Wikipedia

Verne Citadel

Verne Citadel is a 19th-century citadel on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Located on the highest point of Portland, Verne Hill, it sits in a commanding position overlooking Portland Harbour, which it was built to defend. In 1949, it became HM Prison The Verne.

Verne Citadel
Built on the highest point of Portland, the Verne is surrounded by cliffs and a moat, with two entrances — one via a footbridge and one via this tunnel.
Main entrance to The Verne
Verne Citadel is located in Dorset
Verne Citadel
Verne Citadel
Coordinates50°33′44″N 2°26′09″W / 50.5622°N 2.4357°W / 50.5622; -2.4357
Site information
Open to
the public		No
ConditionComplete
Site history
Built1857-1881
In usePrison
MaterialsEarth
Masonry

History

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The citadel was built between 1857 and 1881, as Portland Harbour's main fortification.[1][2][3] Naturally inaccessible from the north and east, the south and west sides were protected by the digging of a large ditch.[4] Both East Weare Battery and East Weare Camp, located below the eastern side of the Verne, were considered part of the citadel's outworks.[5]

 
The moat

The citadel was designed with open gun emplacements on the north, east and west sides.[2] As its defensive role came to an end, by 1903 the citadel had become an infantry barracks.[3] During World War I and II, the Verne became the Headquarters of Coast Artillery.[1] During World War II, a Chain Home Low Radar set was installed within the citadel, and the main magazine became a hospital.[6] After the war, the last military use of the fort was by the Royal Engineers.[2]

The citadel was turned into a prison in 1949, becoming a Category C prison for 575 adult males, serving medium-to-long term sentences.[2] In 2013, the prison closed and became an immigration removal centre for 600 detainees awaiting deportation in 2014.[7] The centre was transformed back into a prison in 2017–18.[8]

Grade listed features

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The battery at the southern entrance of the Verne

The citadel, including the Verne High Angle Battery, is a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.[9] In recent years, the Citadel has been listed on English Heritage's Risk Register.[10]

Both the North and South Entrances, as well as the south west and south east casemates, are Grade II* Listed.[11][12][13] The railings at the approach to the north entrance form part of the original construction and are Grade II Listed.[14] The prison's reception centre is also Grade II Listed. In September 1978, five other features of the citadel became Grade II Listed: the prison's blacksmith's shop,[15] the prison chapel,[16] the officer's block B,[17] the prison gymnasium,[18] and the detached Governor's house.[19]

The East Weare Battery, and the detention barracks of East Weare Camp (built circa 1880), both became Grade II Listed in May 1993.[20][21] The Verne High Angle Battery was built in 1892, approximately 150 metres south of the citadel's southern entrance, as part of Britain's Coastal Defences. Decommissioned in 1906, it became Grade II Listed in May 1993 too.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Verne (Citadel)" (PDF). victorianforts.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Official information board situated outside Southern Entrance of Verne Citadel
  3. ^ a b Historic England. "Monument No. 451838". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. ^ "The Jurassic Coast - The Verne". jurassicagent.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  5. ^ "East Weare Batteries" (PDF). victorianforts.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 1478294". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  7. ^ Danny Shaw (4 September 2013). "BBC News - Prisons to close in England as super-prison site revealed". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ^ "HMP The Verne". Justice.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1002411)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  10. ^ "English Heritage | English Heritage". Risk.english-heritage.org.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203116)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1206120)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203117)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1206113)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  15. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280366)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  16. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280372)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  17. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1203118)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280377)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281832)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  20. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281863)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  21. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1205814)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  22. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281857)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.

Bibliography

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  • Hogg, Ian V (1974). Coast Defences of England and Wales 1856-1956. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153 6353-0.
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