Church Ope Cove is a small secluded beach on the sheltered eastern side of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England, and is part of the Jurassic Coast.[1][2] It is found close to the village of Wakeham. The beach has many unusual features for the Isle of Portland. The beach used to be sandy, but quarry debris now covers the sand, and has been worn into rounded pebbles. The pebbles cover a small stream which runs to the sea, which is one of the few active streams remaining on the Isle of Portland.
In 789 AD, the first recorded Viking attack within British Isles, including Ireland, occurred on Portland's coast. It is believed that Church Ope Cove was the location.[3][4] The exposed location was later defended by the Norman 12th-century Rufus Castle, built on the cliff-top overlooking the beach.[5] The remaining castle seen today dates from the late 15th century. The cove's area was also used for the building of Portland's first parish church, St Andrew's Church, which was probably first established above the cove by the Saxons.[6]
Between 1797 and 1800, John Penn, Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, had the Gothic revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle built on a platform above the cove.[7] During the early 19th century he had a bath built below the gardens of his castle, known as John Penn's Bath. However, when it was completed, the Court Leet demanded an annual rent for its use after it was built on Common Land. Penn refused to pay, and the bath was abandoned, with the remains still in existence today. Penn's servants would have been tasked with bringing water up from the cove to the bath.[8]
The four east-most beach huts on the beach at Church Ope Cove.
Portland had a large history of smuggling, and Church Ope Cove was one of the famous smuggling beaches.[9] Into the 20th century, fishing was still an industry that used the beach for the launching of boats.[10] For decades, an old rusting hand winch has been left lying on the beach, and is a reminder of the fishing trade.[11] As part of the anti-invasion measures during World War II, two pillboxes were constructed to look over Church Ope Cove.[12][13] A minefield was also placed at the back of the cove.[14]
Beachedit
The path leading down to the cove, next to Rufus Castle.
The beach is one of the few beaches on Portland, and due to having cliffs on three sides, is often sheltered from prevailing wind.[15] As the fishing industry declined, the cove became a favourite sheltered beach for swimming and today continues to be popular for fishing, snorkelling and swimming. The beach provides diving access to the numerous wrecks in the surrounding waters too, which has made it a popular area for diving too.[16]
Accessedit
To access the beach there are two paths. The main path follows the road past Portland Museum and leads under the arch bridge of Rufus Castle, then down concrete steps to the cove. These were laid out by the local council in 1906, at a time when the beach was becoming increasingly popular as a recreational area. The view point above the steps, looking down on the cove, is part of the coastal path. The other path runs through a small area of woodland around the outside of Pennsylvania Castle, and passes through the ruins of St Andrew's Church (close to John Penn's Bath), before linking up over midway down the concrete steps to the cove.
church, cove, small, secluded, beach, sheltered, eastern, side, isle, portland, dorset, southern, england, part, jurassic, coast, found, close, village, wakeham, beach, many, unusual, features, isle, portland, beach, used, sandy, quarry, debris, covers, sand, . Church Ope Cove is a small secluded beach on the sheltered eastern side of the Isle of Portland in Dorset southern England and is part of the Jurassic Coast 1 2 It is found close to the village of Wakeham The beach has many unusual features for the Isle of Portland The beach used to be sandy but quarry debris now covers the sand and has been worn into rounded pebbles The pebbles cover a small stream which runs to the sea which is one of the few active streams remaining on the Isle of Portland The cove seen from the church ruins Contents 1 History 2 Beach 3 Access 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory edit nbsp Church Ope CoveIn 789 AD the first recorded Viking attack within British Isles including Ireland occurred on Portland s coast It is believed that Church Ope Cove was the location 3 4 The exposed location was later defended by the Norman 12th century Rufus Castle built on the cliff top overlooking the beach 5 The remaining castle seen today dates from the late 15th century The cove s area was also used for the building of Portland s first parish church St Andrew s Church which was probably first established above the cove by the Saxons 6 Between 1797 and 1800 John Penn Governor of Portland and grandson of William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania had the Gothic revival mansion Pennsylvania Castle built on a platform above the cove 7 During the early 19th century he had a bath built below the gardens of his castle known as John Penn s Bath However when it was completed the Court Leet demanded an annual rent for its use after it was built on Common Land Penn refused to pay and the bath was abandoned with the remains still in existence today Penn s servants would have been tasked with bringing water up from the cove to the bath 8 nbsp The four east most beach huts on the beach at Church Ope Cove Portland had a large history of smuggling and Church Ope Cove was one of the famous smuggling beaches 9 Into the 20th century fishing was still an industry that used the beach for the launching of boats 10 For decades an old rusting hand winch has been left lying on the beach and is a reminder of the fishing trade 11 As part of the anti invasion measures during World War II two pillboxes were constructed to look over Church Ope Cove 12 13 A minefield was also placed at the back of the cove 14 Beach edit nbsp The path leading down to the cove next to Rufus Castle The beach is one of the few beaches on Portland and due to having cliffs on three sides is often sheltered from prevailing wind 15 As the fishing industry declined the cove became a favourite sheltered beach for swimming and today continues to be popular for fishing snorkelling and swimming The beach provides diving access to the numerous wrecks in the surrounding waters too which has made it a popular area for diving too 16 Access editTo access the beach there are two paths The main path follows the road past Portland Museum and leads under the arch bridge of Rufus Castle then down concrete steps to the cove These were laid out by the local council in 1906 at a time when the beach was becoming increasingly popular as a recreational area The view point above the steps looking down on the cove is part of the coastal path The other path runs through a small area of woodland around the outside of Pennsylvania Castle and passes through the ruins of St Andrew s Church close to John Penn s Bath before linking up over midway down the concrete steps to the cove See also editList of Dorset beaches Portland Museum close to the coveReferences edit Church Ope Cove Dorset Beaches Dorset and East Devon Coast UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2001 Retrieved 14 January 2007 Official Church Ope Cove and East Weares information board at cove viewpoint area History British History Timeline BBC 1 January 1970 Retrieved 10 June 2014 Historic England Monument No 451726 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 2 October 2015 Historic England Monument No 451729 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 2 October 2015 Historic England Details from listed building database 1203103 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 2 October 2015 Penn s Bath Portland Dorset Archived from the original on 15 May 2012 Retrieved 10 June 2014 Portlandbill co uk Portlandbill co uk Archived from the original on 13 June 2013 Retrieved 24 February 2013 Fishing www geoffkirby co uk Area around Church Ope Cove www geoffkirby co uk Historic England Monument No 1420402 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 10 June 2014 Historic England Monument No 1420404 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 10 June 2014 Historic England Monument No 1420419 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 10 June 2014 Church Ope Cove Dorset Beaches Retrieved 24 February 2013 Pennsylvania Castle and Church Ope Portland Geoffkirby co uk 3 April 2003 Retrieved 24 February 2013 50 32 16 N 2 25 38 W 50 5377 N 2 4273 W 50 5377 2 4273 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Church Ope Cove amp oldid 1171391883, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
