Chiswell

Chiswell is a village in Underhill, adjacent to Chesil Cove, which forms the southern end of Chesil Beach. Originally the largest settlement in Underhill, Chiswell was traditionally known as Chesilton or simply Chesil. A prominent feature of the village is the sea wall (and its esplanade), which forms the bulk of Chiswell's coastal defences.

Chiswell occupies the flat land of Underhill, close to sea level, while the streets of the neighbouring Fortuneswell wind up and down the steep hills above. To the north of the village, at its entrance, is the mid-19th century development Victoria Square, with Victoria Gardens on the hillside above.

As with most of Portland's villages and settlements, Chiswell is a conservation area for its special architectural and historic interest. Underhill, incorporating Chiswell, Maidenwell, Fortuneswell and Castletown became designated in 1976 with boundary extensions in 1997, 2000, 2014 and 2017.

History
Chiswell's origins as a settlement likely dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With Underhill's natural springs providing the original settlement with a water supply, the first wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain, including one at Maidenwell. Chiswell was traditionally a fishing community, with locals operating and launching their boats from Chesil Cove. Since at least the early 17th century, boats known as Lerrets were the primary type being used there, having been specially designed to handle the difficult conditions of Chesil Beach and Lyme Bay. Many of Chiswell's original cottages were built on or against the pebble bank of Chesil, with their own floodways and cellars. A number of lanes known as "opes" were formed to provide access to the beach and some of these are still evident today, including Big Ope, Lerret Ope and Pebble Ope.

Despite its vulnerability to storms and flooding, Chiswell flourished as a thriving community. It was recorded as Portland's largest settlement in 1782 with 100 of the island's 280 houses found there, and was referred to in 18th-19th century guides as Portland's only village (the rest of Portland's settlements being considered hamlets) and the island's capital. By this time, the residents of Chiswell were mainly made up of fishermen and quarrymen, along with some merchants and tradesmen who helped established the village as a "burgeoning centre of trade and exchange".

One of the most infamous cases of flooding at Chiswell occurred in November 1824 and became known as the "Great Storm of 1824". The storm was of extraordinary force and caused significant damage to a number of villages across Dorset, including Lyme Regis and as far inland as Dorchester. After stirring for a number of days, it broke through Chesil Cove on 23 November, with Chiswell receiving the full brunt of the storm. Twenty-five residents were killed, thirty-six houses destroyed and another hundred rendered uninhabitable. A number of shipwrecks also occurred along the Dorset coast, one of which was the 90-ton sloop Ebenezer, which was swept over the beach and into Chiswell's main street. A few days later on 29 November, the Western Flying Post commented that a "tempest teeming with more frightful terrors is scarcely within the memory of man".

The damage inflicted on Chiswell was so extensive that the village never made a full recovery and traces of the storm's impact can still be seen today. Although the well-established fishing industry continued to operate from the village, the area became less desirable as a place to live and Fortuneswell began to thrive as Underhill's main settlement. Throughout the 20th century, Chiswell continued to suffer from poverty and neglect. Calls for a sea wall to protect the village had been made as far back as the 1910s and the Portland Urban District Council drew up plans around 1931 for a 1,200 feet long wall. However, the issue of locating the required funding stopped such a project from going ahead, including another plan proposed by the engineers Coode & Partners in 1942. In December that year, the village suffered its worst flooding in over a century, with waves reaching a height of 50-80 feet. A hundred houses were damaged and many residents were forced to await rescue in the upstairs of their homes.

Construction of a sea wall finally commenced in 1958, which was built in three parts and completed in 1965, spanning from the southern end of Chesil Cove to the location of the village's Cove House Inn. In addition to protecting Chiswell, the wall deterred further coastal erosion and future potential landslides at West Weare. An esplanade was laid on top of the wall and quickly became a popular attraction for walkers and visitors. Despite the presence of the wall, widespread flooding of Chiswell occurred again in December 1978 and February 1979. The two incidents prompted Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and Wessex Water to commission the consulting engineers Dobble and Partners to investigate how to further reduce the risk of flooding in the future. A £5 million, four-stage scheme was produced, with the work being carried out between 1981 and 1988. It included a 150 metre trial installation of gabions (wire baskets containing pebbles), some modification work to the sea wall, and the construction of an interceptor drain and flood alleviation channel along Portland Beach Road.

The Winter storms of December 1989 and January 1990 saw the Chesil bank breached and Portland cut off from the mainland, but the damage was considerably less severe than that of the 1978-79 storms. After a number of years monitoring the "technical and environmental aspects" of the trial gabions, the mid-1990s saw the existing section extended by a further 400 metres. Later in January-February 2014, violent storms across the south-west of England caused some flooding in the village, which generated a lot of national and international attention. Work commenced immediately after on restructuring the beach and carrying out emergency repairs of the sea wall and other defences.

Today, the original industries that Chiswell thrived upon have largely disappeared, although commercial fishing remains on a smaller scale. Chiswell's fishing industry gradually declined over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, with only part-time fishermen operating from Chesil Cove by the mid-20th century. Much of the village is now residential only, with some properties in use as holiday lets. Unlike the majority of Portland's settlements, Chiswell has seen only limited modern housing development. The most notable of these include Mariners Court, built in 1989, and Bakers Ground, built in 2003.

Features
The village of Chiswell has various commercial businesses. The houses and shops in Chiswell have experienced many changes of ownership over the years, while some have been converted to houses or stores. Aside from the Cove House Inn and the Little Ship pubs, the Bluefish Cafe and Restaurant is also found in Chiswell, and was once known as the Dap and General cafe. A hairdresser and Indian and Chinese takeaways are also located in the village. Portland Joinery Ltd, based at Pebble Lane, was originally based at Conjurer's Lodge. Accommodation in the area includes the bed and breakfast known as Beach House.

The Chiswell Walled Garden was created between 2004-07 as a community garden. Open to the public, it is located within the ruins of two adjoining early 17th century cottages. Chiswell Earthworks, a land sculpture created by John Maine RA between 1986 and 1993, is located at the southern end of Chesil Cove, on sloping land above the sea wall.

Grade listed features

Workshop adjoining 46 Chiswell - Grade II listed since July 1975. A small, single-storey workshop/store dated to the 19th century, but possibly of earlier origin. The building is a notably rare survival of its type, in an area where rebuilding was common.
86 Chiswell - Grade II listed since September 1978. A house dating from the early-to-mid 19th century.
90 and 92 Chiswell - Grade II listed since May 1993. A pair of houses with 17th century origins. Both were raised and refronted in the late 19th century.
120 Chiswell - Grade II listed since July 1975. An early 19th century house, featuring parts of earlier dates. Historic England recorded that the house's return front "faces down into Chiswell, holding an important position in the townscape".
139 Chiswell and its boundary wall - Grade II listed since July 1975. A detached house with origins from the early-to-mid 18th century, but much modified since. It is believed that the interior has been completely altered, but the house's exterior "still offers evidence of its early provenance". Historic England noted that the house "holds a key position visually at the south end of Chiswell".
Conjurer's Lodge in Clement's Lane - Grade II listed since May 1993. A former workshop dating back to the late 18th-early 19th century. A chapel on the upper level of the building was established in 1816 after fifty local Methodists were expelled from Portland's circuit over allegations of belief in witchcraft. The chapel was used for ten years until the members were welcomed back to the main circuit. Historic England noted that the building was a "rare surviving example of this building type on Portland, which, like Ranter's Lodge, has historical interest in tracing the development of non-conformity which was an important factor in the island's social history."
Ranter's Lodge and its enclosing wall - Grade II listed since January 1987. A small cottage with an outbuilding (known as "The Dead House"), dating from the late 18th-early 19th century. Originally built as a cottage and used as a fishing store, it was later altered in the mid-19th century for use as a Primitive Methodist chapel. In the 1990s, restoration work had converted the two buildings into a self-contained artist's studios with accommodation.
The Cove House Inn - Grade II listed since May 1993. A public house which has been recorded as being largely early 19th century, although the building has origins to the mid-18th century. It is a survivor of the Great Storm of 1824 and remains one of Portland's most popular pubs.
Dolphin and Neptune Cottages, with attached rear boundary wall - Grade II listed since May 1993. A pair of cottages at Brandy Row, likely to have been originally one property, dating from the late 18th-early 19th century. Today the cottages are located in an isolated spot, suggesting they may be survivals of the Great Storm of 1824.
185 Brandy Lane - Grade II listed since November 1977. This house dates from the early 19th century and is believed to be one of three cottages to be built in the area following the Great Storm of 1824.
Fisherman's Cottage (187 and 189 Brandy Lane) - Grade II listed since September 1978. Originally two dwellings, both dating from early 19th century. Part of a row believed to have been built or rebuilt after the Great Storm of 1824.
Cottage adjoining the east side of 189 Brandy Lane - Grade II listed since September 1978. An early 19th century cottage, which is part of a row believed to have been built or rebuilt after the Great Storm of 1824.
193 Brandy Lane - Grade II listed since July 1975. An early 19th century house, listed for "group value".
195 and 197 Brandy Lane - Grade II listed since July 1975. A pair of houses dating from the early 19th century. 195 is notable for retaining an original shop front.
199 Brandy Lane - Grade II listed since May 1993. Believed to date from the mid-to-late 18th century, it is likely that the building was once a small house or a pair of small dwellings. It is now derelict and in use as a stores/workshops. Historic England recorded that the property completes "a significant surviving row" and is "earlier than the remainder".

Other notable buildings

Chiswell Methodist Chapel (132/132A Chiswell) - a former chapel built for the Primitive Methodists in 1858 and later used by the Wesleyan Methodists. It was converted into two private residences in the late 1980s.
United Reformed Church - founded in 1825, the existing church was built and opened in 1858, but closed in 2009.
Ruined cottage - the ruins of a 17th century cottage at the southern end of Brandy Row. Originally a substantial thatched cottage, it later fell into ruin in the early 20th century; its remains are now incorporated into a small store.

Public houses (past and present)

The Beach Inn (51 Chiswell) - located along the main road running through Chiswell, the original inn on the site was known as the Swan Inn before being renamed the Beach Inn in 1886. The building was completely rebuilt in c. 1899-1900 by builder William James Miller of Portland for Messrs Groves & Son. Later operated by Devenish, it closed in 1979, with the brewery blaming poor trade at the establishment. It is now in use as the Beach House bed and breakfast. The building was prominently featured as the Marine Hotel in the 1975 film Out of Season starring Vanessa Redgrave, Cliff Robertson and Susan George.
The Cove House Inn - active as a pub since at least the 19th century, overlooking Chesil Cove. The building itself has origins to the mid-18th century.
The Crown Inn - active since at least the early 19th century and located within the southern region of the village at the bottom of High Street. It was demolished in 1963 to allow for the widening of the street.
The Kings Arms Hotel (88 Chiswell) - active as early as 1850 and closed in 1972. It was taken over by Weymouth brewer John Groves in the late 19th century, and alterations and additions were made to the building around 1910. After closure, the building was used as an Agnes Weston sailors rest known as the Kings Arms Centre from 1974 to 1985. It replaced a rest at Lower Bond Street in Weymouth which had opened in 1961. The Kings Arms later became a private residence in the 1990s, but retains the inscription "John Groves & Sons Limited" on its facade.
The Lord Clyde Inn - active since the mid-19th century and located within the northern region of the village, close to Victoria Square. It closed after suffering extensive bomb damage during World War II.
The New Inn/New Hotel - active since the 18th century and located within the northern region of the village, close to Victoria Square. Demolished in the mid-20th century.

References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.

1) BBC News Dorset - Portland homes evacuated as sirens sound for first time - January 2014 - website page
2) BBC News UK - UK storms: Waves crash over sea wall at Chiswell, overlooking Chesil Cove, Dorset - February 2014 - website page
3) Chiswell Community Trust - The History of the Site - website page
4) Content.swgfl.org.uk - Jurassic Coast - Chiswell View Today - website page
5) Dorset Echo - United Reformed Church at Chiswell to finally close - Hilda Swinney - September 2009 - website page
6) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
7) Dorset for You - Storms and Coastal Defences at Chiswell - Dorset Coast Forum - PDF document
8) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - Danger UXB – Portland’s World War 2 Unexploded Bomb - Roger Mutch - website page
9) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - The Great Gale of 1824 - Luke Mouland - January 2013 - website page
10) Exploring Portland - Northern Chiswell - Geoff Kirby - website page
11) Exploring Portland - Southern Chesil - Geoff Kirby - website page
12) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
13) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
14) Portland Picture Archive - World War 2 - Geoff Kirby - website page
15) Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
16) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - pages 88, 137 - book
17) River Pack - Information Sheet - National Rivers Authority Wessex Region - September 1990 - report
18) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page

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