Portland, Dorset - Portland Castle, aerial view - official real photo postcard

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Portland Castle, Dorset - Air View - real photo postcard
• Publisher:  Ministry of Public Building and Works, c.1960s
• Postally used:  yes
• Stamp:  13p buff Machin
• Postmark(s):  Bromley 1980 [later usage for this card from the late 1960s or possible early 1970s]
• Sent to:  Luton, Bedfordshire
• Notes / condition:  light general wear through normal postal use - it's hard to find postcards of this castle for some reason..

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Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Portland Castle is one of the Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, built in 1539 by Henry VIII on the Isle of Portland to guard the natural Portland anchorage known as the Portland Roads. The castle lies at the far north of the island, on the edge of the village Castletown, which was directly named as such from the castle. It was strategically positioned next to the tidal lagoon The Mere, which was later completely filled in by naval development. Its sister castle, Sandsfoot Castle is found across the harbour, west of Weymouth. It remains Dorset's only intact medieval castle, and one of the best preserved 16th-century Henrican castles across the country.^[1]

The castle has a diverse and fascinating history beginning with its construction by Henry VIII to protect the anchorage from French and Spanish attack. It was involved in the English Civil War and later in the First and Second World Wars as a seaplane base and for the D-Day preparations respectively.^[2] Portland Castle experienced its only real action during the English Civil War 1642-1649. Being an historic Royal Manor, Portland naturally supported King Charles and was a Royalist stronghold. It is now under the care of English Heritage, and is open to the public during the peak season, usually closing in November until April. In 2007, it was announced that Portland Castle attracts 25,000 visitors a year.^[3] In 2014 it received a Certificate of Excellence 2014 from Tripadvisor.^[4]

The castle was designated by English Heritage as a Grade I Listed building in May 1993. It is one of three buildings on Portland to be Grade I Listed.^[5] Additionally, in October 1981, the castle had become scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance.^[6]

The Captain's House, which is within the grounds of the castle, was designated a Grade II* Listed building in May 1993.^[7] The gateway and curtain wall to the south east of the house became Grade II* Listed at the same time. It was formerly part of the main enclosure of and access to the castle, and now gives access to the house. It dates from the mid-16th century and is a surviving section of a former curtain wall with moat.^[8] Located around 23 metres (75 ft) south of the entrance to The Captain's House is a War Department/Admiralty boundary marker. Dating from 1870, it is one of many markers of its kind to be found on Portland, and this particular example has been Grade II Listed since May 1993.^[9]

The castle was one of a chain of coastal artillery forts built by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540. The castle artillery forts stretched all around the Kent coast, along the south coast of England, down to Lands End. Strategic sites were chosen protecting possible landing points of an invasion, especially those with major anchorages. The area today known as Portland Harbour was a weak point, and Portland Castle was built, along with the sister castle Sandsfoot Castle, which was built to the west of Weymouth. The entire harbour fell under artillery range from both castles, although as they could not cover Weymouth Bay, the town was regarded as a weak spot. The English Channel had increasingly become busier as trade flourished, and by the early 16th century the sheltered waters of Portland Roads was seen as essential refuge for merchantmen, as well as naval vessels. However the traders themselves were often attacked by French privateers.

The main threat of invasion though was from the forces of France and Spain, backed by the Pope, after Henry VIII's divorce to his first wife led him to declare himself as the head of the Church in England. With the Dorset Coast recognised as an essential part of the anti-invasion measures, Lord Russell, one of the king's leading advisors surveyed the coast in April 1539, and the map he prepared included the proposed sites for Portland and Sandsfoot Castle. Shortly after the castle was built, Russell suggested additional gun batteries within the area, and asked for funds to pay labourers, probably for earthworks of the enclosed yard to the rear of the castle.^[10]

The work on the castle commenced during the summer of 1539, and was in a defensible state by December 1540. The castle's total cost amounted to £4964.19s.10d., which would convert to around £5 million in modern terms. This would have been funded from the wealth confiscated from the monasteries. Once built, Portland Castle was described as the sole place of arms in Dorset.^[11] The early garrison consisted of a captain, the original being Thomas Mervin, four gunners and two other personnel. Marvin received 12d per day, and the gunners received 6d. The original munitions would have included a wide variety of muzzle- and breech-loading guns, and although the castle was designed around gunpowder ordnance, much reliance was still placed on the bow and arrow.^[11] In 1545 John Leweston was appointed captain of the castle, as well as lieutenant of Portland. At this time one use of the castle was to store treasures taken from the convents.

In 1544 the then captain was George Strangways, who undertook to defend the castle for Queen Mary. Although piracy in local waters was for most part controlled, Strangways' own brother was a pirate, and with the support of local officials he used the castle as a storehouse for his own looted possessions.^[12] Despite all the initial years of tension and suspense of an expected invasion, it wasn't long until the castle fell into neglect and decay. In 1574, an inspection under Lord Howard of Bindon had found Sandsfoot Castle going to ruin, and in danger of falling into the sea, while Portland Castle's two platforms were in decay and ruin. No part of the castle had been repaired or renewed since it had been first constructed. With no work done, another survey in 1583 saw further deterioration in both castle's fabric, and Portland Castle's iron gates, wooden drawbridge and glass windows were all broken. Furthermore a breach in the wall had to be repaired following sea damage, although a gyn for hoisting the main ordnance over the walls had been erected by this point.^[13]

Between 1584 and 1586 there was a threat of invasion from Spain, and as a result £228 was spent to overhaul Portland Castle. In 1585 work included building two new platforms for the lower and upper keeps, new lead roofing, and the digging of two new pits, as well as providing sand for casting the lead.^[12] During the crisis of 1588, when the Armada sailed up the English Channel, the second battle between the English and Spanish occurred off Portland Bill on 23 July 1588, where the Armada were defeated. The castle was bolstered ready to repel the attempted invasion by the Spanish, and this included the standby of more than 100 foot soldiers. A short time after 1588, Sir Walter Raleigh became captain of the castle, although he was an absentee, leaving his deputy Nicholas Jones in residence. However Raleigh was aware of the castle's potential, and the need for effective armament and in 1593 he reported that there had been no ""good ordnance"" at the castle since the brass cannon and best pieces were taken away for use on the Queen's ships, and so the castle was no defenceless. In 1596, with the Spanish still a threat, the garrison consisted of a captain, two porters, six gunners and five soldiers.^[12]

Later in 1623 Sir Richard Morryson carried out a detailed inspection of the castle and its physical state. He found the ceiling and joints of the castle was ready to collapse after decay, and the report also noted that there were 13 guns of various sizes (three culverins, nine demi-culverins, and a saker). There were also 54 muskets, although 34 of these were classed as unserviceable. By this point the castle's personnel consisted of a captain, lieutenant, two porters (one for the inner entrance and another for the outer gate), master gunner and a number of other gunners. During Morryson's inspection the lieutenant had to explain why one bronze cannon was missing, and why ten men were found to be absent.^[14]

The castle's deterioration was largely down to the sea, and in addition to this the keep's roof had become in such a poor state that it was recommended it be replaced by a sloping tiled roof, rather than a flat lead roof, as guns were no longer mounted on the top of the keep. One half of the lodgings for gunners were in a state of decay, the moat around the courtyard was overgrown, and was in need of being dug deeper and wider, and enclosed on the inner side with a stone wall. The moat was also in need of repair, where a bank acted as a sea wall. A wall had to be built to prevent the sea from entering the moat, and to keep freshwater in the moat from draining out at times of low tide. As undermining by the sea was a major problem for the castle a small breakwater was formed by the laying of 3 to 5 ton rocks. As the only roads leading from the quarries on the top of the island were too treacherous, the rocks had to be brought to the castle by boat, which cost £240.^[12] In 1636 two more long-range guns were added to the castle, and at this time the garrison was listed as a captain, a lieutenant, and eleven soldiers and gunners.^[14]

type=real photographic (rp)

city/ region=portland

period=post-war (1945 - present)

postage condition=unposted

number of items=single

size=continental/ modern (150x100mm)