Portland Town Council Offices
Portland Town Council Offices is a former office block, built in 1933-34 in the southern region of Fortuneswell. It was originally the home of the Portland Urban District Council and later Portland Town Council from 1974 to 2016.
In recent years, the offices have been designated an Important Local Building. The 2014 Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland recorded that the building is included within the Underhill conservation area for its "moderne style" and "civic legacy", along with it being a "gateway building" and a "focal point".
History
Portland Urban District Council and the building of the offices (1894-1974)
The Portland Urban District Council was established in 1894 as the successor to the Portland Local Board, which had been formed during the 1860s. The new council held its first meeting during 1895 and despite having no permanent office of their own, they assumed control of a wide range of public services. The Portland Year Book of 1905 recorded various committees of the council, including highways, buildings, licensing, fire brigade, water supply, sewerage, sanitation, gas, finance, general purposes, education, pleasure gardens and public conveniences.
In 1914, the council commissioned Messrs Petter & Warren of Yeovil to design an office building as a permanent home for the council. Two cottages were acquired at the top of Fortuneswell, Antediluvian Cottage and Yew Tree House, which were positioned on the corner of New Road - the main road connecting Underhill and Tophill. However, plans to begin construction of the offices was halted with the outbreak of the Great War.
Later in 1932, with the council still functioning without a permanent home, Portland's Wesleyan circuit offered to sell their Beach View House for use as offices. A council meeting in June that year decided to reopen negotiations with Messrs Petter and Warren over the construction of the originally planned new offices instead. By March 1933, the council had accepted the tender of the local builders Messrs Jesty and Baker for a cost of £8,790. On 4 October 1933, Councillor E. C. Samson, Chairman of the Council, laid the foundation stone, and the building, designed in an Art Deco style, was completed in 1934. It was opened that year on 5 September by Councillor P. H. Allen during a formal ceremony.
Portland Town Council occupation (1974-2016)
The offices continued to serve the Portland Urban District Council until 1974, when a reorganisation of local government saw the council merge with the adjoining town of Weymouth to form the Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. They became the new owners of the offices although, as part of the freehold transfer, the borough council agreed to accommodate the newly-formed Portland Parish Council there. The parish council became the Portland Town Council in 1975 and the offices continued to be used by them, with the borough council paying all overheads. Meanwhile, the borough council made use of some of the unused space within the building, mainly for storage purposes, although a cash office and architect sections were also located within the building for a time.
The town council continued to operate from the offices into the 21st century and regularly held meetings within the chamber. Aside from the full council meetings, others were frequently held for committees based on HR & IT, planning and highways, marine and environment and the Portland Neighbourhood Plan. However, since the 2000s, the number of meetings held in the chamber had declined in favour of holding them at alternative local venues, largely due to the fact that the building did not comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Redevelopment plans (2006-)
In October 2006, as much of the building remained unused, the borough council submitted a planning application to develop the offices, forming six flats over the ground floor, first floor and a new second floor, while Portland Town Council would operate on the lower ground floor. However, as it was felt this would result in over-development of the site, the application was refused in November with a 6-4 vote. The Tophill West councillor Les Ames had pointed out the office's chamber was "something to be proud of because of its great history".
New plans were developed and an application submitted in July 2007. The general proposal was the same as before, but this time for the development of eight flats, with a change in the number of bed spaces. It was approved in August, subject to a number of conditions. The borough council's planning committee were reluctant to pass the plans, and had felt the building to be an "eyesore" and "too impractical to house people". They commented that the building was "like something from the Third Reich and should be demolished". Portland Town Council announced soon after that they would refuse to move to their new lower floor premises unless they came to a satisfactory agreement with the borough council over conditions.
Despite planning permission being granted, no work commenced and the offices were not handed over to a property developer as had been anticipated. In July 2010, the borough council had to apply for a time limit extension for the planning, which was approved in September, but again, no redevelopment took place and the planning permission later expired after three years.
During 2016, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council pushed forward new plans for the building's future, which involved selling the building so that it could be completely redeveloped, and in turn help reduce the borough council's overheads. They had previously offered the town council the opportunity to take over the building for a nominal sum, but this was declined. The Dorset Echo reported in March 2016 that the borough council had then offered Portland Town Council £50,000 to vacate, allowing them to find alternative premises and cover the costs of relocating. The two councils held an informal meeting during April, resulting in an agreement on the deal, with the town council to vacate the building by June. As part of a major re-organisation to reduce costs, the borough council also moved from their own offices at North Quay in Weymouth to cheaper premises in April that year.
A public open day was held at Portland's council offices on 16 April 2016, which included a sealed bid auction on surplus furniture. Portland Town Council then relocated to temporary offices at Easton Street, while the former offices were sold. In February 2017, the new owners revealed their intentions to convert the building into flats and planning permission seeking to change the building from office to residential use was approved in February 2018. The redeveloped building, made up of eight one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats, has been named Yew Tree House.
Design
The three-storey offices were designed in an Art Deco style, with a rectangular shape, a symmetrical façade and a projecting entrance porch. It was constructed of Portland stone around a steel framed structure, with a flat asphalt roof. The majority of the building uses ashlar masonry, while the bottom floor uses rock-faced blocks.
The original building was designed with metal-framed casements, but these were replaced during the 1970s with uPVC windows due to extensive deterioration and rusting. The replacement windows included imitation plastic glazing bars, which were chosen in order to try and maintain the building's original appearance. The cast iron panels below the windows were all retained during the work.
Inside the porch is a small vestibule leading to the lobby. The building's three storeys are accessed by an open-well staircase, built of reinforced concrete, and designed with a balustrade and moulded handrail. Much of the building's original parquet flooring survives. The lower ground floor has a number of small offices, including a cash office and a metal fireproof safe of mid-20th century origin, designed by Milners' Safe Co. Ltd. of London and Liverpool. The first floor was originally designed to house several larger rooms and these were later sub-divided. The top floor holds the Council Chamber, which is rectangular in design. In a 2012 survey by English Heritage, the chamber was described as having "classical motifs with giant stylised pilasters to the walls and a compartmental plasterwork ceiling, and also some Moderne details in the metal-framed skylight which has decorative scrollwork to the sides, the original doors, their furniture and wide plain architrave." The same level also holds the Mayor's office, which retains its original door and picture rail.
For a number of years, the offices held several framed tapestries with the names of many local residents. Although never completed, the tapestries were created in 1978 to commemorate 900 years of Portland's recorded history. The tapestries were moved to St George's Centre in Reforne in June 2016.
In 2012, English Heritage had surveyed the building, but concluded it was not worthy for designation as a listed building. They concluded: "It has a well-crafted exterior, but the architectural design is not distinguished and has no particular significance for the evolution of this particular building type. The replacement of the windows in uPVC has significantly compromised the building, and although some fixtures and fittings remain in a small number of rooms, including the Council Chamber, they are of a standard design and quality for the period."
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page. The primary sources are in italics.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland Urban District Council - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2006 to 2017 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 06/00735/FUL3 (10 Nov 2006) - website page
5) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 06/00735/FUL3 (10 Nov 2006) - Officer Report - PDF document
6) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 07/00524/FUL3 (23 Aug 2007) - website page
7) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 07/00524/FUL3 (23 Aug 2007) - Officer Report - PDF document
8) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 10/00486/FUL3 (6 Sep 2010) - website page
9) Free Portland News - March 2016 - Issue No. 449
10) Free Portland News - Letter to the Editor - June 2016 - Issue No. 452
11) Heritage Gateway - Portland Council Offices - 1410906 - website page
12) Independent: The Rise of the Non-Aligned Politician - Richard Berry - Imprint Academic - 2008 - ISBN: 978-1845401283 - chapter 2 - book
13) Information on the foundation stone of the Portland Town Council Offices
14) Information on the Past Chairmen of the Portland Local Board and Urban District Council plaque in the Portland Town Council Offices
15) Information on wooden plaque inside Portland Town Council Offices
16) Portland Town Council - Official Website - About the council - website page
17) Portland Town Council - Official Website - Meetings - website page
18) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 128 - book
19) The Island and Royal Manor of Portland - Notes on its History, Laws and Customs - J. W. Warren - Order of the Court Leet and Court of the Manor - 1939 - page 94 - book
In recent years, the offices have been designated an Important Local Building. The 2014 Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland recorded that the building is included within the Underhill conservation area for its "moderne style" and "civic legacy", along with it being a "gateway building" and a "focal point".
History
Portland Urban District Council and the building of the offices (1894-1974)
The Portland Urban District Council was established in 1894 as the successor to the Portland Local Board, which had been formed during the 1860s. The new council held its first meeting during 1895 and despite having no permanent office of their own, they assumed control of a wide range of public services. The Portland Year Book of 1905 recorded various committees of the council, including highways, buildings, licensing, fire brigade, water supply, sewerage, sanitation, gas, finance, general purposes, education, pleasure gardens and public conveniences.
In 1914, the council commissioned Messrs Petter & Warren of Yeovil to design an office building as a permanent home for the council. Two cottages were acquired at the top of Fortuneswell, Antediluvian Cottage and Yew Tree House, which were positioned on the corner of New Road - the main road connecting Underhill and Tophill. However, plans to begin construction of the offices was halted with the outbreak of the Great War.
Later in 1932, with the council still functioning without a permanent home, Portland's Wesleyan circuit offered to sell their Beach View House for use as offices. A council meeting in June that year decided to reopen negotiations with Messrs Petter and Warren over the construction of the originally planned new offices instead. By March 1933, the council had accepted the tender of the local builders Messrs Jesty and Baker for a cost of £8,790. On 4 October 1933, Councillor E. C. Samson, Chairman of the Council, laid the foundation stone, and the building, designed in an Art Deco style, was completed in 1934. It was opened that year on 5 September by Councillor P. H. Allen during a formal ceremony.
Portland Town Council occupation (1974-2016)
The offices continued to serve the Portland Urban District Council until 1974, when a reorganisation of local government saw the council merge with the adjoining town of Weymouth to form the Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. They became the new owners of the offices although, as part of the freehold transfer, the borough council agreed to accommodate the newly-formed Portland Parish Council there. The parish council became the Portland Town Council in 1975 and the offices continued to be used by them, with the borough council paying all overheads. Meanwhile, the borough council made use of some of the unused space within the building, mainly for storage purposes, although a cash office and architect sections were also located within the building for a time.
The town council continued to operate from the offices into the 21st century and regularly held meetings within the chamber. Aside from the full council meetings, others were frequently held for committees based on HR & IT, planning and highways, marine and environment and the Portland Neighbourhood Plan. However, since the 2000s, the number of meetings held in the chamber had declined in favour of holding them at alternative local venues, largely due to the fact that the building did not comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Redevelopment plans (2006-)
In October 2006, as much of the building remained unused, the borough council submitted a planning application to develop the offices, forming six flats over the ground floor, first floor and a new second floor, while Portland Town Council would operate on the lower ground floor. However, as it was felt this would result in over-development of the site, the application was refused in November with a 6-4 vote. The Tophill West councillor Les Ames had pointed out the office's chamber was "something to be proud of because of its great history".
New plans were developed and an application submitted in July 2007. The general proposal was the same as before, but this time for the development of eight flats, with a change in the number of bed spaces. It was approved in August, subject to a number of conditions. The borough council's planning committee were reluctant to pass the plans, and had felt the building to be an "eyesore" and "too impractical to house people". They commented that the building was "like something from the Third Reich and should be demolished". Portland Town Council announced soon after that they would refuse to move to their new lower floor premises unless they came to a satisfactory agreement with the borough council over conditions.
Despite planning permission being granted, no work commenced and the offices were not handed over to a property developer as had been anticipated. In July 2010, the borough council had to apply for a time limit extension for the planning, which was approved in September, but again, no redevelopment took place and the planning permission later expired after three years.
During 2016, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council pushed forward new plans for the building's future, which involved selling the building so that it could be completely redeveloped, and in turn help reduce the borough council's overheads. They had previously offered the town council the opportunity to take over the building for a nominal sum, but this was declined. The Dorset Echo reported in March 2016 that the borough council had then offered Portland Town Council £50,000 to vacate, allowing them to find alternative premises and cover the costs of relocating. The two councils held an informal meeting during April, resulting in an agreement on the deal, with the town council to vacate the building by June. As part of a major re-organisation to reduce costs, the borough council also moved from their own offices at North Quay in Weymouth to cheaper premises in April that year.
A public open day was held at Portland's council offices on 16 April 2016, which included a sealed bid auction on surplus furniture. Portland Town Council then relocated to temporary offices at Easton Street, while the former offices were sold. In February 2017, the new owners revealed their intentions to convert the building into flats and planning permission seeking to change the building from office to residential use was approved in February 2018. The redeveloped building, made up of eight one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats, has been named Yew Tree House.
Design
The three-storey offices were designed in an Art Deco style, with a rectangular shape, a symmetrical façade and a projecting entrance porch. It was constructed of Portland stone around a steel framed structure, with a flat asphalt roof. The majority of the building uses ashlar masonry, while the bottom floor uses rock-faced blocks.
The original building was designed with metal-framed casements, but these were replaced during the 1970s with uPVC windows due to extensive deterioration and rusting. The replacement windows included imitation plastic glazing bars, which were chosen in order to try and maintain the building's original appearance. The cast iron panels below the windows were all retained during the work.
Inside the porch is a small vestibule leading to the lobby. The building's three storeys are accessed by an open-well staircase, built of reinforced concrete, and designed with a balustrade and moulded handrail. Much of the building's original parquet flooring survives. The lower ground floor has a number of small offices, including a cash office and a metal fireproof safe of mid-20th century origin, designed by Milners' Safe Co. Ltd. of London and Liverpool. The first floor was originally designed to house several larger rooms and these were later sub-divided. The top floor holds the Council Chamber, which is rectangular in design. In a 2012 survey by English Heritage, the chamber was described as having "classical motifs with giant stylised pilasters to the walls and a compartmental plasterwork ceiling, and also some Moderne details in the metal-framed skylight which has decorative scrollwork to the sides, the original doors, their furniture and wide plain architrave." The same level also holds the Mayor's office, which retains its original door and picture rail.
For a number of years, the offices held several framed tapestries with the names of many local residents. Although never completed, the tapestries were created in 1978 to commemorate 900 years of Portland's recorded history. The tapestries were moved to St George's Centre in Reforne in June 2016.
In 2012, English Heritage had surveyed the building, but concluded it was not worthy for designation as a listed building. They concluded: "It has a well-crafted exterior, but the architectural design is not distinguished and has no particular significance for the evolution of this particular building type. The replacement of the windows in uPVC has significantly compromised the building, and although some fixtures and fittings remain in a small number of rooms, including the Council Chamber, they are of a standard design and quality for the period."
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page. The primary sources are in italics.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland Urban District Council - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2006 to 2017 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 06/00735/FUL3 (10 Nov 2006) - website page
5) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 06/00735/FUL3 (10 Nov 2006) - Officer Report - PDF document
6) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 07/00524/FUL3 (23 Aug 2007) - website page
7) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 07/00524/FUL3 (23 Aug 2007) - Officer Report - PDF document
8) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - 10/00486/FUL3 (6 Sep 2010) - website page
9) Free Portland News - March 2016 - Issue No. 449
10) Free Portland News - Letter to the Editor - June 2016 - Issue No. 452
11) Heritage Gateway - Portland Council Offices - 1410906 - website page
12) Independent: The Rise of the Non-Aligned Politician - Richard Berry - Imprint Academic - 2008 - ISBN: 978-1845401283 - chapter 2 - book
13) Information on the foundation stone of the Portland Town Council Offices
14) Information on the Past Chairmen of the Portland Local Board and Urban District Council plaque in the Portland Town Council Offices
15) Information on wooden plaque inside Portland Town Council Offices
16) Portland Town Council - Official Website - About the council - website page
17) Portland Town Council - Official Website - Meetings - website page
18) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 128 - book
19) The Island and Royal Manor of Portland - Notes on its History, Laws and Customs - J. W. Warren - Order of the Court Leet and Court of the Manor - 1939 - page 94 - book
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.
Many thanks to Ray Nowak for the organisation of the offices' open day in April 2016, allowing the opportunity for these photographs to be taken.
Many thanks to Ray Nowak for the organisation of the offices' open day in April 2016, allowing the opportunity for these photographs to be taken.
