Verne Citadel
Verne Citadel is a former citadel of mid-19th century origin at Verne Hill, the highest point of Portland at 500ft high. Designed primarily as a siege fortress, the citadel overlooks Portland Harbour, which it was built to defend at a time when a harbour of refuge and Royal Navy station was being created there.
The Verne Citadel was built between 1858 and 1884 using a mixture of convict labour, free labour and civilian contractors, under the supervision of the Royal Engineers, while many alterations to its design was made over the course of construction, including by Captain William Crossman. Following its military use, the citadel became the home of HM Prison The Verne in 1949 (which was briefly converted into an Immigration Removal Centre between 2014-17).
The citadel's location, Verne Hill, was selected for its commanding position overlooking the harbour. It had already been valued for its strategic importance as it once the site of an Iron Age hill fort and was later occupied by the Romans. In anticipation of a French invasion during the French Revolutionary Wars, a naval signal station was built on Verne Hill in 1798 as part of a wider chain of stations along the south coast.
The citadel, including the nearby Verne High Angle Battery, became a scheduled monument in 1973 and remains protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Various features of the citadel are also individually protected as listed buildings. In recent years, the citadel has been listed on Historic England's "Heritage at Risk" register, with the condition being described as "generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems". The main vulnerability aspect of the site is deterioration and the need for management, although it has been noted that the overall condition is continuing to improve.
History
Plans for the fortification of Verne Hill and beginnings of ditch excavation (1845-53)
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, with the Verne Citadel being built as Portland's primary defence. A citadel at Verne Hill was first suggested in an 1846 report into potential defence sites for Portland, undertaken by Major-General Cardew.
With preliminary work commencing on the construction of the breakwaters in 1847, Portland Prison was established the following year to provide labour in the Admiralty Quarries, which produced stone for the breakwaters and other related projects, including the citadel. In 1852, Lt. Colonel Jebb, the C.B. Surveyor-General of Prisons (and closely involved with the convict-related operations at Portland), suggested that Verne Hill be isolated by the excavation of a ditch. As the hill was naturally inaccessible from the east side and part of the north, the ditch was excavated on the south, west and north-west sides. Work commenced that year, with the excavated stone being sent down to Portland Nore for use on the breakwaters. Convicts undertook the work and by early 1853, it was reported that two-hundred were working at the site.
The same period saw the establishment of the Portland Barracks in the northern region of Verne Hill. With the prison's opening, Weymouth Barracks were occupied by a detachment of Foot, who were responsible for keeping guard over the convicts working in the Admiralty Quarries and at the Verne. As convict numbers grew, Portland Barracks was also established to provide additional accommodation. Those stationed at the two barracks carried out regular drilling and training, and were also to defend the area's coast in the event of an attack.
Construction of the citadel and garrison facilities (1858-84)
Despite the excavation work on the ditch, no scheme for the citadel itself was approved until 1857 and the Admiralty did not transfer the site to the War Office until 1858. The Verne's approved design was developed by Major Whittingham, but many alterations were later carried out over the course of construction. Whittingham proposed the citadel should have the capacity to hold 1,300 men and he began producing his plans in greater detail. Work soon commenced on the citadel's construction, with one of the earliest features to be completed by early 1859 being the ramparts and foundations of the casemates within the south-east region.
Meanwhile, excavation of the ditch continued according to new designs, resulting in some of the earlier work being filled in, with civilian contractors, rather than convicts, now undertaking most of the work. Although the ditch's overall composition was formed by 1861, work within it continued for many years. Roughly 70 ft deep and 120 ft wide at its widest, the ditch was praised as "one of the greatest works of the kind ever undertaken round any ancient or modern fortification". By September 1861, it was recorded that an approximate 1,500,000 tons of stone had been excavated to form it, and much of this had been sent down to Portland Nore for use on the breakwaters. In order to transport the stone from the Verne to the Admiralty Incline, a railway line spanned from the Admiralty Quarries to near the west ditch by coiling around the east and north sides of the Verne. Meanwhile, any fissures or natural openings in either the ditch or cliff faces were filled in with masonry and cement.
In 1860, Messrs Jay & Co of London began to construct fifty of the Verne's casemates, with the excavation work being undertaken by convicts. John Towlerton Leather, the main contractor on the breakwaters, completed the construction of a road from Underhill to the Verne by early 1860. Work on the citadel progressed favourably into 1861, with the Southern Times commenting that August: "The general outline of the future citadel may now be detected, and some idea may be formed of what the strength and magnitude of the finished work will be." From 1862 onwards, the majority of the work at the Verne was being undertaken by free labourers, who built the main magazine and further casemates, while convicts laid out the glacis on the northern and western sides of the citadel.
By April 1867, £140,381 had been spent on the Verne and East Weare Batteries. A commissioner report from 1869 provided an expected cost for the citadel, including its outworks, to be £215,667. From around 1867, most of the work at the Verne began to be undertaken by convicts rather than free labourers, and an estimated 600 to 650 were recorded to be working at the Verne in 1868. The citadel's main entrance was completed on the north side in 1870, and the loopholed parapet running along the east ramparts was built in 1873-74. A setback was seen in 1875 when part of the counterscarp wall collapsed, resulting in an extensive rebuild of that region of the Verne's walls. During the same period, work continued on forming the south glacis and its redoubt, widening the south ditch and escarping the cliff face on the north-east side. The rampart gun emplacements and the south glacis were completed around 1879. Work on forming the sloping south-west glacis began in 1878. The Verne's south entrance was finished in 1884, complete with a drawbridge spanning across the ditch.
Containing approximately fifty-six acres within its walls, the citadel was provided with a range of facilities and buildings, and had accommodation for around 1,000 men in total. Many of the buildings were erected over the course of the 1870s by convict labour. All of the casemates were based along the south side of the Verne, and were covered with earth to make them bombproof. Most provided soldier accommodation, with the majority holding 20 men each. Some had other uses such as ablution rooms, a cookhouse, lecture room, recreation room, reading room, school room, orderly room, sergeants' mess and tailors shop. A separate group furthest west included stores for bedding, coal, bread and meat. Most of the casemates of the upper flank were utilised as a hospital, and also held guard and prisoner rooms. Those of the lower flank each accommodated seven soldiers, along with a shoemaker's shop. Below the east side of the citadel, a provost prison was built in c. 1866-69 and contained a prisoners' room and ten cells.
Buildings and facilities within the southern half of the Verne included a gymnasium, fives court, straw store, latrines, canteen, the quartermaster's quarters, schoolmaster's quarters (soon to become the warrant officer's quarters), barrack sergeant's quarters, workshops, armourer's shop, stores, sheds, shops and offices for the Royal Engineers, office messenger's quarters, storekeeper's quarters, two blocks of officers' quarters, the officers' mess establishment, racket court and the residence of the commanding officer. The Verne's parade ground was also located in this region, as was the main water tank with a capacity of 210,078 gallons. The northern region of the Verne included the main magazine, its laboratory, three blocks of married quarters, a wash house and laundry, latrines, an infants' school and the staff sergeant's quarters. A covered reservoir was added to this area as well by 1905. The citadel did not have its own place of worship, but was served by St Peter's at Grove.
Armament of the Verne Citadel (1880s-1900s)
The original armament installed in the early 1880s was made up of two 12.5-inch RMLs, five 7-inch RMLs, one 10-inch RML, thirteen Armstrong RBL 40-pounders, eighteen 8-inch ML shell guns and one 32-pounder shell gun. The Verne was designed with nine open gun emplacements spanning from the north-west to the south-east, and there was also a range of defensive works to defend the citadel in the event of a landward attack. Below the east side of the Verne, the East Weare Batteries protected the harbour from the east and south-east. These five batteries were considered part of the Verne's outworks, with its gunners to be accommodated in the Verne. Access between the two sites was provided by a communication tunnel with a sally port on the south-east of the citadel, which was excavated by convicts in 1872-73.
The Verne's two 12.5-inch RMLs were positioned on the north-west rampart to protect against an enemy attempting to bombard the harbour and its shipping from West Bay. Three 7-inch RMLs provided additional firepower from the west side of the Verne. Another 7-inch RML was placed on the rampart of the upper flank, facing a south-west direction. The south-east region of the Verne was armed with a ML 8-inch shell gun, another 7-inch RML and a 10-inch RML. The 10-inch RML was positioned to protect the harbour in the event of an enemy bombarding the harbour from south-west of Portland Prison, which would have been out of range of East Weare Batteries. It was also intended to support the batteries in covering the approaches to and entrance of the harbour.
Defence against a landward attack was provided by the south-west and south-east caponiers, and the galleries of the north and lower (south) flanks. ML 8-inch shell guns were installed in these and loopholes provided for the firing of rifles. The north flank covered the north ditch and the approach to the Verne's main entrance. The south-west caponier protected the west ditch and the south-east caponier protected the south-east ditch. The lower flank's guns covered the approach from the south-west by overlooking the sloping glacis leading down to Tillycombe Farm. The south redoubt was also able to be armed if required with Armstrong RBL 40-pounders, which were stored in a shed inside the citadel.
In 1886, it was proposed to install two 10-inch BL guns on the west side of the citadel to cover West Bay, but this did not come to fruition. In 1890-95, the Verne High Angle Battery was constructed a short distance south of the citadel as a new defence work. It was installed with 9-inch RMLs that had been specifically adapted to fire at a "high angle" in the effort to generate a new use for the now-obsolete weapons. Although two 9.2-inch BL guns had been improved for installation at the Verne in 1897, they would be placed at East Weare Batteries around 1901 instead. In 1906, the citadel received a new role as infantry barracks and its armament, including the guns at the High Angle Battery, was removed during this period.
Use of the citadel during and between the World Wars (1914-48)
During and after World War I, the Verne largely remained in use as an infantry barracks and saw a number of regiments stationed there. In 1917, a temporary hospital and camp was established within the citadel for wounded soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
The Verne became an infantry training centre from 1937 and continued this role during World War II, while also providing accommodation to British soldiers and storage space. During World War II, two 40mm Bofors guns were installed within the Verne.
A Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) station, designated K73, was established within the citadel in 1942 and remained in use by the Royal Air Force until 1953. It was able to provide radar coverage of aircraft flying as low as 50 feet and within an approximate range of 30 miles. In 1944, as part of D-Day operations, the citadel's main magazine was transformed into a hospital and medical centre. The last military personnel to be accommodated at the Verne were the Royal Engineers' 9 Training Regiment and they departed in early 1948.
Post-military use of the Verne (1948-)
With the UK facing a general overcrowding of its prisons and the introduction of the Criminal Justice Act of 1948, the government sought additional prison accommodation, with the Verne identified as a potential site. As the Verne was now surplus to Army requirements, the War Office returned it to the Admiralty and, in turn, they agreed to hand over the site to the Home Office, allowing the former citadel to be transformed into HM Prison The Verne. It was established as a medium security training centre with accommodation for 300 prisoners, with an advance party of 20 first arriving on 1 February 1949. Over the decades, the area within the citadel occupied by the prison has been substantially rebuilt, with three new accommodation blocks (A, B and C Wings) being completed in the early-to-mid-1970s. By 1977, around 500 prisoners were serving their sentences there, and from the 1980s, the Verne was considered a C Category prison.
In 2011, the Jailhouse Cafe opened within the former prison staff mess in the northern region of the citadel. Operated by Expia, a charitable organisation, the cafe is open to the public and staffed by prisoners on day release. Its purpose is to offer prisoners work experience and reduce reoffending. HM Prison The Verne closed in 2013 and re-opened as an immigration removal centre, housing 600 detainees, the following year.
In September 2014, as part of the island's multimedia arts festival B-Side, a small section of the citadel's southern region was opened to the public for the duration of the festival. The artist Simon Ryder used this section of the citadel to present a guided tour of his sound, film and sculpture installation. The tour started at the Verne's southern entrance and ended within the south-west ditch. Later in 2017, it was announced that the immigration removal centre would close by the end of the year and HM Prison The Verne reopened in 2018.
Features
Grade listed features
Other notable features
Demolished features
Incidents and accidents
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Prisons to close in England as super-prison site revealed - September 2013 - website page
2) B-Side Multimedia Arts Festival - Events: A tour inside the fortified walls of IRC The Verne - website page
3) Hansard 1803-2005 - numerous parliamentary debates in Hansard archive - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for the Verne at Portland - website page
5) Isle of Portland Official Guide - Portland Urban District Council - Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd, Chelternham and London - circa 1955 - page 18 - book
6) Jailhouse Cafe - Official Website - About - website page
7) Pastscape - Chain Home Extra Low Station K73 - website page
8) Pastscape - Verne Citadel - website page
9) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - report
10) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
11) Report of the Directors of Convict Prisons - Portland Prison - Extracts from the Governor's report - various years between 1862 and 1883
12) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
13) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
14) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
15) The National Archives - Defence Committee - Memorandum with reference to the Armament of the Verne Citadel at Portland, and of the Land Front of the Nothe Fort at Weymouth - 1877-78 - website page (with thanks to Duncan Williams)
16) The National Archives - Dorset: Portland Barracks - MPHH 1/211 - declassified plan - 1859 - website page
17) The National Archives - Portland, Verne Hill - declassified plans - WO 78/2721 - 1874 (revised to 1884) - website page
18) The National Archives - Weymouth Portland Defences - Verne Citadel, military cemetery, etc. - WO 78/4171 - declassified plans and maps - 1886 - website page
19) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
The Verne Citadel was built between 1858 and 1884 using a mixture of convict labour, free labour and civilian contractors, under the supervision of the Royal Engineers, while many alterations to its design was made over the course of construction, including by Captain William Crossman. Following its military use, the citadel became the home of HM Prison The Verne in 1949 (which was briefly converted into an Immigration Removal Centre between 2014-17).
The citadel's location, Verne Hill, was selected for its commanding position overlooking the harbour. It had already been valued for its strategic importance as it once the site of an Iron Age hill fort and was later occupied by the Romans. In anticipation of a French invasion during the French Revolutionary Wars, a naval signal station was built on Verne Hill in 1798 as part of a wider chain of stations along the south coast.
The citadel, including the nearby Verne High Angle Battery, became a scheduled monument in 1973 and remains protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Various features of the citadel are also individually protected as listed buildings. In recent years, the citadel has been listed on Historic England's "Heritage at Risk" register, with the condition being described as "generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems". The main vulnerability aspect of the site is deterioration and the need for management, although it has been noted that the overall condition is continuing to improve.
History
Plans for the fortification of Verne Hill and beginnings of ditch excavation (1845-53)
In the mid-19th century, the government approved plans for the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge with the building of two breakwater arms. The commissioning of the harbour was prompted by concerns over the security of the English Channel, fears of a French invasion and the development of Cherbourg Harbour. In order to protect the harbour, which began to be increasingly used by the Royal Navy, a number of defences and fortifications were constructed, with the Verne Citadel being built as Portland's primary defence. A citadel at Verne Hill was first suggested in an 1846 report into potential defence sites for Portland, undertaken by Major-General Cardew.
With preliminary work commencing on the construction of the breakwaters in 1847, Portland Prison was established the following year to provide labour in the Admiralty Quarries, which produced stone for the breakwaters and other related projects, including the citadel. In 1852, Lt. Colonel Jebb, the C.B. Surveyor-General of Prisons (and closely involved with the convict-related operations at Portland), suggested that Verne Hill be isolated by the excavation of a ditch. As the hill was naturally inaccessible from the east side and part of the north, the ditch was excavated on the south, west and north-west sides. Work commenced that year, with the excavated stone being sent down to Portland Nore for use on the breakwaters. Convicts undertook the work and by early 1853, it was reported that two-hundred were working at the site.
The same period saw the establishment of the Portland Barracks in the northern region of Verne Hill. With the prison's opening, Weymouth Barracks were occupied by a detachment of Foot, who were responsible for keeping guard over the convicts working in the Admiralty Quarries and at the Verne. As convict numbers grew, Portland Barracks was also established to provide additional accommodation. Those stationed at the two barracks carried out regular drilling and training, and were also to defend the area's coast in the event of an attack.
Construction of the citadel and garrison facilities (1858-84)
Despite the excavation work on the ditch, no scheme for the citadel itself was approved until 1857 and the Admiralty did not transfer the site to the War Office until 1858. The Verne's approved design was developed by Major Whittingham, but many alterations were later carried out over the course of construction. Whittingham proposed the citadel should have the capacity to hold 1,300 men and he began producing his plans in greater detail. Work soon commenced on the citadel's construction, with one of the earliest features to be completed by early 1859 being the ramparts and foundations of the casemates within the south-east region.
Meanwhile, excavation of the ditch continued according to new designs, resulting in some of the earlier work being filled in, with civilian contractors, rather than convicts, now undertaking most of the work. Although the ditch's overall composition was formed by 1861, work within it continued for many years. Roughly 70 ft deep and 120 ft wide at its widest, the ditch was praised as "one of the greatest works of the kind ever undertaken round any ancient or modern fortification". By September 1861, it was recorded that an approximate 1,500,000 tons of stone had been excavated to form it, and much of this had been sent down to Portland Nore for use on the breakwaters. In order to transport the stone from the Verne to the Admiralty Incline, a railway line spanned from the Admiralty Quarries to near the west ditch by coiling around the east and north sides of the Verne. Meanwhile, any fissures or natural openings in either the ditch or cliff faces were filled in with masonry and cement.
In 1860, Messrs Jay & Co of London began to construct fifty of the Verne's casemates, with the excavation work being undertaken by convicts. John Towlerton Leather, the main contractor on the breakwaters, completed the construction of a road from Underhill to the Verne by early 1860. Work on the citadel progressed favourably into 1861, with the Southern Times commenting that August: "The general outline of the future citadel may now be detected, and some idea may be formed of what the strength and magnitude of the finished work will be." From 1862 onwards, the majority of the work at the Verne was being undertaken by free labourers, who built the main magazine and further casemates, while convicts laid out the glacis on the northern and western sides of the citadel.
By April 1867, £140,381 had been spent on the Verne and East Weare Batteries. A commissioner report from 1869 provided an expected cost for the citadel, including its outworks, to be £215,667. From around 1867, most of the work at the Verne began to be undertaken by convicts rather than free labourers, and an estimated 600 to 650 were recorded to be working at the Verne in 1868. The citadel's main entrance was completed on the north side in 1870, and the loopholed parapet running along the east ramparts was built in 1873-74. A setback was seen in 1875 when part of the counterscarp wall collapsed, resulting in an extensive rebuild of that region of the Verne's walls. During the same period, work continued on forming the south glacis and its redoubt, widening the south ditch and escarping the cliff face on the north-east side. The rampart gun emplacements and the south glacis were completed around 1879. Work on forming the sloping south-west glacis began in 1878. The Verne's south entrance was finished in 1884, complete with a drawbridge spanning across the ditch.
Containing approximately fifty-six acres within its walls, the citadel was provided with a range of facilities and buildings, and had accommodation for around 1,000 men in total. Many of the buildings were erected over the course of the 1870s by convict labour. All of the casemates were based along the south side of the Verne, and were covered with earth to make them bombproof. Most provided soldier accommodation, with the majority holding 20 men each. Some had other uses such as ablution rooms, a cookhouse, lecture room, recreation room, reading room, school room, orderly room, sergeants' mess and tailors shop. A separate group furthest west included stores for bedding, coal, bread and meat. Most of the casemates of the upper flank were utilised as a hospital, and also held guard and prisoner rooms. Those of the lower flank each accommodated seven soldiers, along with a shoemaker's shop. Below the east side of the citadel, a provost prison was built in c. 1866-69 and contained a prisoners' room and ten cells.
Buildings and facilities within the southern half of the Verne included a gymnasium, fives court, straw store, latrines, canteen, the quartermaster's quarters, schoolmaster's quarters (soon to become the warrant officer's quarters), barrack sergeant's quarters, workshops, armourer's shop, stores, sheds, shops and offices for the Royal Engineers, office messenger's quarters, storekeeper's quarters, two blocks of officers' quarters, the officers' mess establishment, racket court and the residence of the commanding officer. The Verne's parade ground was also located in this region, as was the main water tank with a capacity of 210,078 gallons. The northern region of the Verne included the main magazine, its laboratory, three blocks of married quarters, a wash house and laundry, latrines, an infants' school and the staff sergeant's quarters. A covered reservoir was added to this area as well by 1905. The citadel did not have its own place of worship, but was served by St Peter's at Grove.
Armament of the Verne Citadel (1880s-1900s)
The original armament installed in the early 1880s was made up of two 12.5-inch RMLs, five 7-inch RMLs, one 10-inch RML, thirteen Armstrong RBL 40-pounders, eighteen 8-inch ML shell guns and one 32-pounder shell gun. The Verne was designed with nine open gun emplacements spanning from the north-west to the south-east, and there was also a range of defensive works to defend the citadel in the event of a landward attack. Below the east side of the Verne, the East Weare Batteries protected the harbour from the east and south-east. These five batteries were considered part of the Verne's outworks, with its gunners to be accommodated in the Verne. Access between the two sites was provided by a communication tunnel with a sally port on the south-east of the citadel, which was excavated by convicts in 1872-73.
The Verne's two 12.5-inch RMLs were positioned on the north-west rampart to protect against an enemy attempting to bombard the harbour and its shipping from West Bay. Three 7-inch RMLs provided additional firepower from the west side of the Verne. Another 7-inch RML was placed on the rampart of the upper flank, facing a south-west direction. The south-east region of the Verne was armed with a ML 8-inch shell gun, another 7-inch RML and a 10-inch RML. The 10-inch RML was positioned to protect the harbour in the event of an enemy bombarding the harbour from south-west of Portland Prison, which would have been out of range of East Weare Batteries. It was also intended to support the batteries in covering the approaches to and entrance of the harbour.
Defence against a landward attack was provided by the south-west and south-east caponiers, and the galleries of the north and lower (south) flanks. ML 8-inch shell guns were installed in these and loopholes provided for the firing of rifles. The north flank covered the north ditch and the approach to the Verne's main entrance. The south-west caponier protected the west ditch and the south-east caponier protected the south-east ditch. The lower flank's guns covered the approach from the south-west by overlooking the sloping glacis leading down to Tillycombe Farm. The south redoubt was also able to be armed if required with Armstrong RBL 40-pounders, which were stored in a shed inside the citadel.
In 1886, it was proposed to install two 10-inch BL guns on the west side of the citadel to cover West Bay, but this did not come to fruition. In 1890-95, the Verne High Angle Battery was constructed a short distance south of the citadel as a new defence work. It was installed with 9-inch RMLs that had been specifically adapted to fire at a "high angle" in the effort to generate a new use for the now-obsolete weapons. Although two 9.2-inch BL guns had been improved for installation at the Verne in 1897, they would be placed at East Weare Batteries around 1901 instead. In 1906, the citadel received a new role as infantry barracks and its armament, including the guns at the High Angle Battery, was removed during this period.
Use of the citadel during and between the World Wars (1914-48)
During and after World War I, the Verne largely remained in use as an infantry barracks and saw a number of regiments stationed there. In 1917, a temporary hospital and camp was established within the citadel for wounded soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
The Verne became an infantry training centre from 1937 and continued this role during World War II, while also providing accommodation to British soldiers and storage space. During World War II, two 40mm Bofors guns were installed within the Verne.
A Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) station, designated K73, was established within the citadel in 1942 and remained in use by the Royal Air Force until 1953. It was able to provide radar coverage of aircraft flying as low as 50 feet and within an approximate range of 30 miles. In 1944, as part of D-Day operations, the citadel's main magazine was transformed into a hospital and medical centre. The last military personnel to be accommodated at the Verne were the Royal Engineers' 9 Training Regiment and they departed in early 1948.
Post-military use of the Verne (1948-)
With the UK facing a general overcrowding of its prisons and the introduction of the Criminal Justice Act of 1948, the government sought additional prison accommodation, with the Verne identified as a potential site. As the Verne was now surplus to Army requirements, the War Office returned it to the Admiralty and, in turn, they agreed to hand over the site to the Home Office, allowing the former citadel to be transformed into HM Prison The Verne. It was established as a medium security training centre with accommodation for 300 prisoners, with an advance party of 20 first arriving on 1 February 1949. Over the decades, the area within the citadel occupied by the prison has been substantially rebuilt, with three new accommodation blocks (A, B and C Wings) being completed in the early-to-mid-1970s. By 1977, around 500 prisoners were serving their sentences there, and from the 1980s, the Verne was considered a C Category prison.
In 2011, the Jailhouse Cafe opened within the former prison staff mess in the northern region of the citadel. Operated by Expia, a charitable organisation, the cafe is open to the public and staffed by prisoners on day release. Its purpose is to offer prisoners work experience and reduce reoffending. HM Prison The Verne closed in 2013 and re-opened as an immigration removal centre, housing 600 detainees, the following year.
In September 2014, as part of the island's multimedia arts festival B-Side, a small section of the citadel's southern region was opened to the public for the duration of the festival. The artist Simon Ryder used this section of the citadel to present a guided tour of his sound, film and sculpture installation. The tour started at the Verne's southern entrance and ended within the south-west ditch. Later in 2017, it was announced that the immigration removal centre would close by the end of the year and HM Prison The Verne reopened in 2018.
Features
Grade listed features
- North entrance - Grade II* listed since May 1993. The entrance is dated 1870 and has a bold elliptical moulded arch with carved Royal Arms above. The entrance was protected by a portcullis and had a drawbridge installed later in the 19th century. Inside the portcullis chamber, the portcullis and its counterbalance weight survive but have been removed from their fittings.
- Cast iron railings at the approach to the north entrance - Grade II listed in May 1993. Set along the road, these railings date to 1870 and are described by Historic England as a "well-maintained run of robust railing".
- South entrance - Grade II* listed since May 1993, it is dated 1881 but not completed until 1884.
- South west and south east casemates - Grade II* listed since May 1993. Dating from 1860, they are made up of two long and one shorter stretch of casemates. The structure is backed by high earth mounds, with each casemate having a deep, narrow compartment enclosed and vaulted in Portland stone.
- Canteen - Grade II listed since May 1993, it was built in 1882 to replace the Verne's original canteen, which was demolished after being deemed too close to the main magazine. The building later served as HM Prison The Verne's reception centre until it was replaced by a purpose-built construction in the late 20th century.
- Racket court - Grade II listed since September 1978. It was built in 1875-76 and later became the prison's blacksmith shop. It is described by Historic England as a "very vigorously detailed building".
- Officers' mess establishment - Grade II listed since September 1978. Built in 1877-78, the officers' mess included mess, ante and billiard rooms, a kitchen and quarters for the mess man. The building was originally U-shaped but is now rectangular, the two back sections having been removed after suffering some bomb damage during World War II. The subsequent repairs have left the back of the building plain. It became the prison chapel in the 1950s.
- Officers' quarters (Block B) - Grade II listed since September 1978. Built in 1875-76 as officers' quarters, it was one of two identical blocks.
- Gymnasium - Grade II listed since September 1978. Erected in 1873 and fitted internally in 1874, this single-storey rectangular building is described by Historic England as a "vigorously detailed building typical of RE work at The Verne". It remains in use as a gymnasium by the prison.
- Commanding Officer's Quarters - Grade II listed since September 1978. The "large and handsome" detached residence was designed by Col. Cox of the Royal Engineers and built in 1882 for the Verne's commanding officer. It later became the prison governor's residence.
Other notable features
- Royal Engineer stores, sheds and offices - although altered and extended in the 20th century, the bulk of the original building survives within the prison perimeter.
- Fives court - the three-sided, open top Fives court survives south of the citadel's former gymnasium. The court has been much altered; a roof, windows and brick front have all been added to transform the court into a building.
- Straw store - the former straw store was built in 1877 and is located behind the modern prison reception building. It has seen alteration and a modern extension was added on the north side in the mid-20th century.
- Main magazine - the main magazine is located alongside the prison staff car park, close to the north entrance to the citadel. It was constructed around 1865 and made bombproof by being covered with earth.
- Reservoir - the covered reservoir is located south-west of the former Jailhouse Cafe and adjacent to the cafe's car park.
- Married quarters - made up of two blocks, the first built in 1872 and the second in 1874. These buildings, now derelict, are located to the rear of the Jailhouse Cafe. When the prison was established, they were used to accommodate prison wardens and their families up until around the mid-1980s. By the 1960s, a number of new residences for staff had been erected south and east of the blocks, most of which were prefabricated, and these were demolished before the 21st century.
- Wash house and laundry - built in 1873 and used by the soldiers and their families accommodated in the married quarters. The building has been substantially altered with modern extensions.
- Infant's school - the former school building for infants of soldiers stationed at the Verne was built in 1873-74 by convict labour. The school survives behind the modern Watchman Radar, albeit with some alteration. The attached schoolmistresses' quarters was on the northern side of the building and has been demolished.
- Watchman Radar - often referred to locally as "the Golf Ball", the radar was erected within the northern region of the citadel in the 1980s, replacing an earlier AR1 Radar which had been in place since the 1970s. Still in use today for air traffic control surveillance, it is operated by AQUILA Air Traffic Management Services as part of the Marshall Programme on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. In 2017, planning permission was received for the radar to be upgraded with a new radome and antenna.
- Gun shed - former gun shed built to store the Armstrong RBL 40-pounders which were to arm the south redoubt outside of the citadel. The shed has seen some alteration and is south of the former commanding officer's residence.
Demolished features
- Barrack sergeant's quarters - once located next to the fives court, these quarters for the barrack sergeant were demolished in the late 20th century.
- Schoolmaster's quarters - built opposite the gymnasium in 1876, the quarters for the military schoolmaster had become the warrant officer's quarters by 1886. The building was demolished in the late 20th century and the site is now occupied by the prison reception.
- Quartermaster's quarters - located further north from the schoolmaster's quarters, the quartermaster's quarters were demolished to make way for a car park for the prison.
- Officers' quarters (Block A) - identical to the surviving Block B, these quarters were demolished in c. 1970 as part of the prison's development.
- Laboratory - built against the southern wall of the main magazine, the laboratory was built in 1876 and demolished in the 1960s.
- Married quarters - a third block of married quarters, which was located just north of the two surviving blocks. It was built in the 1850s as soldiers' quarters for the Portland Barracks. The building was demolished by 1905.
- Staff sergeant's quarters - built in the northern region of the Verne, just east of the north flank. It was possibly converted from the officers' quarters building of the Portland Barracks. It was demolished around the 1960s to make way for two semi-detached properties.
Incidents and accidents
- On 1-2 February 1895, the soldier James Byrne of the 27th Company, Royal Artillery, died after falling approximately 50 feet from the ramparts of the citadel. He was last seen alive leaving his barracks on the evening of 1 February and was discovered in the ditch the following morning. A verdict of accidental death was given at his inquest.
- On 2 October 1897, eight men of the Portland Artillery Volunteers were injured when the breech block of a RBL 40-pounder Armstrong gun being used for practice was blown out. Metal fragments from the blast caused various cuts and wounds, with the worst affected being the gunner Sansom, whose "left eye [was] severely cut, besides sustaining other cuts and bruises". The breech block itself did not cause injury when it was blasted a distance of 60 yards.
- On 9 September 1904, Private Percy Gordon died after falling into a 4.5 metre deep water tank within the citadel, while trying to retrieve a cap belonging to Private Stayner. The wind had blown the cap from Stayner's head while he was on his way to the canteen, and having witnessed the event, Gordon attempted to retrieve it without having been asked to do so. Stayner, having heard Gordon fall into the water, dove into the tank to attempt a rescue, but could not locate Gordon. Private Henry Cunningham also dove into the tank shortly afterwards. Although Cunningham was able to locate him, Gordon was stuck in 2 feet of mud at the bottom of the tank and was unable to be retrieved for twenty minutes. Both Stayner and Cunningham received certificates from the Royal Humane Society for their efforts.
- On 25 March 1921, Lieutenant John Frederick Winder Reid of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his sleeping quarters. Earlier in the evening, Reid had attended a guest dinner held by the officers of the citadel, which saw various naval officers invited. After the dinner, Reid and Lieutenant Chas W. Odell drove some of the naval officers to Castletown, and on their return journey met Lieutenant Hayes. The three men briefly visited Lieutenant Donnell's room back at the citadel, where Reid revealed a revolver he had collected from his own quarter. According to Odell's statement, Reid pointed the gun around the room but did not say anything. Afterwards, Reid and Odell retired to the sleeping quarters they shared, and shortly after entering his own room, Reid shouted "I am fed up with this" and shot himself in the head. At his inquest, a verdict of accidental self-infliction was returned, with Reid's level of inebriation being considered a notable factor.
- On 7 September 1939, during blackout hours, Corporal Joseph Marsh died of a broken neck after falling from the ramparts of the citadel into the ditch below.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Prisons to close in England as super-prison site revealed - September 2013 - website page
2) B-Side Multimedia Arts Festival - Events: A tour inside the fortified walls of IRC The Verne - website page
3) Hansard 1803-2005 - numerous parliamentary debates in Hansard archive - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for the Verne at Portland - website page
5) Isle of Portland Official Guide - Portland Urban District Council - Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd, Chelternham and London - circa 1955 - page 18 - book
6) Jailhouse Cafe - Official Website - About - website page
7) Pastscape - Chain Home Extra Low Station K73 - website page
8) Pastscape - Verne Citadel - website page
9) Portland Harbour and its Defences Report - anonymous author - undated - report
10) Report of the Committee appointed to enquire into the construction, condition, and cost of the fortifications, erected, or in course of erection, under 30th & 31st vict., and previous statutes - 1869 - report
11) Report of the Directors of Convict Prisons - Portland Prison - Extracts from the Governor's report - various years between 1862 and 1883
12) Report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom - 1860 - report
13) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
14) The Coastal Defences of Portland and Weymouth - E. A. Andrews and M. L. Pinsent - 1981 - supplement to the journal Fort (Fortress Study Group) - report
15) The National Archives - Defence Committee - Memorandum with reference to the Armament of the Verne Citadel at Portland, and of the Land Front of the Nothe Fort at Weymouth - 1877-78 - website page (with thanks to Duncan Williams)
16) The National Archives - Dorset: Portland Barracks - MPHH 1/211 - declassified plan - 1859 - website page
17) The National Archives - Portland, Verne Hill - declassified plans - WO 78/2721 - 1874 (revised to 1884) - website page
18) The National Archives - Weymouth Portland Defences - Verne Citadel, military cemetery, etc. - WO 78/4171 - declassified plans and maps - 1886 - website page
19) The Portland Naval Base, Dorset K/428 - Keystone (Historic Buildings Consultants) - Volumes 1 and 2 - 1993 - report
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.
B-Side Festival Event - September 2014
In September 2014, for the first time since the citadel became a prison, the public were allowed to enter a small section of the citadel, via the southern entrance. As part of the B-Side Festival, artist Simon Ryder presented his film and sculpture installation following his year long residency at IRC The Verne.
