The Mayor of Bridport was among guests from across the county to be invited to Portland's recent civic day.

The civic day saw the Mayor of Portland, Pete Roper, invite his counterparts from across the county to show off the best of what the town has to offer.

Bridport's Cllr Ian Bark was among the party, which visited Bowers Quarry and Mine, St George's Church, Portland Bill Lighthouse and its visitor centre.

Speaking of the day, Cllr Bark said: "I find Portland a really fascinating place and whenever we have visitors it is one of the places we tend to take them.

"There is something about its no nonsense mix of rugged beauty and rich heritage that give it a unique and special identity, so I looked forward to exploring it with the Mayor of Portland and other mayors.

"Portland is not really an island but is reached via a narrow causeway from Chesil Beach. Human occupation of Portland dates back for thousands of years. It was called Vindilis by the Romans and there is evidence of successive settlements on the island.

"Much later, Thomas Hardy described it as 'The Isle of Slingers'. This was because the inhospitable Portlanders used to throw stones to keep strangers away.

"Portland is a huge block of limestone, measuring 4.5 miles by 1.75 miles and rising to a height of 400 feet above sea level in the north.

"The famous Portland Stone quarried there has been used for many well-known buildings. These include both our own St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Building in New York. Many of the quarries are owned by the crown as Portland is a Royal Manor.

"In the second half of the 17th century, Sir Christopher Wren, who was at one time MP for Weymouth, used Portland Stone to rebuild London after the Great Fire. Over six million tons were used to rebuild around fifty churches and other buildings. The stone was taken by barges along the coast to the River Thames.

"The stone was also used to produce hundreds of thousands of gravestones for those who fell on the Western Front during the Second World War. These were shipped to France and Belgium to the huge war cemeteries.

"There were also half a million headstones for the Commonwealth war cemeteries in the same area. The Whitehall Cenotaph itself is also made of Portland Stone.

"Today, Portland stone is no longer quarried but is mined. The mayor's first visit was to Bowers Quarry and Mine. The entrance to the mine is via the quarry and you walk straight in. Once inside, there are several miles of tunnels constructed in a grid system.

"It was only a short walk from the mine to St George's Church. Originally consecrated in 1766, St George's was at one time the only parish church for the whole of the Isle of Portland.

"St George's is the masterwork of a local mason named Thomas Gilbert whose grandfather supplied the Portland stone used to build St Paul's Cathedral. Look carefully at the spire and you will see a distinct similarity to St Paul's.

"The interior with its lectern, pulpit, box pews and galleries all surviving. It is a 'preacher's church', with all the seating facing the twin pulpits – one for reading 'the Word' (scripture), the other for lengthy sermons has been beautifully restored by the Redundant Churches Fund.

"The churchyard is a treasure trove of fabulous headstones and memorials that tell tales of murder, piracy and adventure in a gloriously atmospheric setting. There are inscriptions to Mary Way and William Lano, who were shot and killed in 1803 by a press gang, and Joseph Trevitt, an assistant warder at Portland Prison who was murdered by a convict in 1869.

"There is also a memorial added to a family gravestone of a son who was lost on the Titanic. To one side of the graveyard is a memorial constructed from headstones damaged beyond repair by a stray WWII German bomb.

"The third place we visited was the iconic Portland Lighthouse on the Bill. It is one of three lighthouses, the other two are now a B&B and a bird watching hide.

"Portland Bill Lighthouse has been standing majestically for the past one hundred and fourteen years at a height of 41 metres (135 feet). The distinctive red and white tower first shone its famous four flashes of light every 20 seconds on January 11 1906 and had a range of 25 nautical miles which has guided passing vessels through the hazardous waters around Portland Bill as well as acting as a way-mark for ships navigating the English Channel.

"In 2019, Portland Bill Lighthouse underwent a modernisation project and the character and range of the main navigation light were changed, decreasing from 25 to 18 nautical miles. New LED lanterns were installed and the rotating optic was relocated and placed on display at the base of the tower.

"The visitor centre was refurbished in 2015, thanks to the generosity of David and Alice Gestetner, and the lighthouse looks spectacular inside and out. The work was made possible by a grant from the Trinity House Maritime Charity.

"The displays and information are very informative before you set off to climb the spiral stairs, but it's certainly worth all 153 steps to witness the magnificent views from out of the various windows on the way up, as you stop to catch your breath! 

"At the top, in the lantern room, you can see Dorset's beautiful Jurassic Coast for miles. You'll even get a badge if you make it to the top!

"Portland is always worth a visit whether the sun is shining or a storm is blowing."