the new estates of Haylands and Greenways, south of Pound Piece. By the mid-1980s, there were 243 quarters at West Cliff and 135 at Haylands. Meanwhile, by the early 1970s, the Courtlands estate had been redeveloped and new estates, including Westcliff Road and Four Acres to the south and Croft Road to the north-west, were added.
The same period saw the Ministry of Defence begin selling some of their Weston properties to private owners. The first disposal took place in October 1986 with the sale of Pride, Sullivan and Taylor Courts to the Welbeck Estate Group. The same company purchased Mitchell and Shepherd Court in April 1987, and Hinkley and Odgers Court in February 1988. By 1991, the quarters had reduced to 172 at West Cliff and 106 at Haylands. The rest were sold off over the course of the decade, in light of HMNB Portland's closure in 1996 and RNAS Portland in 1999. Despite this large amount of modern development, Weston is still bordered by some fields to the east and south.
Features
The village features a small number of commercial businesses based along the main Weston Road. Outside of the former Royal Manor Arts College is an ancient sheep pound, built of Portland stone and once used by the Court Leet to impound stray sheep and cattle. It was moved to its present location in 1946 when the Pound Piece housing estate was built. At Reforne and near Weston is St George's Church, while Weston also contains the Portland Cemetery.
Grade listed features
- High Croft Cottage (51 Providence Place) - Grade II listed since January 1950. A small detached house, dating from the 17th century but later altered in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- 53 Providence Place - Grade II listed since May 1993. Dates from 1850 and remains notable for being one of Weston's older dwellings not to be later extensively modified externally.
- 64 Weston Road and its attached wall - Grade II listed since September 1978. Dates from the late 17th-early 18th century. Described by Historic England as a "modest" house, but an "important survival of a small house in a historic row which has undergone substantial changes in the 20th century."
- Wanganui Cottage (71 Weston Road) - Grade II listed since September 1978. Believed to have possibly formed part of a larger late 16th century house, now made up of several dwellings. The cottage is confirmed to have at least late 17th-early 18th century origins and has been substantially altered in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- 72 Weston Road - Grade II listed since January 1953. The house is believed to have originally been the main wing of the original 16th century house, and is confirmed to have late 16th-early 17th century origins. Later the house became a separate dwelling in its own right, following the demolition of Nos. 68, 70, 80 and 82. Converted afterwards into a series of smaller units, probably in the 19th century. By the late 20th century, the house had fallen into a state of disrepair, but was fully and sympathetically restored in 1991 using surviving historical features where possible.
- 82-84 Weston Road, along with its attached wall - Grade II listed since September 1978. Of late 16th century-early 17th century origin, the house was later substantially modified in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was originally built as two properties.
- 44, 44A, 46 and 48 Weston Street - Grade II listed since May 1993. This row of houses once made up an early 19th century farmhouse. The farm survived until the late 20th century, when the four houses, along with a nearby row of arcaded farm outbuildings, were converted. Historic England described the row as a "well retained ensemble".
Other notable buildings
- Tophill School - located within the northern region of the village and opened in 1927. In the 1950s it became Tophill/Portland Secondary Modern School and saw major expansion in the 1970s-80s. In 1986, it became Royal Manor Comprehensive School, Royal Manor Arts College in 2002 and a campus of the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy in 2012, before closing in 2016.
- 106 Weston Road - a derelict farmhouse, possibly of mid-19th century with earlier origins, with ruins of an earlier stone barn and outbuildings. It was demolished in early 2023, following planning permission in 2022 to build a new house with garages on the site.
- Weston Community Hall - opened in 1953 as the Weston Social Club, now in use as the Weston Community Hall.
- Weston Street Methodist Church - erected as a Primitive Methodist chapel in 1859 and now in use as a chapel of rest by the Rose Funeral Service.
- Weston Road Methodist Church (94 Weston Road) - built as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in 1858. It was demolished in 1972 and replaced by a private residence named Chapeley.
Public houses (past and present)
- The Lugger Inn - located at Gypsy Lane and active into the early 20th century. The building was later demolished and replaced with a new dwelling. For many years, the inn was the meeting place of the Court Leet and was the first building on Portland to be fitted with glass windows.
- The Prince Alfred Inn - established in the mid-19th century and located within the southern region of the village. It served for the final time on 28 March 1973. Planning permission was sought in 1975 for the inn's transformation into a club and restaurant, but it was subsequently demolished and replaced by a terrace of modern houses.
- The Royal Exchange Inn (46 Weston Road) - an active pub since at least the mid-19th century.
Roman Villa
On the west side of Weston Road, opposite the former school, is one of the few archaeological sites on Portland. In 2004, work started on a new all-weather sports pitch for the school, but was halted when workmen discovered ancient remains under the topsoil. The council commissioned a land survey to discover more about the finds, which led to the discovery of a well-preserved first century Roman building and related artefacts. After campaigners were successful in saving the findings from being covered over by the new pitch, Dorset County Council announced in December 2004 that the proposed pitch would be built in a new location within the playing fields, allowing a full excavation to go ahead. Since then, the site has been excavated and various discoveries have been reported.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
2) Exploring Portland - Southern Weston - Geoff Kirby - website page
3) Exploring Portland - Weston Estate - Geoff Kirby - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
5) HMS Osprey: Information Handbook - various editions spanning from 1960s to 1990s - The Constitutional Press Ltd - book
6) Megalithic - News - More prehistoric discoveries on Portland - November 2004 - website page
7) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
8) Pastscape - various entries on database - website page
9) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 154 - book
10) Portland Picture Archive - Weston - website page
11) Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
12) Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
13) Portland Year Book 1905 - The Island's Water Supply - Paul Benyon - website page
14) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 88 - book
15) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
Gallery
These images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Some images have information attached to them, and to view this you can either enlarge the image or hover the mouse over each thumbnail.
On the map below the pointer is aligned to the centre point of Weston village.