Ferry Bridge
Ferry Bridge is a bridge over the Smallmouth Passage, connecting Portland to Wyke Regis via the A354, the only road linking the island to the mainland. Ferry Bridge marks the point where the Fleet Lagoon joins Portland Harbour to the east by a narrow channel under the bridge. Overlooking the harbour side is Smallmouth Beach. The western region of the harbour, which faces the causeway, is a popular location for watersports due to its exposure to south-westerly winds.
History
Original ferry crossing at the Smallmouth Passage
Before the construction of the first bridge, the only connection between the Royal Manor of Portland and mainland England was Chesil Beach. Although Portland was traditionally an isolated and independent community, the crossing at Smallmouth was being traversed using a ferry as early as the 14th century. Ropes were attached to posts on each side of Smallmouth, allowing the ferry to be pulled backwards and forwards across the passage. At low tide, a sand bar was exposed enough to allow people to walk across it.
The short crossing navigated by the ferry was always hazardous due to the strong currents of the passage. In November 1824, a vicious storm which became infamously known as the "Great Storm of 1824" caused major destruction there. Both the ferry house and a passenger shelter were destroyed, and the experienced ferryman Richard Best lost his life when attempting to save a horse trapped in the passage. In addition, the sand bar was largely destroyed and the high water level at Small Mouth was left four times its former distance across. As a result, the passage was now considerably more unsafe and dangerous than it had been before.
Construction and use of the first bridge (1837-39)
Since the late 18th century, petitioners had been calling for a bridge to be built at Smallmouth, with one such petition gathering 260 signatures in 1776. Although these early petitions were unsuccessful, the 1824 storm greatly increased supporters' arguments for a bridge. In an 1830 petition to the King for assistance with the establishment of a dispensary and resident surgeon on the island, the appeal commented of the hazardous condition of the passage: "The Island is separated from the main land by a small arm of the sea, which was easily passed over in a ferry-boat formerly; but the devastations of the tremendous hurricane in November 1824, have enlarged it to four times its usual breadth; and the attempt to go over it on a stormy day is now attended with imminent danger, and by night is seldom or never made."
A Committee was formed by Portland's governor, John Penn, to bring the idea to fruition and an Act of Parliament was passed in July 1835 for "making and maintaining a bridge over the river called The Portland Ferry, in the County of Dorset, with proper approaches thereto". The cost of its construction and responsibility for future maintenance was vested in a body of Bridge Commissioners, which was made up of various wealthy gentlemen and dignitaries of the local area.
The plans for the 600 foot long wooden structure were drawn up by the architect and engineer George Buck. Construction of the bridge commenced on 29 May 1837 with the laying of the foundation stone on the Portland side of the passage by Richard Oliver Francis Steward, the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Steward of Nottington House, Weymouth. The ceremony was attended by "an immense collection of individuals". A large procession arrived from Portland, including a band, and a celebratory dinner was held for local dignitaries after the ceremony at the Royal Portland Arms in Fortuneswell.
The completed bridge, which cost around £6,500 to build, was opened on 30 January 1839. A "grand and imposing procession" witnessed the event, and the ceremony was attended by a detachment of the cavalry regiment 6th Dragoon Guards and the Weymouth Town Band. In order to maintain the bridge, tolls were charged for its use.
With the completion of the bridge, Ferry Bridge and Smallmouth became something of a popular attraction for locals and visitors. In August 1842, the surrounding shoreline was described as being "much resorted to by visitors" and that the "fine extent of firm sands cannot be equalled on the Western coast". Despite the construction of the bridge, some "humbler classes of inhabitants" often chose to use the remaining sand bar to cross the passage as it was seen as being more "pleasant and expeditious than the coach road". In 1852, £4,389 was given towards the bridge's upkeep, which allowed the tolls to be reduced. £4,000 of that sum was sourced from the £20,000 received by the island from the government for the purchase of common land in connection with the breakwater and other related works. The remaining £389 was from the interest it generated. Further toll reductions followed in the 1870s.
In December 1866, divers and surveyors examined the bridge and determined that repair work was required, with "many [parts] found to be defective". Major repairs and alterations were carried out in 1867 by Richard Reynolds of Weymouth. In order to improve the structure's strength and durability, the bridge was shortened at the Portland end and the passage partly infilled on the same side, "leaving only sufficient space to allow the passage of the water at high tide". A number of piles were also replaced as some were found to be "greatly shaken [or] in some cases almost washed off their bedding by the tide".
Construction of replacement and adoption as a county bridge (1894-96)
By the late 1880s, the bridge was in need of major restoration or replacement. Plans for a new bridge to be made of iron were drawn up for the Ferry Bridge Commissioners by Sir John Coode, who had been the resident engineer and later Engineer-in-Chief for the breakwaters of Portland Harbour. However, as the Commissioners were unable to raise the estimated £6,000-£9,000 cost, the plans had to be dropped. During 1889, the Commissioners approached Dorset County Council over the possibility of the authority taking ownership and future responsibility for the bridge. Negotiations followed and despite lengthy disagreements over terms, the Ferry Bridge Commissioners, Ferry Bridge Committee and County Council later reached an agreement in 1894.
All tolls for use of the bridge were abolished on 2 August 1894. In accordance with the agreement between the three parties, the County Council soon began constructing a replacement, based on Coode's designs. The funds of the Bridge Commissioners, amounting to over £6,000, was transferred to the County Council, while the Bridge Committee contributed £3,000 towards the costs. Work commenced in November 1894, and a temporary bridge was also erected to maintain a connection between Portland and the mainland. The east side of the bridge opened to traffic on 13 September 1895 and the west side was completed and opened on 2 March 1896. The contractor for the bridge's construction was Messrs Cochrane and Sons.
New replacement (1983-85)
By the 1970s, the iron bridge had also fallen into a state of disrepair, suffering from various structural issues including extensive rusting and signs of subsidence. In addition, the bridge was considered increasingly unsuitable for handling the amount and weight of modern vehicles. Dorset County Council authorised an assessment of the bridge in 1979, which was carried out by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton, and it was concluded that a replacement was necessary.
Plans were soon drawn up for a £2 million scheme for the construction of a replacement bridge, some land reclamation work and the upgrading of the existing roadway leading to the bridge. The bridge itself was positioned 180 metres south of the original's position. As the original channel between Portland Harbour and the Fleet was to be closed, a new channel was formed underneath the new bridge to maintain the tidal flow to the Fleet. The contractors, Davies Middleton & Davies Ltd, began work in 1983, with the new bridge being largely built of reinforced concrete and completed in 1985.
Ferry Bridge Inn
The Ferry Bridge Inn was established by the Bridge Commissioners as a "commodious house" for the "lessee or collector of tolls" around the time of the original bridge's construction. It was soon converted into a public house, the (Royal) Victoria Inn, with each successive tenant given the responsibility of collecting tolls from users of the bridge. The inn proved to be a successful enterprise, being approximately two miles from the nearest public house on Portland and a mile from the nearest in Wyke Regis.
At the time when plans for a replacement bridge were progressing, the Bridge Commissioners placed the inn, its adjoining property and the adjacent land for sale by auction in 1891. Both were sold to Devenish & Co of Weymouth, £1,950 for the property and £250 for the land, and the brewery then had the inn rebuilt during the same decade. The £2,200 received by the Bridge Commissioners went towards the cost of the new bridge.
The Ferry Bridge Inn closed in August 2015. The same year saw outline planning permission granted to Ferrybridge Developments LLP for the demolition of the building and the site's redevelopment with up to 29 residential units and a new pub/restaurant. It was considered by Morgan Carey Architects that the inn was "reaching the end of its life", and "suffers from an inherently poor layout", which "limits the potential of the building, and fails to optimise the potential of the site". Some demolition began in April 2021, but work was then halted until it resumed in January 2022. The following month saw the demolition of the inn completed.
Whitehead's Torpedo Works
As the Royal Navy made increasing use of the torpedo in the late 19th century, the Admiralty demanded that Robert Whitehead, the engineer famous for the development of the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo, establish a torpedo factory in Britain. In addition to the need for greater production levels of the weapon, the Admiralty were concerned over the dependency of ordering torpedoes from abroad, particularly in the event of war, as Whitehead's factory was based in Fiume, Austria.
Whitehead chose a site on the northern side of Portland Harbour, close to Ferry Bridge, for his new torpedo works, which was built in 1891 by Messrs Hill & Company of Gosport. In addition to producing torpedoes for the Admiralty and other countries' navies, torpedo testing and practice firing was regularly undertaken using a purpose-built 1,060 yard pier projecting into the harbour.
Following Whitehead's death in 1905, Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth secured joint control of the works, which continued to thrive as Wyke Regis' key employer. During World War I, the Admiralty took over production there to ensure a continuous supply of torpedoes. A post-war slump saw the works close in 1921, but it was reopened in 1923. In the lead up to the outbreak of World War II, the workforce reached 1,700 as demand grew. During the war, it made a significant contribution in the production of torpedoes for the Admiralty. Owing to the site's vulnerability to air raid attack, temporary branches associated with the works were set up at Bournemouth, Staines and Street.
With the post-war drop in demand for torpedoes, the works began diversifying into general engineering and sought the procurement of various contracts for the manufacture of a range of machinery and parts. The production of torpedoes continued on a small scale into the 1960s. The works was sold by Vickers-Armstrong to Wellworthy Ltd in 1967 and spent the rest of its operational life making specialised parts for the motor industry. By the mid-1970s, production revolved around pistons, liners, piston rings and gudgeon pins, and later cast iron liners for diesel engines. The works closed in 1994 and planning permission was granted in 1997 to Crest Homes Ltd to demolish all the buildings and redevelop the site into a housing estate. The factory's foundation stone, along with a commemorative stone, can be found within the estate.
Port Sanitary Isolation Hospital
In 1880, the Weymouth Port Sanitary Authority opened an infectious diseases hospital a short distance north of Ferry Bridge, on the western side of Wyke Regis, overlooking the Fleet. The authority was established and permanently constituted in 1877, acting as the health authority for both Weymouth and Portland Harbours, as well as others along the surrounding coast. The authority would carry out inspections on vessels arriving at local ports and harbours, with the control of infectious diseases being a primary focus.
Plans for the isolation hospital were drawn up by the local architects Crickmay & Son and tenders for its construction were sought in February 1879. The tender of Messrs Bull and Son of Southampton was selected for £4,047, and the four-ward hospital was opened in October 1880 for sick and quarantined seamen and passengers. Following its closure in 1933, the hospital was sold by auctioneers Messrs Henry Duke & Son in 1937. The site went on to become the Chesil Beach Holiday Camp, later known as the Blue Waters Holiday Village, Chesil Beach Holiday Park and currently as the Chesil Vista Holiday Park. The former ward buildings survive and are now in use as holiday apartments and on-site facilities for guests.
W. & J. Tod Limited
The boatbuilders Tods was established by brothers Bill and Jack Tod at Glavilles Wootton as a small enterprise producing 19ft wooden craft. When an order was made for a 25ft craft, a temporary facility was established at Ferry Bridge in 1932, on the shore of the Fleet, as the firm's existing premises was too small. When further orders for the 25ft craft were made, Tods permanently relocated to the Ferry Bridge and quickly had their premises extended.
Over the course of World War II, Tods produced approximately 200 craft, many of which served in the war effort, including 16ft surveying craft, fast motor boats, 25ft motor boats and 36ft harbour launches. The Admiralty purchased a number of 19ft craft while Tods also began producing a range of other products of wood and metal. In 1940, a 212ft long dummy 'S' Class submarine of timber was built for the Admiralty. It was berthed in Portland Harbour and later received a direct hit by the Luftwaffe.
In the 1950s, Tods transitioned from using wood to glass reinforced polyester for their craft, with the firm being an early pioneer in the use of GRP in the UK boat building industry. The company built the first plastic motor cruiser in 1954 and supplied the Royal Navy with some of their earliest GRP boats. The firm also began manufacturing a range of other GRP products for various customers, including sonar domes for the Royal Navy. In 1972, boat production ceased in favour of producing more products for the Ministry of Defence and other commercial clients. In addition to expansion of the Ferry Bridge site, other manufacturing premises were established in Yeovil, Portland and Wrexham over the course of the late 20th century.
Tods closed its Ferry Bridge premises in 2002, primarily as a result of a decrease in defence-related orders, and all work was transferred to their premises in Crewkerne. The factory was demolished in 2005 and the site then redeveloped as Passage Close, a housing development by the Weymouth-based Betterment Properties. Tods Aerospace and Tods Defence now operate as part of Unitech Aerospace, with Tods Defence based at Wide Street on Portland. Tods Defence supplies various navies with advanced composite structures for submarine and surface ships, including sonar domes, radomes and acoustic windows.
Railway viaduct
In addition to the road bridge at Smallmouth, a 198 yard wooden viaduct was erected across the passage in 1863-64 as part of the Weymouth and Portland Railway, which opened in 1865. The viaduct was later replaced with a steel one in 1902, erected by Messrs George Palmer and Company of Neath. It became disused following the closure of the line to passengers in 1952 and goods traffic in 1965. Owing to its deteriorating condition, the viaduct was demolished in December 1971.
Pillbox
Close to the bridge and west of Portland Beach Road is a World War II pillbox of Type 22 design, overlooking the Fleet Lagoon. It was constructed during 1940 as part of British anti-invasion preparations, at a time when the German's invasion plan, Operation Sea Lion, was considered a major threat. It is hexagonal in plan and constructed of brick and reinforced concrete. The pillbox still survives today although the external blast wall has collapsed. Further pillboxes, among other anti-invasion measures, were placed along the lagoon, some of which can still be seen today.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) All About Ferry Bridge (or "Smallmouth") - Doug Hollings - Creeds the Printers, Broadoak - 1993 - book
2) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - The Ferry Bridge - Paul Benyon - website page
3) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - The Great Gale of 1824 - Paul Benyon - website page
4) Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon (chesilbeach.org) - Chesil & Fleet A to Z - O to R - website page
5) Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon (chesilbeach.org) - Chesil Beach and Fleet picture gallery - Ferrybridge - website page
6) Disused Stations Site Record - Portland 1st Site - Nick Catford - website page
7) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - The Great Gale of 1824 - Luke Mouland - January 2013 - website page
8) Exploring Portland - Ferrybridge - Geoff Kirby - website page
9) Geology of Portland Habour, Dorset - Geological Field Trip Guide - Dr. Ian West - website page
10) Google Books - Highways + Public Works, Volumes 51-52 - Embankment Press - 1983 - website page
11) Pastscape - Monument No. 1419087 - website page
12) Portland: A Topographical and Historical Gazetteer - Roy Mackenzie - 1999 - page 21 - book
13) Portland Souvenir Magazine - The Last Years of the Ferrybridge - R. J. Hayward - c. 1982 - magazine article
14) Portland Year Book 1905 - Weymouth Port Sanitary Authority - website page
15) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
History
Original ferry crossing at the Smallmouth Passage
Before the construction of the first bridge, the only connection between the Royal Manor of Portland and mainland England was Chesil Beach. Although Portland was traditionally an isolated and independent community, the crossing at Smallmouth was being traversed using a ferry as early as the 14th century. Ropes were attached to posts on each side of Smallmouth, allowing the ferry to be pulled backwards and forwards across the passage. At low tide, a sand bar was exposed enough to allow people to walk across it.
The short crossing navigated by the ferry was always hazardous due to the strong currents of the passage. In November 1824, a vicious storm which became infamously known as the "Great Storm of 1824" caused major destruction there. Both the ferry house and a passenger shelter were destroyed, and the experienced ferryman Richard Best lost his life when attempting to save a horse trapped in the passage. In addition, the sand bar was largely destroyed and the high water level at Small Mouth was left four times its former distance across. As a result, the passage was now considerably more unsafe and dangerous than it had been before.
Construction and use of the first bridge (1837-39)
Since the late 18th century, petitioners had been calling for a bridge to be built at Smallmouth, with one such petition gathering 260 signatures in 1776. Although these early petitions were unsuccessful, the 1824 storm greatly increased supporters' arguments for a bridge. In an 1830 petition to the King for assistance with the establishment of a dispensary and resident surgeon on the island, the appeal commented of the hazardous condition of the passage: "The Island is separated from the main land by a small arm of the sea, which was easily passed over in a ferry-boat formerly; but the devastations of the tremendous hurricane in November 1824, have enlarged it to four times its usual breadth; and the attempt to go over it on a stormy day is now attended with imminent danger, and by night is seldom or never made."
A Committee was formed by Portland's governor, John Penn, to bring the idea to fruition and an Act of Parliament was passed in July 1835 for "making and maintaining a bridge over the river called The Portland Ferry, in the County of Dorset, with proper approaches thereto". The cost of its construction and responsibility for future maintenance was vested in a body of Bridge Commissioners, which was made up of various wealthy gentlemen and dignitaries of the local area.
The plans for the 600 foot long wooden structure were drawn up by the architect and engineer George Buck. Construction of the bridge commenced on 29 May 1837 with the laying of the foundation stone on the Portland side of the passage by Richard Oliver Francis Steward, the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Steward of Nottington House, Weymouth. The ceremony was attended by "an immense collection of individuals". A large procession arrived from Portland, including a band, and a celebratory dinner was held for local dignitaries after the ceremony at the Royal Portland Arms in Fortuneswell.
The completed bridge, which cost around £6,500 to build, was opened on 30 January 1839. A "grand and imposing procession" witnessed the event, and the ceremony was attended by a detachment of the cavalry regiment 6th Dragoon Guards and the Weymouth Town Band. In order to maintain the bridge, tolls were charged for its use.
With the completion of the bridge, Ferry Bridge and Smallmouth became something of a popular attraction for locals and visitors. In August 1842, the surrounding shoreline was described as being "much resorted to by visitors" and that the "fine extent of firm sands cannot be equalled on the Western coast". Despite the construction of the bridge, some "humbler classes of inhabitants" often chose to use the remaining sand bar to cross the passage as it was seen as being more "pleasant and expeditious than the coach road". In 1852, £4,389 was given towards the bridge's upkeep, which allowed the tolls to be reduced. £4,000 of that sum was sourced from the £20,000 received by the island from the government for the purchase of common land in connection with the breakwater and other related works. The remaining £389 was from the interest it generated. Further toll reductions followed in the 1870s.
In December 1866, divers and surveyors examined the bridge and determined that repair work was required, with "many [parts] found to be defective". Major repairs and alterations were carried out in 1867 by Richard Reynolds of Weymouth. In order to improve the structure's strength and durability, the bridge was shortened at the Portland end and the passage partly infilled on the same side, "leaving only sufficient space to allow the passage of the water at high tide". A number of piles were also replaced as some were found to be "greatly shaken [or] in some cases almost washed off their bedding by the tide".
Construction of replacement and adoption as a county bridge (1894-96)
By the late 1880s, the bridge was in need of major restoration or replacement. Plans for a new bridge to be made of iron were drawn up for the Ferry Bridge Commissioners by Sir John Coode, who had been the resident engineer and later Engineer-in-Chief for the breakwaters of Portland Harbour. However, as the Commissioners were unable to raise the estimated £6,000-£9,000 cost, the plans had to be dropped. During 1889, the Commissioners approached Dorset County Council over the possibility of the authority taking ownership and future responsibility for the bridge. Negotiations followed and despite lengthy disagreements over terms, the Ferry Bridge Commissioners, Ferry Bridge Committee and County Council later reached an agreement in 1894.
All tolls for use of the bridge were abolished on 2 August 1894. In accordance with the agreement between the three parties, the County Council soon began constructing a replacement, based on Coode's designs. The funds of the Bridge Commissioners, amounting to over £6,000, was transferred to the County Council, while the Bridge Committee contributed £3,000 towards the costs. Work commenced in November 1894, and a temporary bridge was also erected to maintain a connection between Portland and the mainland. The east side of the bridge opened to traffic on 13 September 1895 and the west side was completed and opened on 2 March 1896. The contractor for the bridge's construction was Messrs Cochrane and Sons.
New replacement (1983-85)
By the 1970s, the iron bridge had also fallen into a state of disrepair, suffering from various structural issues including extensive rusting and signs of subsidence. In addition, the bridge was considered increasingly unsuitable for handling the amount and weight of modern vehicles. Dorset County Council authorised an assessment of the bridge in 1979, which was carried out by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton, and it was concluded that a replacement was necessary.
Plans were soon drawn up for a £2 million scheme for the construction of a replacement bridge, some land reclamation work and the upgrading of the existing roadway leading to the bridge. The bridge itself was positioned 180 metres south of the original's position. As the original channel between Portland Harbour and the Fleet was to be closed, a new channel was formed underneath the new bridge to maintain the tidal flow to the Fleet. The contractors, Davies Middleton & Davies Ltd, began work in 1983, with the new bridge being largely built of reinforced concrete and completed in 1985.
Ferry Bridge Inn
The Ferry Bridge Inn was established by the Bridge Commissioners as a "commodious house" for the "lessee or collector of tolls" around the time of the original bridge's construction. It was soon converted into a public house, the (Royal) Victoria Inn, with each successive tenant given the responsibility of collecting tolls from users of the bridge. The inn proved to be a successful enterprise, being approximately two miles from the nearest public house on Portland and a mile from the nearest in Wyke Regis.
At the time when plans for a replacement bridge were progressing, the Bridge Commissioners placed the inn, its adjoining property and the adjacent land for sale by auction in 1891. Both were sold to Devenish & Co of Weymouth, £1,950 for the property and £250 for the land, and the brewery then had the inn rebuilt during the same decade. The £2,200 received by the Bridge Commissioners went towards the cost of the new bridge.
The Ferry Bridge Inn closed in August 2015. The same year saw outline planning permission granted to Ferrybridge Developments LLP for the demolition of the building and the site's redevelopment with up to 29 residential units and a new pub/restaurant. It was considered by Morgan Carey Architects that the inn was "reaching the end of its life", and "suffers from an inherently poor layout", which "limits the potential of the building, and fails to optimise the potential of the site". Some demolition began in April 2021, but work was then halted until it resumed in January 2022. The following month saw the demolition of the inn completed.
Whitehead's Torpedo Works
As the Royal Navy made increasing use of the torpedo in the late 19th century, the Admiralty demanded that Robert Whitehead, the engineer famous for the development of the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo, establish a torpedo factory in Britain. In addition to the need for greater production levels of the weapon, the Admiralty were concerned over the dependency of ordering torpedoes from abroad, particularly in the event of war, as Whitehead's factory was based in Fiume, Austria.
Whitehead chose a site on the northern side of Portland Harbour, close to Ferry Bridge, for his new torpedo works, which was built in 1891 by Messrs Hill & Company of Gosport. In addition to producing torpedoes for the Admiralty and other countries' navies, torpedo testing and practice firing was regularly undertaken using a purpose-built 1,060 yard pier projecting into the harbour.
Following Whitehead's death in 1905, Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth secured joint control of the works, which continued to thrive as Wyke Regis' key employer. During World War I, the Admiralty took over production there to ensure a continuous supply of torpedoes. A post-war slump saw the works close in 1921, but it was reopened in 1923. In the lead up to the outbreak of World War II, the workforce reached 1,700 as demand grew. During the war, it made a significant contribution in the production of torpedoes for the Admiralty. Owing to the site's vulnerability to air raid attack, temporary branches associated with the works were set up at Bournemouth, Staines and Street.
With the post-war drop in demand for torpedoes, the works began diversifying into general engineering and sought the procurement of various contracts for the manufacture of a range of machinery and parts. The production of torpedoes continued on a small scale into the 1960s. The works was sold by Vickers-Armstrong to Wellworthy Ltd in 1967 and spent the rest of its operational life making specialised parts for the motor industry. By the mid-1970s, production revolved around pistons, liners, piston rings and gudgeon pins, and later cast iron liners for diesel engines. The works closed in 1994 and planning permission was granted in 1997 to Crest Homes Ltd to demolish all the buildings and redevelop the site into a housing estate. The factory's foundation stone, along with a commemorative stone, can be found within the estate.
Port Sanitary Isolation Hospital
In 1880, the Weymouth Port Sanitary Authority opened an infectious diseases hospital a short distance north of Ferry Bridge, on the western side of Wyke Regis, overlooking the Fleet. The authority was established and permanently constituted in 1877, acting as the health authority for both Weymouth and Portland Harbours, as well as others along the surrounding coast. The authority would carry out inspections on vessels arriving at local ports and harbours, with the control of infectious diseases being a primary focus.
Plans for the isolation hospital were drawn up by the local architects Crickmay & Son and tenders for its construction were sought in February 1879. The tender of Messrs Bull and Son of Southampton was selected for £4,047, and the four-ward hospital was opened in October 1880 for sick and quarantined seamen and passengers. Following its closure in 1933, the hospital was sold by auctioneers Messrs Henry Duke & Son in 1937. The site went on to become the Chesil Beach Holiday Camp, later known as the Blue Waters Holiday Village, Chesil Beach Holiday Park and currently as the Chesil Vista Holiday Park. The former ward buildings survive and are now in use as holiday apartments and on-site facilities for guests.
W. & J. Tod Limited
The boatbuilders Tods was established by brothers Bill and Jack Tod at Glavilles Wootton as a small enterprise producing 19ft wooden craft. When an order was made for a 25ft craft, a temporary facility was established at Ferry Bridge in 1932, on the shore of the Fleet, as the firm's existing premises was too small. When further orders for the 25ft craft were made, Tods permanently relocated to the Ferry Bridge and quickly had their premises extended.
Over the course of World War II, Tods produced approximately 200 craft, many of which served in the war effort, including 16ft surveying craft, fast motor boats, 25ft motor boats and 36ft harbour launches. The Admiralty purchased a number of 19ft craft while Tods also began producing a range of other products of wood and metal. In 1940, a 212ft long dummy 'S' Class submarine of timber was built for the Admiralty. It was berthed in Portland Harbour and later received a direct hit by the Luftwaffe.
In the 1950s, Tods transitioned from using wood to glass reinforced polyester for their craft, with the firm being an early pioneer in the use of GRP in the UK boat building industry. The company built the first plastic motor cruiser in 1954 and supplied the Royal Navy with some of their earliest GRP boats. The firm also began manufacturing a range of other GRP products for various customers, including sonar domes for the Royal Navy. In 1972, boat production ceased in favour of producing more products for the Ministry of Defence and other commercial clients. In addition to expansion of the Ferry Bridge site, other manufacturing premises were established in Yeovil, Portland and Wrexham over the course of the late 20th century.
Tods closed its Ferry Bridge premises in 2002, primarily as a result of a decrease in defence-related orders, and all work was transferred to their premises in Crewkerne. The factory was demolished in 2005 and the site then redeveloped as Passage Close, a housing development by the Weymouth-based Betterment Properties. Tods Aerospace and Tods Defence now operate as part of Unitech Aerospace, with Tods Defence based at Wide Street on Portland. Tods Defence supplies various navies with advanced composite structures for submarine and surface ships, including sonar domes, radomes and acoustic windows.
Railway viaduct
In addition to the road bridge at Smallmouth, a 198 yard wooden viaduct was erected across the passage in 1863-64 as part of the Weymouth and Portland Railway, which opened in 1865. The viaduct was later replaced with a steel one in 1902, erected by Messrs George Palmer and Company of Neath. It became disused following the closure of the line to passengers in 1952 and goods traffic in 1965. Owing to its deteriorating condition, the viaduct was demolished in December 1971.
Pillbox
Close to the bridge and west of Portland Beach Road is a World War II pillbox of Type 22 design, overlooking the Fleet Lagoon. It was constructed during 1940 as part of British anti-invasion preparations, at a time when the German's invasion plan, Operation Sea Lion, was considered a major threat. It is hexagonal in plan and constructed of brick and reinforced concrete. The pillbox still survives today although the external blast wall has collapsed. Further pillboxes, among other anti-invasion measures, were placed along the lagoon, some of which can still be seen today.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) All About Ferry Bridge (or "Smallmouth") - Doug Hollings - Creeds the Printers, Broadoak - 1993 - book
2) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - The Ferry Bridge - Paul Benyon - website page
3) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - The Great Gale of 1824 - Paul Benyon - website page
4) Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon (chesilbeach.org) - Chesil & Fleet A to Z - O to R - website page
5) Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon (chesilbeach.org) - Chesil Beach and Fleet picture gallery - Ferrybridge - website page
6) Disused Stations Site Record - Portland 1st Site - Nick Catford - website page
7) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - The Great Gale of 1824 - Luke Mouland - January 2013 - website page
8) Exploring Portland - Ferrybridge - Geoff Kirby - website page
9) Geology of Portland Habour, Dorset - Geological Field Trip Guide - Dr. Ian West - website page
10) Google Books - Highways + Public Works, Volumes 51-52 - Embankment Press - 1983 - website page
11) Pastscape - Monument No. 1419087 - website page
12) Portland: A Topographical and Historical Gazetteer - Roy Mackenzie - 1999 - page 21 - book
13) Portland Souvenir Magazine - The Last Years of the Ferrybridge - R. J. Hayward - c. 1982 - magazine article
14) Portland Year Book 1905 - Weymouth Port Sanitary Authority - website page
15) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
Gallery
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