DorsetLandscape
St George's Church, Portland
SONY DSC
22 shot stitched in CS6
Vast and solitary, St George's is one of the most magnificent 18th-century church in Dorset. It rises from the rocky, treeless and dramatic peninsula of Portland and is the masterwork of a local mason named Thomas Gilbert whose grandfather supplied the Portland stone used to build St Paul’'s Cathedral. The interior is fabulously preserved with its lectern, pulpit, box pews and galleries all surviving. It is a 'preacher’s church’ with all the seating facing the twin pulpits – one for reading 'the Word’ (scripture), the other for lengthy sermons. The sprawling churchyard is a treasure trove of fabulous headstones and memorials that tell tales of murder, piracy and adventure in a gloriously atmospheric setting. There are inscriptions to Mary Way and William Lano, who were shot and killed in 1803 by a press gang, and Joseph Trevitt, an assistant warder at Portland Prison who was murdered by a convict in 1869.
The history of St. George's Church began in August 1753. A committee of Portlanders was formed to decide whether to put further finances into the dilapidated St. Andrew's Church or to erect a new church at a more accessible position. St. Andrew's suffered from an unstable site and was prone to landslips (notably those on the east side of Portland in 1665 and 1734). Within two months a decision was made, with a survey of the old church finding that repairs would be at least half the cost of a new building. A year after the completion of the church, a house was built nearby for the parish clerk, this building later becoming The George Inn.
The church was closed in 1914 for many reasons and fell into further disrepair after. In the 1960s however, the church came under the protection of a newly formed group, the 'Friends of St George's Church', who were able to restore the church. Now no longer needed for regular worship, the church is redundant resting in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was declared redundant on 16 April 1970, and was vested to the Trust on 27 October 1971.
St George's Church, Portland
SONY DSC
22 shot stitched in CS6
Vast and solitary, St George's is one of the most magnificent 18th-century church in Dorset. It rises from the rocky, treeless and dramatic peninsula of Portland and is the masterwork of a local mason named Thomas Gilbert whose grandfather supplied the Portland stone used to build St Paul’'s Cathedral. The interior is fabulously preserved with its lectern, pulpit, box pews and galleries all surviving. It is a 'preacher’s church’ with all the seating facing the twin pulpits – one for reading 'the Word’ (scripture), the other for lengthy sermons. The sprawling churchyard is a treasure trove of fabulous headstones and memorials that tell tales of murder, piracy and adventure in a gloriously atmospheric setting. There are inscriptions to Mary Way and William Lano, who were shot and killed in 1803 by a press gang, and Joseph Trevitt, an assistant warder at Portland Prison who was murdered by a convict in 1869.
The history of St. George's Church began in August 1753. A committee of Portlanders was formed to decide whether to put further finances into the dilapidated St. Andrew's Church or to erect a new church at a more accessible position. St. Andrew's suffered from an unstable site and was prone to landslips (notably those on the east side of Portland in 1665 and 1734). Within two months a decision was made, with a survey of the old church finding that repairs would be at least half the cost of a new building. A year after the completion of the church, a house was built nearby for the parish clerk, this building later becoming The George Inn.
The church was closed in 1914 for many reasons and fell into further disrepair after. In the 1960s however, the church came under the protection of a newly formed group, the 'Friends of St George's Church', who were able to restore the church. Now no longer needed for regular worship, the church is redundant resting in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was declared redundant on 16 April 1970, and was vested to the Trust on 27 October 1971.