Wakeham

Wakeham is a hamlet at Tophill, south-east of Easton. It is located between the Straits region of Easton and Pennsylvania Castle, the latter of which is at the southern end of the hamlet. A distinctly wide road runs through the hamlet. "Wakeham" is formed from the Latin meaning of "watch-valley".

As with most of Portland's villages and settlements, Wakeham has is a conservation area for its special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974 with boundary extensions in 2017. Many of Wakeham's older buildings of the 17th and 18th centuries survive, with characteristic porches and stone-mullioned windows.

History
Wakeham's origins as a settlement likely dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With the area's natural springs providing a water supply, a pond and various wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain. Of the various archaeological finds at Wakeham are Roman stone sarcophagi and nearby Iron Age underground chambers. It is believed that the original settlement, which was one of the island's earliest, was based around the southern region of the hamlet, in the grounds of Pennsylvania Castle and the small valley below, before later extending inland. Wakeham's pond was located in the centre of the existing hamlet, approximately where the entrance of Bumpers Lane is found today.

Portland is notably the location of the first recorded Viking attack on the British Isles in 789 AD. Although the landing spot remains uncertain, it has been suggested that Church Ope Cove was a likely location, which at the time would have openly revealed Wakeham above. Upon the arrival of the three ships from "Northmen", the Royal Reeve of Portland (or possibly Dorchester) and his men were all killed when they attempted to identify and greet who they believed to be foreign merchants. Church Ope Cove, as an exposed part of Portland's coast, was later defended by Rufus Castle, which is considered to have origins dating back to the late 11th century.

Wakeham was home to Portland's first parish church, St Andrews, which was established above the cove by the Saxons. It was rebuilt in the 12th century and saw further rebuilds and repairs over the centuries. The church suffered from an unstable site prone to landslides, along with attacks from foreign raiders who landed at the cove. St Andrew's later fell into a ruinous condition in the 18th century and was replaced by the new parish church of St George's, located at Reforne. While the new church was being constructed between 1754-66, a temporary place of worship was established on a site in Wakeham, near a dwelling owned by Mr. Edward Cooper. Each service held there saw the transporting of St Andrew's communion table to and from the church as required.

During the 18th century, Wakeham was the island's third largest settlement, with 47 of Portland's 280 houses being recorded there in 1782. By this time, the hamlet's houses were based along the existing wide road, which itself was surrounded by open fields. In the late 18th and early 19th century, Wakeham was an important location for Portland's Methodist circuit. Robert Carr Brackenbury had re-established a following on Portland in 1793 and paid for the building of a Methodist chapel in Fortuneswell. In order to increase membership across Tophill, he also converted a house at Wakeham into a preaching house, which in turn was replaced by a dwelling he purchased there in 1794. After his death, Brackenbury's wife had Tophill's first purpose-built chapel erected in the hamlet in 1825.

In 1797-1800, the politician and writer John Penn, later Governor of Portland, chose the southern region of the hamlet for his Gothic revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle. Soon after its completion, Penn concentrated his efforts on expanding the grounds. He was successful in having Southwell Road diverted, while a number of surrounding stone cottages were purchased and demolished. Described as the "most distinguished private residence on the island", the castle saw a succession of owners before becoming the Pennsylvania Castle Hotel in 1950-94. It is now managed as a holiday let and function venue.

Portland became increasingly urbanised from the mid-19th century onwards. The driving force behind this change was the transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, which included the construction of two breakwaters arms and various fortifications. The new harbour began to be used extensively by the Royal Navy, resulting in them gradually establishing a major base there. While Wakeham largely retained its original character, some new housing was added along its main street through the rest of the 19th and into the 20th century. Both Wakeham and Reforne, originally separate settlements, were eventually merged into Easton village.

The beginning of the 20th century saw inland quarrying starting to encroach on some of Wakeham's surrounding fields. These included Wakeham and Bottom Coombe Quarries, which continued to expand west along the hamlet as the century progressed. By the 1930s, Chalklands and Silklake Quarries had also started being worked to the east. Part of the Wakeham Quarries, at the bottom of the hamlet, provided stone for the the Cenotaph at Whitehall following World War I. In the mid-20th century, a large stone works was established at Bumpers Lane, on the eastern edge of Wakeham.

In 1926, the doctor and pioneer of birth control Marie Stopes, who owned the Old Higher Lighthouse at Portland Bill, purchased two cottages at the bottom of Wakeham to have them transformed into Portland Museum, which opened in 1932 and remains active today. Wakeham is now considered part of Easton village and is largely residential. Unlike the majority of Portland's settlements, Wakeham has seen limited modern housing development, although plans for a new residential area off Bumpers Lane were approved in 2015.

Features
Unlike the majority of Portland's villages, Wakeham has little commercial business in the area. The majority of the hamlet is residential with accommodation as the leading business, which includes various holiday lets and the Alessandria Hotel, while the Cove Holiday Park is found on the outskirts of Wakeham. Within the southern region, a bridge carries the road over the former line of the Easton and Church Hope Railway as it turned inland and passed under Wakeham to reach Easton Station.

Grade listed features

65 Wakeham - Grade II listed since May 1993. Dates from the early 19th century.
79 Wakeham - Grade II listed in September 1978. Dates from the mid 18th century.
81 Wakeham - Grade II listed in September 1987. Dates from the early 18th century.
95 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. An early-to-mid 19th century house.
99 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. A mid-18th-century house.
97 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. An early-to-mid 18th century house.
127 Wakeham - Grade II listed in June 1975. A late 18th-early 19th century house. Despite undergoing alternations in the 20th century, Historic England state that the house remains "part of significant group at the widest part of this broad street".
129 and 131 Wakeham - Grade II listed in June 1975. A pair of cottages dating from the late 18th-early 19th century. Described by Historic England as a "characteristic modest pair of island cottages".
137 and 139 Wakeham - Grade II listed in June 1975. A pair of houses dating from the early 19th century. Both had their backs extended in the 20th century.
Tudor Cottage (167 Wakeham) - Grade II listed since September 1978. A wide frontage house, dating from the late 17th century. Although some sources suggest an approximate date of 1680, it is believed that an earlier date is possible. The house may have originally been built with a two-room cross-passage plan, but this remains unclear due to major modifications during the 19th and 20th centuries. The property was in the gift of the nearby St. Andrew's Church, and is described by Historic England as "one of the most interesting survivals in Wakeham".
203 Wakeham, and its attached outbuilding - Grade II listed since January 1951. The house dates from the early 19th century and includes an outbuilding which may have once been in use as a well or cistern.
205 and 207 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. A pair of late 18th-early 19th century houses. Although No. 207 has undergone some alternations during the late 20th century, Historic England note that the house "remains an important element in this mixed row of houses".
209 and 211 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. A pair of semi-detached houses dating from the early 19th century.
213 Wakeham - Grade II listed since January 1951. Dates from the early 19th century.
215 Wakeham - Grade II listed in September 1978. A late 18th-early 19th century house.
6 Wakeham - Grade II listed since May 1993. Dates from the early 19th century.
106 Wakeham - Grade II listed since May 1993. A late 17th century house with 19th century fenestration.
Dovecote, approximately 5 metres west-south-west of 106 Wakeham - Grade II listed since May 1993. A former dovecote, likely to be of 17th century origin. It retains a gable opening (now-blocked), which may have had louvre or dove openings. The building was later converted into a privy and was in use as a store by the 1990s. Historic England noted the building still retained a "grand privy structure" and remains "an unusual and rare survival, attached to a small house of corresponding interest historically".
Woodbine Cottage (112 Wakeham) - Grade II listed since May 1993. A house dating from the mid 19th century, but with possible remains of an earlier house.
114 Wakeham - Grade II listed in August 1976. Dates from the early 19th century.
116 Wakeham - Grade II listed in August 1976. A house of the late 18th-early 19th-century.
118 Wakeham - Grade II listed in August 1976. Originally built as two cottages in the late 18th-early 19th century. It is likely that the house was built at the same time as Nos. 114 and 116. The property's original windows have since been replaced.
Portland Museum (No. 217 and Avice's Cottage) - Grade II listed in January 1951. Two former cottages dating back to the 17th century (No. 217 much altered in the early 19th century). Both form Portland Museum, which was founded by Dr Marie Stopes and opened in 1932. The two cottages retain their thatched roofs, which Historic England noted was a "reminder of the type of cottage that once appeared all across the island". Avice's Cottage featured in the Thomas Hardy novel The Well-Beloved as the home of three generations of "Avice's" - the novel's heroines.
Pennsylvania Castle, and its attached walls - Grade II listed since January 1951. The Gothic Revival mansion was built in 1797-1800 for John Penn, Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. It was designed by renowned architect James Wyatt. In 1950, it was converted into a hotel, but was later reverted back into a private residence by 1994. It is located just on the edge of Wakeham, above Church Ope Cove.
Gatehouse and lodges to Pennsylvania Castle - Grade II listed since January 1951. A gateway with associated but separated lodges, built at the same time as the castle. Today the lodges are under separate ownership from the castle.

Although not a part of Wakeham, Rufus Castle is located near to Portland Museum and above Church Ope Cove. It is a ruined castle dating from the late 15th century on the site of an earlier building. It is Portland's oldest castle and has been Grade I listed since January 1951. The castle is also a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The ruins of St Andrew's Church, Portland's first parish church, sits between the castle and the cove. The church has origins dating to the Saxon period. It has been Grade II* listed since January 1951 and is also a scheduled monument.

Other notable buildings

Girt House - described as "the most considerable house on the island", it is believed to have had Jacobean origins. In the late 18th century, it was the home of John Penn, prior to the building of Pennsylvania Castle. Having purchased a number of cottages that existed on the chosen site of his castle, Penn later gave up Girt House in exchange for one cottage owned by Shadrack Stone. However, the house later fell into ruin and was partially demolished in the late 19th century, although some parts were incorporated into the cottages now on site (Nos 16, 18 and 20 Wakeham).
Stonecleave (26 Wakeham) - built around 1888 by John Pearce, who later established the John Pearce Portland Stone Company Ltd. The Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland describes the building as having an "exuberant High Victorian style" and a "mini castle of crenelated parapets".
Zion Chapel - a Bible Christian Chapel, erected and opened in 1859 as the first chapel of Portland's Bible Christian Methodists. The chapel closed in 1938 and was demolished that year to make way for a new Methodist manse, built by Smith & Lander Ltd.

Past public houses

The Alexandra Inn (71 Wakeham) - constructed on the site of the Queen of the Valley in the 1910-20s, originally operated by John Groves & Sons Ltd and later taken over by Devenish. It is now the Alessandria Hotel, a family run hotel with Italian cuisine.
The Mermaid Inn (195 Wakeham) - active since the 19th century and located within the southern region of the hamlet. The building was rebuilt by Devenish in the early 1870s. The pub closed in 2008, with planning permission approved in 2010 to convert the pub into a private residence. In 2011, the Mermaid House Tea Gardens was established in the garden, but closed in 2015.
Queen of the Valley - active since the late 19th century, demolished in the 1910-20s and replaced by the Alexandra Inn.
The Rose and Crown (157 Wakeham) - active during the late 19th century, now a private residence.

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

1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Churches, Buildings and Views - St George's Church - Paul Benyon - website page
2) BBC History - British History Timeline - Vikings and Anglo-Saxons - website page
3) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
4) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - Danger UXB – Portland’s World War 2 Unexploded Bomb - Roger Mutch - website page
5) Exploring Portland - Church Ope Cove and the Pennsylvania Castle Area - Geoff Kirby - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Silklake Quarries - Geoff Kirby - website page
7) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
8) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
9) Pastscape - various entries on database - website page
10) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 150 - book
11) Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
12) Portland Year Book 1905 - Churches & Chapels etc. - Paul Benyon - website page
13) Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
14) Portland Year Book 1905 - The Island's Water Supply - Paul Benyon - website page
15) Portland: A Topographical and Historical Gazetteer - Roy Mackenzie - 1999 - page 30 - book
16) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - pages 13, 88 - book
17) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page

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