Isle of Portland

Isle of Portland, craggy peninsula of the English Channel coast, administrative and historic county of Dorset, southern England. Its greatest length is 4 miles (6 km), and it has a width of 1.75 miles (2.82 km). Most of the coastline is included in a UNESCO World Heritage site (designated 2001) that encompasses large portions of the shores of Dorset and eastern Devon.

The peninsula is connected to the mainland by Chesil Beach, an unbroken shingle (gravel) ridge about 30 feet (9 metres) high and 600 feet (180 metres) wide, stretching 10 miles (16 km) west as far as Abbotsbury. The island’s precipitous shores render it virtually inaccessible from the sea, except toward the south. Its highest point is Verne Hill, 490 feet (149 metres) above sea level. At its southern tip, the Bill of Portland, there are storm-worn caves, a raised beach, and a formation called the Pulpit Rock.

The peninsula is a royal manor whose Court Leet (a medieval legal entity) still functions. Portland Castle, built by Henry VIII in 1520, is open to the public. The remains of the Norman Bow and Arrow Fortress (Rufus Castle) stand in the grounds of Pennsylvania Castle, which was built about 1800. There is a prison (Verne Prison) and an institution for youthful offenders. The breakwaters, constructed by convict labour, were started by the Admiralty in 1847–62; two more were added after 1895. The completely enclosed harbour covers 2,233 acres (904 hectares). After World War II an additional naval establishment was built toward the Bill of Portland. Area 4.6 square miles (12 square km). Pop. (2001) 12,780; (2011) 12,844.