Portland Museum
About
Portland Museum was founded by Dr Marie Stopes, the famous birth control pioneer, and opened in 1930. It is housed in two picturesque thatched Portland Stone cottages, nestling above Church Ope Cove. Inspired by one of these cottages, Wessex author, Thomas Hardy, made it the home of Avice, the heroine in "The Wellbeloved", one of his last novels.
The Museum’s collection reflects the most significant aspects of Portland’s history: the sea, stone, archaeology and Island life, through its association with famous people over the centuries, and the social history of the Islanders. Over the past four years since Portland Museum Trust took over its management, the Museum’s displays and exhibitions have been refreshed and enhanced, but locals tell us that it still feels like the Museum they always loved to visit, whilst new visitors are captivated by its intimate feel and the interesting story it has to tell of Portland’s history.
Do look at our website portlandmuseum.co.uk for latest information.
Learning
The Museum offers a professional educational service. Themes include Houses & Homes; Local Portland History; The Victorians and the Jurassic Coast.
Facilities
Museum facilities
| Parking | |
| Refreshments | Ice creams and hot drinks available. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics and enjoy them in the relaxing surroundings of our garden. |
| Gift shop | Yes |
| Gardens/Grounds | Yes |
| Toilets | |
| Toilets for Wheelchair Users | |
| Guided Tours | |
| Audio Tours | |
| Wheelchair Accessability | To all museum except first floor galleries. |
| Induction Loop | |
| Facilities for the Blind / Visually Impaired | |
| Group Visits | |
| School Visits | |
| Outreach activities |
Contact
217 Wakeham
Portland
Dorset
DT5 1HS
01305 821804
http://www.portlandmuseum.co.uk
portlandmuseum@googlemail.com
THE PORTLAND TURTLE This rare fossil is the oldest example of a turtle from the Jurassic Period and is 145 million years old. It was found in 2010 in a Portland Quarry, and was given to the Museum by Albion Stone. The turtle is displayed in a beautifully lit cabinet, still embedded in the stone from which it was excavated, and features, unusually, both a limb bone and part of the jaw. This specimen is considered important in linking two species of fossil turtles. THOMAS HARDY LETTER An original letter from Dorset author and poet, Thomas Hardy, is on display in Portland Museum. The subject of the letter is Portland Museum, and was written to Dr Marie Stopes, the founder of Portland Museum at around the time of the opening of the Museum in 1930.
