Portland Castle

In the civil parish of Portland.
In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).

Has a central citadel which is fan shaped in plan. The structure is composed of ashlar dressed Portland Stone producing a 'rounded' external appearance. The citadel includes a single storey gun room facing across the harbour. The construction of the fortification followed the advice of a Commission set up by Henry VIII in 1539, in response to a possible French invasion. It was thought to be have been complete by late 1540 and in service by early 1541. During the Civil War the castle was the scene of some fighting, after which it was used as an ordnance store and later a prison.

This site has been described as a;
Artillery Fort.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 381900)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SY68457435

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 451663

• Web site links
  • http://www.portlandcastle.co.uk/
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/portland/portland.php#castle
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.299
    http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/343.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p24-5
    Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p53-5
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage)
    Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p66
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p127
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) p399, 404-5, 466-70
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p281
    Pevsner, N. and Newman J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p340-1
    Morley, B.M., 1976, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (London) p13-14
    RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol2: south-east (HMSO) p250-2 plate 146
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p69-70
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p247-8
    Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol2 p817
• Journal Articles
  • Chaffey, John, 2003 Sept, 'Portland's Protection' Dorset Life
    Brown, Stewart, 2002, 'Excavations and building recording at Portland Castle' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol124 p123-124
    1988, Fort Vol16 p46-7
    Morley, B.M., 1983, ‘Portland Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol140 p72-3
    Andrews, E.A., and Pinsent, M.L., 1981, ‘The coastal defences of Portland and Weymouth' supplement to Fort, 9 p4-43
    1976, Notes and queries for Somerset and Dorset Vol30 p155-7
    Symonds, H., 1914, 'Sandsfoot and Portland Castles' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol35 p27-40 [history only]
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, 2000, Portland Castle (English Heritage)
    Wheatley, Genevieve, 1994, Portland Castle (English Heritage)
    Anon, 1965, Portland Castle (HMSO)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p135