East Weare Camp
East Weare Camp is a former provost establishment (and later detention barracks) of mid-19th century origin at East Weare and overlooking Portland Harbour. It is located east of the Verne Citadel and above B Battery (of the East Weare Batteries). The site is the private property of Portland Port Ltd and has not been opened to the public. The camp has been a Grade II listed building since September 1978.
History
Establishment of detention barracks
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the construction of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, including the Verne Citadel and its associated batteries at East Weare.
In connection with the increased Army presence in Portland area, the construction of a provost establishment/military prison at East Weare was authorised in 1866. It was built exclusively by convict labour and was completed around 1869. Portland Prison's governor commented in his yearly report for 1869: "I feel justified in stating that the provost [and other works at the Verne and East Weare] bear the closest inspection, and satisfactorily prove that convicts are capable of executing any description of work, when directed by skilled and intelligent officers." In order to provide access between the Verne and the prison and batteries at East Weare, convicts excavated a deep cutting on the south-east side of the citadel in 1872-73 and created a communication tunnel leading to a sally port.
The provost establishment, built of Portland stone with slate roofs, was designed as a walled enclosure with a courtyard at its centre. On its north-east side, a flat-roofed cell block was built to contain ten single cells along with a prisoners' room and room for the night officer, with toilet and bathing facilities provided nearby in a corner bastion. The south-west side contained the accommodation for the provost staff and included a living room, bedrooms, toilets and a scullery. A cook house, store room, provision store and coal store was also included on this side, as was the main entrance, which was flanked by a verandah on each side. The south-east side of the courtyard contained a stone breaking yard and boiler house. The prison was designed to be self-defensible, with its two corner bastions and numerous iron-plated musket slits.
From 1903, the prison was classed as a branch detention barracks. It was used for the imprisonment of all troops at Portland, Weymouth and Dorchester who had sentences not exceeding fourteen days, to save sending them to the military prison at Gosport. The detention barracks briefly closed when the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment departed the citadel in 1906, but they had reopened by 1908. In the 1911 Census of England and Wales, it was listed as "military detention barracks" but would have closed for the final time shortly after, prior to World War I.
Interwar, World War II and post-war use
After its use as detention barracks, the site began to be used in connection with East Weare Batteries. During World War II, it became the fire command post for all the Portland defences and provided accommodation for the fortress commander and his staff, as well as the extended defence officer (XDO) and his staff. The former cell block became officers' quarters and a new building was erected in the centre of the courtyard as a barrack room. A F.C. post was built in the north-east corner of the complex with observation over the harbour. The complex had telephonic communication with the area's three port war signal stations at Portland Bill, Grove Point and Lulworth Cove, as well as the battery observation posts at all the fortifications of the Portland Defences.
In 1947, the War Office handed over much of the East Weare site to the Admiralty but retained a number of buildings, including the fire command post. The former A Battery of East Weare Batteries remained under care and maintenance, but was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1954. The War Office then formally handed back the final parts of the East Weare site, including the F.C. post, to the Admiralty on 22 September 1954. The F.C. post's role of coordinating Portland's defences was succeeded by the seaward defence headquarters (SDHQ), established at the nearby HMS Osprey site in 1950-51. During the Royal Navy's early use of what became known as East Weare Camp, part of the compound was converted into a signal station connected to HM Naval Base Portland. A red and yellow-coloured tower, with an adjacent flagstaff, was added for this new role.
Use as part of DISTEX site
After being acquired by the Royal Navy, A and B Batteries found a new role as a Disaster Relief Exercise site (DISTEX), which formed part of the Flag Officer Sea Training. This organisation, established at Portland in 1958, was responsible for ensuring all Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels were fit to join the operational fleet by testing the crew's readiness through a series of drills and exercises such as war-fighting scenarios and emergencies. The DISTEX site was regularly used for disaster relief training, including handling fires and providing aid to 'wounded' civilians. Aside from Royal Navy vessels, the navies of other NATO countries would also take part in the programme.
East Weare Camp was also eventually used as part of the DISTEX site. It made an ideal headquarters as part of the exercises and often played the role of a makeshift hospital, with 'wounded' civilians being taken there. It would also be the site of a field kitchen for the ship's companies. Many ship tags survive within the camp, dating from its use as part of the DISTEX site. Two examples include HMS Edinburgh, dated February 1987 on a bricked-up window, and HMS Norfolk, dated 1991 on an old fireplace. The nearby East Weare Cottage (built as quarters for the resident gunners of the batteries) has two surviving 'tags' left behind by the German Navy in 1987, by the frigates Bremen and Emden.
In 1991, English Heritage's survey of the camp described it as "disused, subject to vandalism, and becoming dilapidated and overgrown". In 1995, Flag Officer Sea Training relocated to Devonport and HMNB Portland closed the following year, when the harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd for use as a commercial port. Shortly before the closure of the base, part of the camp's roof on the south-west side collapsed in 1994. The Ministry of Defence obtained planning permission to construct a large green roof over that section of the camp in January 1995, not only due to the partial collapse but the dangerous condition of the remaining roof. The project was handled by Building and Property Facilities.
Condition and current state
Since being acquired by Portland Port Ltd, the camp and the batteries below have become increasingly dilapidated and overgrown. When the company took over the site, some believed the area would be opened to the public. Geoff Kirby, on his Exploring Portland website, noted that the site would be "a sure-fire tourist attraction if opened but the cost of making the old buildings safe would be very high." He also commented that the batteries and camp were "being neglected and allowed to rot away" with "buildings of undoubted historical interest falling apart". He summarised the site as a "tourist attraction crying out for protection and exploitation." In his 1998 book Discover Dorset: Portland, local historian Stuart Morris noted that the site "awaits discovery by the next generation of tourists".
In 2018, an assessment by Historic England described the camp as "rare" and the "only known example of this type of small defensible barracks". They commented how the camp retains much of its original design and added: "Despite considerable dilapidation it still retains a legible layout and a substantial proportion of its principal structure."
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Channel Harbours and Anchorages - K. Adlard Coles - Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd. - 1956 - page 49 - book
2) Discover Dorset: Castles and Forts - Colin Pomeroy - Dovecote Press - 1998 - ISBN: 978-1874336532 - page 64 - book
3) Discover Dorset: Portland - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1998 - ISBN: 978-1874336495 - page 63 - book
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 94/00650/GOV (9 Jan 1995) - website page
5) Exploring Portland - "No Man's Land" - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Portland Port, Naval Cemetery and a Gun Battery - Geoff Kirby - website page
7) Google Books - Census of England and Wales, Volume 1 - Great Britain Census Office - H.M. Stationery Office - 1912 - book
8) Heritage Gateway - Late 19th century East Weare barracks, Portland - website page
9) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - East Weare Camp - website page
10) Pastscape - East Weare Barracks - website page
11) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 39, 41, 83
12) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
13) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
14) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
15) The National Archives - Fire Command, Portland - WO 192/150 - fort record book - 1941-44 - website page
16) The National Archives - Portland: East Weare Battery - WO 192/304 - fort record book - 1940-54 - website page
17) Wikipedia - Flag Officer Sea Training - website page
18) Wikipedia - Thursday War - website page
19) YouTube - The Thursday War - 1989 Trident Production and BBC Documentary - website video
History
Establishment of detention barracks
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the construction of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, including the Verne Citadel and its associated batteries at East Weare.
In connection with the increased Army presence in Portland area, the construction of a provost establishment/military prison at East Weare was authorised in 1866. It was built exclusively by convict labour and was completed around 1869. Portland Prison's governor commented in his yearly report for 1869: "I feel justified in stating that the provost [and other works at the Verne and East Weare] bear the closest inspection, and satisfactorily prove that convicts are capable of executing any description of work, when directed by skilled and intelligent officers." In order to provide access between the Verne and the prison and batteries at East Weare, convicts excavated a deep cutting on the south-east side of the citadel in 1872-73 and created a communication tunnel leading to a sally port.
The provost establishment, built of Portland stone with slate roofs, was designed as a walled enclosure with a courtyard at its centre. On its north-east side, a flat-roofed cell block was built to contain ten single cells along with a prisoners' room and room for the night officer, with toilet and bathing facilities provided nearby in a corner bastion. The south-west side contained the accommodation for the provost staff and included a living room, bedrooms, toilets and a scullery. A cook house, store room, provision store and coal store was also included on this side, as was the main entrance, which was flanked by a verandah on each side. The south-east side of the courtyard contained a stone breaking yard and boiler house. The prison was designed to be self-defensible, with its two corner bastions and numerous iron-plated musket slits.
From 1903, the prison was classed as a branch detention barracks. It was used for the imprisonment of all troops at Portland, Weymouth and Dorchester who had sentences not exceeding fourteen days, to save sending them to the military prison at Gosport. The detention barracks briefly closed when the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment departed the citadel in 1906, but they had reopened by 1908. In the 1911 Census of England and Wales, it was listed as "military detention barracks" but would have closed for the final time shortly after, prior to World War I.
Interwar, World War II and post-war use
After its use as detention barracks, the site began to be used in connection with East Weare Batteries. During World War II, it became the fire command post for all the Portland defences and provided accommodation for the fortress commander and his staff, as well as the extended defence officer (XDO) and his staff. The former cell block became officers' quarters and a new building was erected in the centre of the courtyard as a barrack room. A F.C. post was built in the north-east corner of the complex with observation over the harbour. The complex had telephonic communication with the area's three port war signal stations at Portland Bill, Grove Point and Lulworth Cove, as well as the battery observation posts at all the fortifications of the Portland Defences.
In 1947, the War Office handed over much of the East Weare site to the Admiralty but retained a number of buildings, including the fire command post. The former A Battery of East Weare Batteries remained under care and maintenance, but was decommissioned as a coastal defence in 1954. The War Office then formally handed back the final parts of the East Weare site, including the F.C. post, to the Admiralty on 22 September 1954. The F.C. post's role of coordinating Portland's defences was succeeded by the seaward defence headquarters (SDHQ), established at the nearby HMS Osprey site in 1950-51. During the Royal Navy's early use of what became known as East Weare Camp, part of the compound was converted into a signal station connected to HM Naval Base Portland. A red and yellow-coloured tower, with an adjacent flagstaff, was added for this new role.
Use as part of DISTEX site
After being acquired by the Royal Navy, A and B Batteries found a new role as a Disaster Relief Exercise site (DISTEX), which formed part of the Flag Officer Sea Training. This organisation, established at Portland in 1958, was responsible for ensuring all Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels were fit to join the operational fleet by testing the crew's readiness through a series of drills and exercises such as war-fighting scenarios and emergencies. The DISTEX site was regularly used for disaster relief training, including handling fires and providing aid to 'wounded' civilians. Aside from Royal Navy vessels, the navies of other NATO countries would also take part in the programme.
East Weare Camp was also eventually used as part of the DISTEX site. It made an ideal headquarters as part of the exercises and often played the role of a makeshift hospital, with 'wounded' civilians being taken there. It would also be the site of a field kitchen for the ship's companies. Many ship tags survive within the camp, dating from its use as part of the DISTEX site. Two examples include HMS Edinburgh, dated February 1987 on a bricked-up window, and HMS Norfolk, dated 1991 on an old fireplace. The nearby East Weare Cottage (built as quarters for the resident gunners of the batteries) has two surviving 'tags' left behind by the German Navy in 1987, by the frigates Bremen and Emden.
In 1991, English Heritage's survey of the camp described it as "disused, subject to vandalism, and becoming dilapidated and overgrown". In 1995, Flag Officer Sea Training relocated to Devonport and HMNB Portland closed the following year, when the harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd for use as a commercial port. Shortly before the closure of the base, part of the camp's roof on the south-west side collapsed in 1994. The Ministry of Defence obtained planning permission to construct a large green roof over that section of the camp in January 1995, not only due to the partial collapse but the dangerous condition of the remaining roof. The project was handled by Building and Property Facilities.
Condition and current state
Since being acquired by Portland Port Ltd, the camp and the batteries below have become increasingly dilapidated and overgrown. When the company took over the site, some believed the area would be opened to the public. Geoff Kirby, on his Exploring Portland website, noted that the site would be "a sure-fire tourist attraction if opened but the cost of making the old buildings safe would be very high." He also commented that the batteries and camp were "being neglected and allowed to rot away" with "buildings of undoubted historical interest falling apart". He summarised the site as a "tourist attraction crying out for protection and exploitation." In his 1998 book Discover Dorset: Portland, local historian Stuart Morris noted that the site "awaits discovery by the next generation of tourists".
In 2018, an assessment by Historic England described the camp as "rare" and the "only known example of this type of small defensible barracks". They commented how the camp retains much of its original design and added: "Despite considerable dilapidation it still retains a legible layout and a substantial proportion of its principal structure."
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Channel Harbours and Anchorages - K. Adlard Coles - Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd. - 1956 - page 49 - book
2) Discover Dorset: Castles and Forts - Colin Pomeroy - Dovecote Press - 1998 - ISBN: 978-1874336532 - page 64 - book
3) Discover Dorset: Portland - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1998 - ISBN: 978-1874336495 - page 63 - book
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 94/00650/GOV (9 Jan 1995) - website page
5) Exploring Portland - "No Man's Land" - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Portland Port, Naval Cemetery and a Gun Battery - Geoff Kirby - website page
7) Google Books - Census of England and Wales, Volume 1 - Great Britain Census Office - H.M. Stationery Office - 1912 - book
8) Heritage Gateway - Late 19th century East Weare barracks, Portland - website page
9) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - East Weare Camp - website page
10) Pastscape - East Weare Barracks - website page
11) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - pages 39, 41, 83
12) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
13) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
14) The Independent - Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails - Will Bennet - July 1995 - website page
15) The National Archives - Fire Command, Portland - WO 192/150 - fort record book - 1941-44 - website page
16) The National Archives - Portland: East Weare Battery - WO 192/304 - fort record book - 1940-54 - website page
17) Wikipedia - Flag Officer Sea Training - website page
18) Wikipedia - Thursday War - website page
19) YouTube - The Thursday War - 1989 Trident Production and BBC Documentary - website video
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.
1908 plan of the detention barracks
A plan of the provost prison when it was in use as 'branch detention barracks', based on War Office drawings, dated 1908 (National Archives: - Ref: WO 78/3610). It can be enlarged by clicking on it. Many thanks to Duncan Williams for providing a photograph of the original drawing.
