Portland Bill

The dangerous coastline features shallow reefs and the Shambles sandbank, made more hazardous due to the strong Portland tidal race.

[2][1][3] Trinity House issued a lease to William Barrett and Francis Browne to build and maintain one or more lighthouses.

In 1844, Trinity House erected a stone obelisk at the southern tip of the Bill as a daymark, and the first lightship was placed at the Shambles sandbank in 1859.

[2][7] At the turn of the 20th-century, Trinity House put forward plans for a new lighthouse[5][1] which was completed in 1905 and first shone on 11 January 1906.

Farther up the hill at Branscombe was a Royal Navy Wireless telegraphy station which was established in the early 20th century and closed in the 1990s.

[14] The current lighthouse was unmanned in 1996 and all monitoring and control transferred to the Trinity House Operations & Planning Centre in Harwich.

The lighthouses, Pulpit Rock and the Trinity House Obelisk are Portland Bill's key attractions.

[18] There are a few commercial businesses in the area, including a restaurant - The Lobster Pot - and a pub - The Pulpit Inn.

[21] A 19th-century Fisherman's hut is Grade II Listed,[22] while Red Crane, part of a disused stone loading quay, which is protected as a scheduled monument.