LostnSpace2011- On & Off
Portland - Ruins of St Andrews Church
St. Andrews Church is a ruined church situated on the east side of the island, above the Church Ope Cove beach, near Wakeham village. It is found close to the ruins of Rufus Castle and the private Gothic Revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle, including John Penn's Bath. St Andrew's Church was Portland's first parish church and one of the island's prime historical sites. It remained the parish church of the island until the mid-18th century.
St. Andrews Church is Portland's oldest part-surviving building and has been a Grade II* Listed Building since January 1951. The southern retaining wall of the churchyard has been Grade II Listed since September 1978. The wall is partly medieval, and occasionally repaired and overgrown, stepping down the cliff-side. The three remaining churchyard monuments, approx 7 metres south of the church, have been Grade II Listed since May 1993. This comprises two chest tombs and a headstone, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Through archaeology, it has been discovered that the site was occupied from Saxon period, dating 1500 years ago. The church structure reveals the foundations of an earlier Saxon church, where the older structure was of much better masonry than the newer one. Edward the Confessor, the son of the exiled Ethelred the Unready had bestowed Portland to the Benedictine Monks of St. Swithin of Winchester in 1042 who in turn built a new church over the old Saxon foundations in 1100. In January 1340 French raiders landed at Church Ope Cove and torched St. Andrews and again in 1404, where each time the tiny church was rebuilt.
Around 1470-1475 a tower was added and the church was dedicated to St. Andrew, during the reign of Edward IV. In 1625 a wall was built to shore up the land after a landslip had damaged the church, and threatened half of the cemetery to collapse onto the beach below. Another major landslip in 1675 caused considerable damage, whilst the church continued to suffer from an unstable site and various invasions of French pirates. The church was abandoned after it was in danger of falling over the cliff after a second massive landslip around 1734-1735, known as The Great Southwell Landslip which remains Britain's second largest recorded historical landslide. This event caused a large section of the graveyard to slip down the cliff. Following the 1734 landslip, 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. This led to the church being closed and partly demolished in July 1756. Much of the stone was taken for use in local domestic dwellings. St George's Church was soon built at Reforne between 1754 and 1766, near Easton village, to replace the church.
The politician and writer John Penn, the grandson of the founder of the Pennsylvania state in America, built his Gothic Revival mansion overlooking Church Ope Cove, between 1797 and 1800. During the same period, Penn decided to enclose the surrounding land around his mansion, including Rufus Castle and St Andrew's Church. This caused large outcry from local residents. The Court Leet, who represented Portland's population, protested against the enclosing for a number of years. This legal battle was not settled until 1822, when the Court Leet came to agreement that Penn could keep the land enclosed in return for the annual payment of five shillings. The two historical buildings remained part of the mansion grounds into the 20th century.
Portland - Ruins of St Andrews Church
St. Andrews Church is a ruined church situated on the east side of the island, above the Church Ope Cove beach, near Wakeham village. It is found close to the ruins of Rufus Castle and the private Gothic Revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle, including John Penn's Bath. St Andrew's Church was Portland's first parish church and one of the island's prime historical sites. It remained the parish church of the island until the mid-18th century.
St. Andrews Church is Portland's oldest part-surviving building and has been a Grade II* Listed Building since January 1951. The southern retaining wall of the churchyard has been Grade II Listed since September 1978. The wall is partly medieval, and occasionally repaired and overgrown, stepping down the cliff-side. The three remaining churchyard monuments, approx 7 metres south of the church, have been Grade II Listed since May 1993. This comprises two chest tombs and a headstone, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Through archaeology, it has been discovered that the site was occupied from Saxon period, dating 1500 years ago. The church structure reveals the foundations of an earlier Saxon church, where the older structure was of much better masonry than the newer one. Edward the Confessor, the son of the exiled Ethelred the Unready had bestowed Portland to the Benedictine Monks of St. Swithin of Winchester in 1042 who in turn built a new church over the old Saxon foundations in 1100. In January 1340 French raiders landed at Church Ope Cove and torched St. Andrews and again in 1404, where each time the tiny church was rebuilt.
Around 1470-1475 a tower was added and the church was dedicated to St. Andrew, during the reign of Edward IV. In 1625 a wall was built to shore up the land after a landslip had damaged the church, and threatened half of the cemetery to collapse onto the beach below. Another major landslip in 1675 caused considerable damage, whilst the church continued to suffer from an unstable site and various invasions of French pirates. The church was abandoned after it was in danger of falling over the cliff after a second massive landslip around 1734-1735, known as The Great Southwell Landslip which remains Britain's second largest recorded historical landslide. This event caused a large section of the graveyard to slip down the cliff. Following the 1734 landslip, 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. This led to the church being closed and partly demolished in July 1756. Much of the stone was taken for use in local domestic dwellings. St George's Church was soon built at Reforne between 1754 and 1766, near Easton village, to replace the church.
The politician and writer John Penn, the grandson of the founder of the Pennsylvania state in America, built his Gothic Revival mansion overlooking Church Ope Cove, between 1797 and 1800. During the same period, Penn decided to enclose the surrounding land around his mansion, including Rufus Castle and St Andrew's Church. This caused large outcry from local residents. The Court Leet, who represented Portland's population, protested against the enclosing for a number of years. This legal battle was not settled until 1822, when the Court Leet came to agreement that Penn could keep the land enclosed in return for the annual payment of five shillings. The two historical buildings remained part of the mansion grounds into the 20th century.