Easton

Easton is a village in Tophill, within the centre of the island. One of the largest villages on the island, it is the main hub of Tophill's activities. With Easton Square at its centre, the village is home to various businesses and shops, a shopping arcade, two active churches, Easton Gardens, and other amenities including various pubs. Easton also has two settlements attached to it, Reforne and Straits, with the latter linking with the hamlet of Wakeham to the south-east.

As with most of Portland's villages and settlements, Easton, including Reforne and Straits, is a conservation area for its special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974 with boundary extensions in 2017.

History
Easton'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. Easton's pond was located within the northern region of Easton Square, where much of the original settlement was concentrated. A well and pump was later added to the square in 1775. Indications of an ancient settlement at Easton Lane have been found in the form of a stone circle, which was later dismantled and the material re-used in the lane's boundary walls.

Easton's residents were traditionally associated with quarrying and agriculture, at a time when open fields surrounded the hamlet. By the 18th century, it had become the island's second largest settlement, accounting for 64 of Portland's 280 houses in 1782. They were based around Easton Square and along Easton Street, with others found at Straits and Reforne, the latter of which was originally considered a separate hamlet. Straits was the location of Portland's first free day school, Maister's School, which opened in the early 18th century. It served for around 150 years and finally closed in 1857, when it was replaced by St George's School at Reforne. It was demolished in 1938 and the site is now occupied by Portland Tophill Library. Meanwhile, Portland's first parish church, St. Andrew's, was replaced in the mid-18th century with St. George's, built at the western end of Reforne in 1754-64.

Easton's character saw a gradual change from the mid-19th century onwards as Portland's population saw significant growth. In particular, the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, along with the various government works linked to it and the Royal Navy's increasing presence there, accounted for much of that growth. As the island's population continued to rise during this time, Easton became increasingly urbanised and eventually Reforne and Wakeham would merge with the village. As the traditional sources of water on the island became inadequate, Easton Pond became contaminated and had to be filled in during 1885 after it was discovered it was polluting the nearby well. A piped water supply for the island would arrive in 1899.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Easton saw the arrival of the railway. The Easton and Church Hope Railway connected the Weymouth and Portland Railway from Victoria Square to Easton. The new line opened to goods traffic in 1900 and passengers in 1902. Meanwhile, general expansion of the village saw new developments such as Grosvenor and Channel View Roads to the west, Park Road to the south, Victoria Road to the north, and New Street and Moorfield Road to the east. Bottomcombe Quarries was established to the south of the village, off Park Road, which included a stone works. In 1903-04, Easton Square, which had long been barren land, was transformed into public gardens known as Easton Gardens, while St George's Church was replaced by All Saints', built at Straits, in 1914-17.

Expansion of Easton continued throughout the 20th century. Both Grosvenor and Channel View Roads were greatly expanded during the first half of the century, while new houses were erected on open space within established parts of the village. One of the major developments of the mid-20th century was the Pound Piece estate, which linked to Weston village to the west. The Haylands estate, located south of Pound Piece, was constructed in the 1970s. One of the more recent housing developments is the Windmills estate near Park Road, built in the 2010s.

Easton Massacre
In 1803, Easton was the scene for what became infamously known as the Easton Massacre, which saw a press gang shoot and kill three of Portland's inhabitants during their attempt to press men into naval service. The frigate L'Aigle, commanded by Captain George Wolfe, first arrived at Portland Roads on 1 April 1803 to capture and press men. The original gang, led by Lieutenant Hastings, captured one man in Portland Roads and then headed ashore. They proceeded to Chiswell village, where they were met by a group of residents who directed "a great deal of insulting language" towards them. As Hastings felt he had too few men in his gang to overcome this opposition, they returned to their ship, and later that day, he went to Weymouth to acquire an impress warrant from the Mayor of Weymouth.

The next day, a larger force landed, including Lieutenant Jefferies of the marines, and they once again headed into Chiswell, where two men were successfully captured. With many inhabitants retreating up to Tophill, the gang followed them through Reforne and into Easton Square, where the inhabitants had formed a large group in the attempt to stop them. When Wolfe tried to capture Robert Bennett, the crowd attempted his rescue. In retaliation, Wolfe fired his pistol, thereby prompting Jefferies to give the order to open fire. Three residents were killed, Alexander Andrews, Richard Flann and William Lano, and a further two wounded, one of whom, Mary Way, later died of her wounds on 21 May. The residents dispersed and fled, while the press gang, six of which had suffered injuries, soon returned to their ship with no additional prisoners.

The jury at the inquest of the three men killed found the press gang guilty of wilful murder, but when Wolfe, Hastings and others were tried at Dorchester, they were found innocent and honourably acquitted. Wolfe and his gang claimed that the captain's pistol went off accidentally, which in turn caused the inhabitants to begin firing and attacking with their own weapons.

Features
Easton Lane is the location of Portland's only fuel station, which was originally a stone yard with the Sawmill Tavern adjoining it. Portland's first large supermarket, a Tesco, opened at Park Road in 2011 on the site of the former Bottomcombe Stone Works. Nearby are Portland's two windmills, which are Grade II listed stone towers dating from as early as 1608 when they were first recorded in the Land Revenue Accounts.

Grade listed features
Easton Lane, Easton Street, Easton Square and surrounding area

Lime Kiln and its attached outbuilding at Easton Lane - Grade II listed in November 1984. A former lime kiln, built during the 19th century. At the time of listing in 1984, the building was derelict and in disrepair, having lain in such a state for decades. By 2002, the lime kiln and its outbuilding had been restored and transformed into a residence and craft workshop.
Drill Hall (Easton Lane) - Grade II listed in March 2016. Built in 1867-68 as the headquarters of the Portland Artillery Volunteer Corps. Since 2003, it has been the home of the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust, and known as the Drill Hall Gallery and Stone Workspace.
41 Easton Street - Grade II listed since May 1993. Dates from the late 18th-early 19th century. Described by Historic England as a "modest" house, "but less altered than most properties in the street, and representative of [an] artisan dwelling on the island".
Stanley House (28 Easton Street) - Grade II listed since January 1951. Dated 1760, the house's inscription reads: "William Pearce and Rebecca his wife builded this House."
32 Easton Street - Grade II listed since May 1993. A house of late 18th century origin.
42 and 44 Easton Street - Grade II listed since May 1993. Both houses date from the early 18th century.
31 Easton Square - Grade II listed since September 1978. A house with a shop, dating from the early-to-mid 18th century. It is believed that the house's interior has been left unaltered for a considerable amount of time, while gas lighting brackets survive in the shop section.
Fish house to the north of 31 Easton Street - Grade II listed since May 1993. A fish house/warehouse, known locally as the Fish House, dating from the early-to-mid 19th century. It is set behind No. 31 and is accessed from a short alley leading off Easton Square. Historic England described the building as "a modest but unchanged auxiliary building of which few now remain on the island". The building's stack is believed to be a possible smoking chamber.
30 Easton Square - Grade II listed since May 1993. The house has late 18th century origins.
Easton Methodist Church, along with its former manse and boundary walls - Grade II* listed since May 1993. A Methodist church built between 1906-07 and opened in September 1907. The twin-spired building was designed by Mr La Trobe of Bristol (Latrobe and Weston of Bristol) and built by Wakeham Brothers of Plymouth. The church is still active as part of the Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit.
Wesleyan School, with boundary wall - Grade II listed since May 1993. A former Wesleyan school, built in 1877-78, closed in 1926 and now used as the hall of Easton Methodist Church.
Clock Tower of Easton Gardens - Grade II listed since May 1993. A clock tower designed by R. Stevenson Henshaw and built by Wakeham Brothers in 1907. Historic England described the clock as a "Jacobethan-styled structure with Gothic details".
4 Easton Square - Grade II listed since July 1992. Dates from the late 18th-early 19th century.
All Saints' Church - Grade II listed since September 1978. A church built in 1914-17 as the successor to St George's Church at Reforne. It was designed by architect George Crickmay and built by Crickmay and Sons.
23 Delhi Lane and its attached railings - Grade II listed since May 1993. A detached house of late 18th century origin.

Other notable buildings

Salvation Army Hall - constructed in 1926 at Easton Street, the building remained in use by the Salvation Army until the 2000s, when they relocated to the Weston Room of Easton Methodist Church. The hall was then sold and planning permission obtained in 2011 to transform the building into three dwellings, with the work being carried out in 2011-12.
Old Fire Station - constructed in the late 1930s and located off Easton Street. The building ceased service in the late 1980s with the opening of a new station at Grove Road. It was later demolished in 2001 and replaced with ten new dwellings, making up Foundry Close.
The Jubilee Hall - constructed in 1888 on the south side of Easton Square, with the foundation stones laid on 20 April. The Conservative Association took ownership of the building in 1904. It is still in use as the South Portland Working Men's Conservative Club.
Easton Palace - constructed in 1854 as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, the building was later converted into a cinema known as the Palace Cinema in the early 1910s. It became a Portland Youth Centre known as the Palace Club in 1967, which closed in 1984. The building was then demolished around 1986 and replaced with three new dwellings.
John Pearce Portland Stone Company Ltd Office - located at Park Road, near the former Bottomcombe Stone Works. It was originally constructed in the 1940s as an office for the John Pearce Portland Stone Company Ltd, which was acquired by Bath & Portland Stone Firms Ltd in 1948. The building was later used as a surgery, barbers and then an office for Western Counties Insurance. In 1990, planning permission was obtained to convert the building into a private residence.
Eurotubes Office - located at Park Road, originally built in the mid-20th century as offices for Stone Firms Ltd. It later became a design office for Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Ltd (VSEL) in the 1980s and was taken over by the manufacturers Eurotubes UK Ltd in the 1990s.
St George's Primary School - located at Park Estate Road and built in 1954-55 as Tophill County Junior School, designed by Dorset County Council's architect J. Hurst. The school was extended in the late 1960s/early 1970s to incorporate St George's Infant School. Later in 2006, both schools were amalgamated to form St George's Primary School.
Yeates Reservoir - situated between Yeates Road and the northern end of Easton Lane, the reservoir was completed in 1902 as part of the island's piped water supply scheme. Designed by Mr. E. J. Elford, the surveyor and engineer of the Portland Urban District Council, it was able to hold up to 600,000 gallons. In 1979-80, an additional reservoir was built on the opposite side of Yeates Road, capable of holding up to 1.6 million gallons.
Telephone exchange - situated at Yeates Road, the exchange became operational on 16 August 1972. It replaced the original telephone exchange of 1937 at the bottom of Tillycombe Road. It remains in use to date.

Public houses (past and present)

The Corner House Inn (49 Straits) - an active pub since the late 19th century and originally known as the Victoria Inn.
The Delhi Inn - an active pub at Straits up to the mid-19th century.
The Fountain Inn - located at Bloomfield Terrace and active since the late 19th century and into the early 20th century.
The New Inn (35 Easton Street) - an active pub since at least the mid-19th century. In 2013, the inn was featured on the Channel 4 reality TV show Four in a Bed.
The Punchbowl Inn (46 Easton Street) - an active pub since at least the mid-19th century.
Sawmill Tavern - active since the mid-19th century and closed in August 1972. Located at Easton Lane, it was demolished around 1984, with the site now occupied by Chesil Beach Motors and the Esso station.
The Volunteer Inn (3 Easton Street) - active since at least the mid-19th century and closed in the late 20th century. The building is now occupied by the independent estate agents Real Estate Bureau.

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

1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Disused Stations Site Record - Easton Station - Nick Catford - website page
3) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
4) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - Danger UXB – Portland’s World War 2 Unexploded Bomb - Roger Mutch - website page
5) Exploring Portland - Easton - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Independent Quarries - Geoff Kirby - website page
7) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
8) Isle of Portland Official Guide - Portland Urban District Council - Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd, Chelternham and London - circa 1955 - book
9) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
10) Pastscape - various entries on database - website page
11) Portland Picture Archive - World War 2 - Geoff Kirby - website page
12) Portland Year Book 1905 - Easton Massacre - Paul Benyon - website page
13) Portland Year Book 1905 - Maister's School - Paul Benyon - website page
14) Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
15) Portland Year Book 1905 - The Island's Water Supply - Paul Benyon - website page
16) Portland Year Book 1905 - The Schools on the Isle of Portland - Paul Benyon - website page
17) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 88 - book
18) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page

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