The Old Engine Shed, Portland
The Old Engine Shed is a 19th-century shed, once used for a private quarry-industry railway that ran to Castletown, owned by Admiralty Quarries. The shed is located in The Grove village area, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, overlooking part of East Weares and the eastern coastline of Portland. It has been a Listed Grade II building since January 2001, and is owned by Portland Port Ltd.[1]
History
The now-disused locomotive shed dates from the mid-19th century and pre-1864. It was built for the use of the Admiralty Quarries private railway, to house the locomotives for the nearby quarry lines within the area. However the shed was also used for various purposes over the span of 150 years, and at one point it provided stabling for heavy horses used in the quarries. The cable-operated inclined railway ran to Castletown through the Navy Dockyard, which is known as Portland Port today.[2] It would carry stone down to the harbour for use in building the great breakwater which was constructed between 1847 and 1905. The railway linked the convict quarries, Verne Ditch and the cliffside construction line with the head of the Admiralty Incline.[3] The shed was in continued use until circa 1935 and the lines were dismantled during World War II.[1]
In late 2007, plans were announced to turn the engine shed into an interpretation centre for the island. The Portland Gas Storage Ltd (Portland Gas) announced the plans.[3] The project would cost an approximate £1.5 million to turn it into a visitor centre, as part of for a £350 million gas storage facility on the island.[4] In the summer of 2010, it was announced that foliage clearance had exposed more walls, and the rebuilding of the dry stone walls.[4] Any further work on the conversion has yet to be completed, and the lease from Portland Port Ltd of the shed to the Portland Gas Trust has now ended. The gas project has come to a standstill.
According to English Heritage, it is unusual for locomotive sheds from this period to survive in so unaltered a state.[1] In recent years it has suffered badly from vandalism and neglect, with little attempt to preserve them at all. According to the Portland Gas brochure, the shed is in danger of being damaged beyond repair without further investment.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1389124)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ↑ "North of Grove Road, Portland". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- 1 2 3 http://watershedpr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/PDF-of-brochure-outlining-project-for-the-Old-Engine-Shed.pdf
- 1 2 "The Portland Gas Trust". The Portland Gas Trust. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
Coordinates: 50°33′14″N 2°25′29″W / 50.5538°N 2.4246°W
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