RN Portland Bill W/T Station
RN Portland Bill W/T Station was a Royal Navy wireless station of early 20th century origin at Branscombe Hill, overlooking Portland Bill. The station was active from 1904 until the end of the 20th century, and the former transmitting station has been used as a budget accommodation facility known as Portland Bunkhouse since 2008.
The origins of Wireless Telegraphy Communications date from the late 1890s. The Royal Navy initially used two types of Wireless equipment - 'Marconi', developed by Guglielmo Marconi, and 'Jackson', developed by Captain H. B. Jackson of the Royal Navy. Portland's station was owned and operated by the Admiralty, and used the Marconi system. It was primarily used to communicate with ships (and later aircraft) operating in the English Channel.
History
Early use of wireless telegraphy at Portland Bill (1900-04)
Portland Bill's association with wireless technology dates to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1898-99, the Admiralty established a coastguard station at Portland Bill, which was selected in 1900 as one of a number of stations for trials testing the effectiveness of wireless communications using Marconi sets. The series of communication tests were held between Portsmouth and Portland, and their success led to the acceptance of the Marconi set. Further trials using tuned spark transmitters were carried out in late 1900 which involved Portland and Portsmouth. The transmitters allowed two stations to be simultaneously operated without undue interference from the other, even if they were located relatively close together.
In August 1900, 32 Marconi sets were ordered and these had been delivered to the Royal Navy by the end of the year. In addition to their installation on various ships, a number of Admiralty stations were to be provided with wireless telegraphy equipment over the course of 1900-01, including Portland Bill, Dover, Culver Cliff, Rame Head, Scilly Islands, Roche's Point, Gibraltar and Malta.
The station at Portland Bill was operational from 1901. The setting up of the station was carried out in July 1901, which included the erection of a guyed wooden mast of approximately 90 feet by a party of riggers from Portsmouth, with assistance from the coastguard at Portland Bill. The new station was primarily responsible for communicating with Royal Navy ships operating in the English Channel. The station was suited for low and high frequency communication, allowing long-range contact under good propagation conditions. Between 1901-04, the station at Portland used an induction coil tuned spark transmitter, a vertical wire aerial held on the wooden mast, and a coherer receiver replaced by a magnetic detector after 1902.
Establishment and operation of a wireless telegraphy station at Branscombe Hill (1904-1999)
Following its early operational period in the coastguard station, Portland Bill's wireless telegraphy station was moved to purpose-built premises at Branscombe Hill, close to the Old Higher Lighthouse, in April 1904. By 1907 the station's equipment had been improved, replacing the original untuned spark-gap radio systems with tuned apparatus. On 5 March 1907, the station made history when it made direct radio contact with Gibraltar's Admiralty station at Windmill Hill, using a carborundum crystal diode detector. A distance of 1,005 miles, this was likely aided by the use of a new receiver with the fleming diode valve, which had a higher sensitivity than earlier coherer and magnetic detectors. Reporting on the event in the Southern Times, the newspaper commented: "For the past week constant communication by wireless telegraphy has been kept up between Portland Bill and Gibraltar - the greatest distance yet reached from the Bill."
The station was expanded after additional land was leased by the Admiralty from the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues in 1915 and new buildings were erected. The station continued to manage communications with ships over the course of the 20th century. During World War II, it was involved in intercepting messages sent by German motor torpedo and gun boats which were attacking Allied convoys. With the establishment of RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) in 1959, the station also became involved in aircraft communications and by the 1960s, it was known as "RN Portland Bill W/T Station". During this period, a set of eight high frequency transmitters, possibly of Marconi type, were located on site, as well as a high power transmitter. The station had a permanent watch of three personnel, while technicians would visit the station from HMS Osprey on weekdays.
By the 1980s, the station was in need of modernisation and expansion so that the Royal Navy could improve its communications, thereby boosting ship efficiency and making both sea and air activities in the area safer and more effective. The plans were met with some concern by local authorities over the loss of common land at the Bill, but the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, overruled these objections and authorised the new station in 1982. In return for the loss of common land, the navy provided public access to a large area of land within the region of the Verne Citadel. Completed in 1986, the station's £570,000 upgrade saw the demolition of the site's existing buildings, the construction of a new transmitter station and installation of new towers and equipment. Three tall lattice masts were located on the cliff-edge, along with a variety of smaller aerials. Two of the lattice masts stood at a height of 24.3 metres and one at a height of 18.4 metres.
HM Naval Base Portland closed in 1996, but the station continued to operate until the closure of RNAS Portland in 1999. All transmitting equipment was then removed from the site and the transmitting station building left vacant. In March 2007, the South Dorset Radio Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of Marconi's first contact by radio to Gibraltar through setting up the channel GB1HPB and once again making contact with Gibraltar.
Creation and use of the Portland Bunkhouse (2008-)
In 2008, the former transmitter station was acquired by the local dive operator Fathom and Blues and planning permission to transform it into an office, storage and overnight accommodation facility for divers was approved in July 2008. Having been left derelict since it was vacated by the Ministry of Defence, the building was in need of external repair, while the surrounding grass area had become considerably overgrown.
As part of the building's redevelopment as the Portland Bunkhouse, the original kitchen was transformed into additional shower and toilet facilities, the boiler room as storage, and the main room partitioned into bunk style accommodation. Two other rooms were transformed into a kitchenette and seating area, and another used as a classroom for the diving and powerboat courses. The original office room was retained for use as an administrative centre.
In addition to its use for accommodation, storage and administrative purposes, the building was also used for land-based diving and powerboat courses. The budget accommodation was aimed specifically at divers on these courses, but also other visitors to the island, from pleasure divers, bird watchers, walkers and climbers to sailors and windsurfers. In 2012, new owners took over the Portland Bunkhouse and improvement work was carried out in 2013, with the building receiving a new set of showers, new ceilings in the main hall and a car park extension.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Australians at War - World War II: When Trained to Intercept German Naval Signals (Elizabeth Marshall) - website page
2) Bournemouth Echo - Morse fans ham it up for centenary - March 2007 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - Planning Application Details - 08/00350/COU (25 July 2008) - website page
4) Dorset for You - Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - Planning Application Details - 08/00350/COU (25 July 2008) - Application Documents - Application Form: Design Statement - TIF file
5) Exploring Portland - North of Portland Bill - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) GB4IMD – Cornish Radio Amateur Club - The Marconi Station at Portland Bill - website page
7) Google Documents - Portland to Gibraltar - Wireless Telegraphy Communication - March 1907 - PDF document
8) Google Sites - South Dorset Amateur Radio - The Marconi Station at Portland Bill - website page
9) Official information board situated inside the bird observatory
10) Portland Bunkhouse - Welcome to Portland Bunkhouse (Affordable Accommodation on Portland) - website page
11) RN Museum Radar and Communications - Pre-WW1 Wireless Telegraphy 1905 - website page
The origins of Wireless Telegraphy Communications date from the late 1890s. The Royal Navy initially used two types of Wireless equipment - 'Marconi', developed by Guglielmo Marconi, and 'Jackson', developed by Captain H. B. Jackson of the Royal Navy. Portland's station was owned and operated by the Admiralty, and used the Marconi system. It was primarily used to communicate with ships (and later aircraft) operating in the English Channel.
History
Early use of wireless telegraphy at Portland Bill (1900-04)
Portland Bill's association with wireless technology dates to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1898-99, the Admiralty established a coastguard station at Portland Bill, which was selected in 1900 as one of a number of stations for trials testing the effectiveness of wireless communications using Marconi sets. The series of communication tests were held between Portsmouth and Portland, and their success led to the acceptance of the Marconi set. Further trials using tuned spark transmitters were carried out in late 1900 which involved Portland and Portsmouth. The transmitters allowed two stations to be simultaneously operated without undue interference from the other, even if they were located relatively close together.
In August 1900, 32 Marconi sets were ordered and these had been delivered to the Royal Navy by the end of the year. In addition to their installation on various ships, a number of Admiralty stations were to be provided with wireless telegraphy equipment over the course of 1900-01, including Portland Bill, Dover, Culver Cliff, Rame Head, Scilly Islands, Roche's Point, Gibraltar and Malta.
The station at Portland Bill was operational from 1901. The setting up of the station was carried out in July 1901, which included the erection of a guyed wooden mast of approximately 90 feet by a party of riggers from Portsmouth, with assistance from the coastguard at Portland Bill. The new station was primarily responsible for communicating with Royal Navy ships operating in the English Channel. The station was suited for low and high frequency communication, allowing long-range contact under good propagation conditions. Between 1901-04, the station at Portland used an induction coil tuned spark transmitter, a vertical wire aerial held on the wooden mast, and a coherer receiver replaced by a magnetic detector after 1902.
Establishment and operation of a wireless telegraphy station at Branscombe Hill (1904-1999)
Following its early operational period in the coastguard station, Portland Bill's wireless telegraphy station was moved to purpose-built premises at Branscombe Hill, close to the Old Higher Lighthouse, in April 1904. By 1907 the station's equipment had been improved, replacing the original untuned spark-gap radio systems with tuned apparatus. On 5 March 1907, the station made history when it made direct radio contact with Gibraltar's Admiralty station at Windmill Hill, using a carborundum crystal diode detector. A distance of 1,005 miles, this was likely aided by the use of a new receiver with the fleming diode valve, which had a higher sensitivity than earlier coherer and magnetic detectors. Reporting on the event in the Southern Times, the newspaper commented: "For the past week constant communication by wireless telegraphy has been kept up between Portland Bill and Gibraltar - the greatest distance yet reached from the Bill."
The station was expanded after additional land was leased by the Admiralty from the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues in 1915 and new buildings were erected. The station continued to manage communications with ships over the course of the 20th century. During World War II, it was involved in intercepting messages sent by German motor torpedo and gun boats which were attacking Allied convoys. With the establishment of RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) in 1959, the station also became involved in aircraft communications and by the 1960s, it was known as "RN Portland Bill W/T Station". During this period, a set of eight high frequency transmitters, possibly of Marconi type, were located on site, as well as a high power transmitter. The station had a permanent watch of three personnel, while technicians would visit the station from HMS Osprey on weekdays.
By the 1980s, the station was in need of modernisation and expansion so that the Royal Navy could improve its communications, thereby boosting ship efficiency and making both sea and air activities in the area safer and more effective. The plans were met with some concern by local authorities over the loss of common land at the Bill, but the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, overruled these objections and authorised the new station in 1982. In return for the loss of common land, the navy provided public access to a large area of land within the region of the Verne Citadel. Completed in 1986, the station's £570,000 upgrade saw the demolition of the site's existing buildings, the construction of a new transmitter station and installation of new towers and equipment. Three tall lattice masts were located on the cliff-edge, along with a variety of smaller aerials. Two of the lattice masts stood at a height of 24.3 metres and one at a height of 18.4 metres.
HM Naval Base Portland closed in 1996, but the station continued to operate until the closure of RNAS Portland in 1999. All transmitting equipment was then removed from the site and the transmitting station building left vacant. In March 2007, the South Dorset Radio Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of Marconi's first contact by radio to Gibraltar through setting up the channel GB1HPB and once again making contact with Gibraltar.
Creation and use of the Portland Bunkhouse (2008-)
In 2008, the former transmitter station was acquired by the local dive operator Fathom and Blues and planning permission to transform it into an office, storage and overnight accommodation facility for divers was approved in July 2008. Having been left derelict since it was vacated by the Ministry of Defence, the building was in need of external repair, while the surrounding grass area had become considerably overgrown.
As part of the building's redevelopment as the Portland Bunkhouse, the original kitchen was transformed into additional shower and toilet facilities, the boiler room as storage, and the main room partitioned into bunk style accommodation. Two other rooms were transformed into a kitchenette and seating area, and another used as a classroom for the diving and powerboat courses. The original office room was retained for use as an administrative centre.
In addition to its use for accommodation, storage and administrative purposes, the building was also used for land-based diving and powerboat courses. The budget accommodation was aimed specifically at divers on these courses, but also other visitors to the island, from pleasure divers, bird watchers, walkers and climbers to sailors and windsurfers. In 2012, new owners took over the Portland Bunkhouse and improvement work was carried out in 2013, with the building receiving a new set of showers, new ceilings in the main hall and a car park extension.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Australians at War - World War II: When Trained to Intercept German Naval Signals (Elizabeth Marshall) - website page
2) Bournemouth Echo - Morse fans ham it up for centenary - March 2007 - website page
3) Dorset for You - Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - Planning Application Details - 08/00350/COU (25 July 2008) - website page
4) Dorset for You - Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - Planning Application Details - 08/00350/COU (25 July 2008) - Application Documents - Application Form: Design Statement - TIF file
5) Exploring Portland - North of Portland Bill - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) GB4IMD – Cornish Radio Amateur Club - The Marconi Station at Portland Bill - website page
7) Google Documents - Portland to Gibraltar - Wireless Telegraphy Communication - March 1907 - PDF document
8) Google Sites - South Dorset Amateur Radio - The Marconi Station at Portland Bill - website page
9) Official information board situated inside the bird observatory
10) Portland Bunkhouse - Welcome to Portland Bunkhouse (Affordable Accommodation on Portland) - website page
11) RN Museum Radar and Communications - Pre-WW1 Wireless Telegraphy 1905 - website page
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