Museum

Friends of Portland Museum

Portland Museum consists of two thatched cottages plus a modern extension, situated at the south end of Wakeham, one of the historic villages on Portland. The cottages were a gift to the people of Portland from Dr Marie Stopes, who maintained a home on the Island in the 1920�s and �30�s, and developed a strong interest in its history and culture.

The Museum Collection covers a broad spectrum including the geology, environment and history of the Island, the traditional occupations of quarrying and fishing, and the impact of 19th/20th century development to accommodate the Armed Forces, defence research and various Home Office prison programmes. The Museum is currently maintained and operated by the Local Authority, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

The Friends of Portland Museum is a locally-based Association, founded in 1989, whose object is ��the advancement of the education of the public by promotion, support, assistance and improvement of Portland Museum �. in particular to foster its emphasis on the unique character of the Island of Portland.�

At its recent Annual General Meeting (October 2003) the Association noted the changing circumstances of the Local Authority, which currently operates the Museum without external assistance, anticipating the need for a broader partnership to share the cost and administrative workload.

Apart from its normal schedule of events, the Association is therefore setting out to recruit and train volunteers to work in or support the Museum on a similar basis to that in other small municipal museums.

In addition the Association is setting up an independent charitable company, with the aim of bringing forward and facilitating a broader partnership for the maintenance and operation of the Museum.
By being proactive in this way the Association is both upholding its own objectives and providing direct benefit to the community by ensuring the continuity and improvement of Portland Museum.

Contacts:
John Culley, Chairman, T 01305 823481, Email: kwc63@waitrose.com

John Baxter, Treasurer, T 01305 826549, Email: john@reforne127.freeserve.co.uk

Situated in Wakeham near Pennsylvania Castle stands the thatched cottage known as Avice�s Cottage. Built in 1640 it was made famous by Thomas Hardy as the home of Avice , the heroine of his book �The Well Beloved�
It is alleged that King Charles the first hid in its loft when fleeing Cromwell�s troop