The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 4 miles (6 km) long by 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide and 5 miles (8 km) south of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of Dorset. A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins Portland to the mainland.
Portland Bill a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of Portland features a 136 feet high lighthouse, built in 1906 to replace two earlier structures. The lighthouse uses a 1 kW MBI lamp and flashes four times every 20 seconds with the intensity of 635,000 candelas and can be seen up to 25 nautical miles. The lighthouse as has a fog signal used in times of bad weather. The signal uses a four-second blast every 30 seconds with a range of 2 nautical miles.
The lighthouse is open to the public for tours with a visitor centre housed in the former lighthouse keeper’s quarters. The original centre closed in 2013 due to lack of funding, however a new renovated centre opened in 2015. The tours operated at the lighthouse last approximately 45 minutes and visitors are able to climb the 153 steps to the top of the lighthouse.
The Isle of Portland is also famous for its stone, which has been quarried from before the 17th century and provided stone for many of the country’s most famous buildings including St Paul’s Cathedral.
Picture credit: Barrie Taylor