[38] Portland is sometimes defined incorrectly as a tombolo—in fact Portland is a tied island, and Chesil Beach is the tombolo (a spit joined to land at both ends). [16] The line closed to passengers in 1952, and the final goods train (and two passenger 'specials') ran in April 1965. [39], Geologically, Portland is separated into two areas; the steeply sloping land at its north end called Underhill, and the larger, gently sloping land to the south, called Tophill. For a few years until 2005 Britain's only prison ship, HMP The Weare, was berthed in the harbour. The name Portland is used for one of the British Sea Areas, and has been exported as the name of North American and Australian towns. Tout Quarry is one particularly well worth a visit; this reserve has been transformed into a stone sculpture park and over 60 works of art can be seen here including designs by Antony Gormley. Portland has been inhabited since at least the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age)—there is archaeological evidence of Mesolithic inhabitants at the Culverwell Mesolithic Site, near Portland Bill,[3] and of habitation since then. [83] Construction was scheduled between October 2007 and the end of 2008, and with its completion and formal opening on 11 June 2009, the venue became the first of the 2012 Olympic Games to be completed. There is nothing pretty about it. If you’re looking for your next Instagram snap, it’s here! Portland stone lies under Tophill; the strata decline at a shallow angle of around 1.5 degrees, from a height of 151 metres (495 ft) near the Verne in the north, to just above sea level at Portland Bill. [104], Kimberlin: slang for any 'strangers' who live on the island but are not from the island. The Isle of Portland is a tied island, 4 miles (6 km) long by 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide, in the English Channel. Chesil Beach occasionally faces severe storms and massive waves, which have a fetch across the Atlantic Ocean. Portland is a part of Dorset like no other; wild, natural and ruggedly beautiful. [105], Portland screw: fossil mollusc (Aptyxiella portlandica) with a long screw-like shell or its cast. In the 1980s it was agreed that a scheme to provide storm protection with a 20% annual exceedance probability to reduce flood depth and duration in more severe storms. It is a prominent and much photographed feature; an important landmark for ships passing the headland and its tidal race. [102], The Portland Chronicles series of four children's books, set on and around Portland and Weymouth and written by local author Carol Hunt, draw on local history to explore a seventeenth century world of smuggling, witchcraft, piracy and local intrigue.[103]. [37][52] Rare visitors to the surrounding seas include dolphins, seals and basking sharks. [56] Sunshine totals in all months are well above the United Kingdom average,[61] and monthly rainfall totals throughout the year are less than the UK average, particularly in summer;[61] this summer minimum of rainfall is not experienced away from the south coast of England. [18], The Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck stationed a lifeboat at Portland in 1826, which was withdrawn in 1851. It runs from Easton, splitting into a northbound section through Chiswell and a southbound section through Fortuneswell, then along Chesil Beach and across a bridge to the mainland in Wyke Regis. Hardy also called Portland the Gibraltar of the North, with reference to its similarities with Gibraltar; its physical geography, isolation, comparatively mild climate, and Underhill's winding streets.

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