England
Dorset

Portland Castle

Portland Castle was built by Henry VIII as part of that monarch's ambitious scheme of coastal defences against the French and Spanish. It has survived largely unaltered since the 16th century, making it one of the best preserved examples of Henry's castles. The low-profile fortress, built of white Portland stone, overlooks Portland and Weymouth Harbour. The castle did indeed see military action, though not against a threat from outside England! During the English Civil War Portland Castle was taken and retaken by Royal and Parliamentary supporters.

During the Victorian period the castle was a private residence for Captain Charles Manning, builder of the Portland Breakwater, but the government retook ownership of the castle in 1870. The castle was used as a Seaplane base in WWI and as part of the D-Day operations in WWII. The castle sits within the Royal Naval Dockyard at Portland.

LOCATION
Castletown
Portland Harbour
Weymouth
Dorset
DT5 1AZ
Telephone: 01305 820539
Fax 01305 860 853

ENTRY: fee charged

ACCESSIBILITY
Captain`s House tearoom and ground floor of the castle are wheelchair accessible.

English Heritage

Dorset Travel Guide

Dorset Overview - Dorset Tourist Information Centres - Dorset travel links Attractions in Dorset - categories Ancient Sites - Castles - Countryside - Gardens - Historic Buildings - Historic Houses - Towns & Villages Gazetteer Featured attractions Abbotsbury Swannery - Badbury Rings - Cerne Abbas Giant - Chesil Bank - Corfe Castle - Isle of Portland - Lyme Regis - Maiden Castle - Milton Abbas - Poole - Portland Castle - Rufus Castle - Shaftesbury - Sherborne - Weymouth Dorset Photos Abbottsbury - Abbottsbury Sub Tropical Gardens - Chesil Bank - Lyme Regis Suggested Itineraries Thomas Hardy's Dorset Accommodation Hotels in Dorset - Self Catering Cottages in Dorset