Portesham: Difference between revisions
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'''Portesham''', sometimes also spelled '''Portisham''',<ref name=Gant>{{cite book|title=Dorset Villages|author=Roland Gant|date=1980|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|pp=163-4|ISBN=0 7091 8135 3}}</ref> is a [[village]] and [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Counties of England|county]] of [[Dorset]] in southwest England. It lies within the [[West Dorset]] administrative district, about {{convert|6|mi|km}} northwest of [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]], {{convert|6|mi|km}} southwest of the county town [[Dorchester, Dorset|Dorchester]], and {{convert|2|mi|km}} northeast of the [[Jurassic Coast]] [[World Heritage Site]] at [[Chesil Beach]]. The parish is quite large, covering several outlying hamlets and what were once their manors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weymouth-dorset.co.uk/portesham.html|title=Portesham|accessdate=23 April 2013|publisher=weymouth-dorset.co.uk}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 Census]] it had a population of 708. |
'''Portesham''', sometimes also spelled '''Portisham''',<ref name=Gant>{{cite book|title=Dorset Villages|author=Roland Gant|date=1980|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|pp=163-4|ISBN=0 7091 8135 3}}</ref> is a small [[village]] and [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Counties of England|county]] of [[Dorset]] in southwest England. It lies within the [[West Dorset]] administrative district, about {{convert|6|mi|km}} northwest of [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]], {{convert|6|mi|km}} southwest of the county town [[Dorchester, Dorset|Dorchester]], and {{convert|2|mi|km}} northeast of the [[Jurassic Coast]] [[World Heritage Site]] at [[Chesil Beach]]. The parish is quite large, covering several outlying hamlets and what were once their manors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weymouth-dorset.co.uk/portesham.html|title=Portesham|accessdate=23 April 2013|publisher=weymouth-dorset.co.uk}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 Census]] it had a population of 708. |
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In 1905 [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]] described the village's site as being ''"in a hollow among the downs"'' so that it was ''"too low to command a view of the sea"'', but nevertheless ''"in a south-westerly gale the roar of the breakers on the Chesil Beach can be heard in the village."''<ref name=Treves>{{cite book|title=Highways and Byways in Dorset|author=[[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]]|date=1905|pp=244-250|publisher=Macmillan and Co. Ltd}}</ref> The houses in Portesham comprise a mix of old grey stone cottages and more modern buildings in various styles.<ref name=Gant/> A stream runs alongside the main street.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ralph Wightman|title=Portrait of Dorset|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|date=1983|edition=4|page=172|ISBN=0 7090 0844 9}}</ref> |
In 1905 [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]] described the village's site as being ''"in a hollow among the downs"'' so that it was ''"too low to command a view of the sea"'', but nevertheless ''"in a south-westerly gale the roar of the breakers on the Chesil Beach can be heard in the village."''<ref name=Treves>{{cite book|title=Highways and Byways in Dorset|author=[[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Sir Frederick Treves]]|date=1905|pp=244-250|publisher=Macmillan and Co. Ltd}}</ref> The houses in Portesham comprise a mix of old grey stone cottages and more modern buildings in various styles.<ref name=Gant/> A stream runs alongside the main street.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ralph Wightman|title=Portrait of Dorset|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|date=1983|edition=4|page=172|ISBN=0 7090 0844 9}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 15:28, 11 June 2013
| Portesham | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of St Peter | |
| Population | 708 |
| OS grid reference | SY602858 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament |
|
Portesham, sometimes also spelled Portisham,[1] is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It lies within the West Dorset administrative district, about 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Weymouth, 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of the county town Dorchester, and 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site at Chesil Beach. The parish is quite large, covering several outlying hamlets and what were once their manors.[2] In the 2001 Census it had a population of 708.
In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described the village's site as being "in a hollow among the downs" so that it was "too low to command a view of the sea", but nevertheless "in a south-westerly gale the roar of the breakers on the Chesil Beach can be heard in the village."[3] The houses in Portesham comprise a mix of old grey stone cottages and more modern buildings in various styles.[1] A stream runs alongside the main street.[4]
Captain Thomas Hardy, one of Lord Nelson's commanders at the Battle of Trafalgar, lived in the village. He was born a few miles away at Kingston Russell House,[3] lived in Portesham as a boy, and again as an older man at Portesham House.[1] He affectionately referred to the village as "Possum"[1] and is commemorated by the Hardy Monument, a tower 21 metres (69 ft) high, erected above the village on the top of Black Down and visible over half the county.
Portesham used to be served by rail services running on a branch line between Abbotsbury (the neighbouring village to the west) and Upwey (between Dorchester and Weymouth), with trains stopping at Portesham railway station sited across fields to the south of the village, but the line and station closed in 1952.
The parish church of St Peter is part of the Dorset Wildlife Trust's "Living Churchyard Project" and manages the churchyard for the benefit of wildlife. Part of the churchyard grass remains uncut to allow the growth of wild flowers, over 70 different species of which have been identified. A 1994 survey identified over 50 species of lichen. In 2011 the church won Best New Entry in the "Living Churchyard Competition".[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. pp. 163–4. ISBN 0 7091 8135 3.
- ^ "Portesham". weymouth-dorset.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ a b Sir Frederick Treves (1905). Highways and Byways in Dorset. Macmillan and Co. Ltd. pp. 244–250.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 172. ISBN 0 7090 0844 9.
- ^ "Portesham: St Peter, Portesham". 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
External links
