St George, Portland
St George, Portland
St George's is a Grade I Georgian former parish church on Reforne, Isle of Portland, Dorset, now vested in the Churches Conservation Trust.
- Location
- Portland, Dorset
- Country
- England
- County
- Dorset
- City / town
- Portland
- Address
- Reforne, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2JP
- Postcode
- DT5 2JP
- Built
- Begun 1754; replaced decayed St Andrew's
- Consecrated
- 1766
- Architect
- Thomas Gilbert
- Denomination
- Churches Conservation Trust
- Dedication
- George
- Diocese
- Salisbury
- Parish
- Portland All Saints
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Georgian
- Materials
- Portland ashlar; lead roofs except slate over the sanctuary
- Grid reference
- SY 686 720
- Opening hours
- Open daily.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas
Overview
Historic England records a complete eighteenth-century church begun in 1754 and consecrated in 1766 to designs of Thomas Gilbert, master stone-mason, replacing the decayed parish church of St Andrew. The listing describes a cruciform unaisled plan in Portland ashlar, with a west tower and steeple, sanctuary apse, and a low central cupola over the crossing, with some references to Wren. Roofs are lead except slate over the sanctuary. North and south fronts are two-storeyed with arched windows over segmental-headed lights; the interior has plastered barrel vaults, a central saucer dome, galleries on three sides on paired cast-iron columns, numbered painted box pews facing the crossing, and an octagonal pulpit and reading desk. A sanctuary monument records Gilbert as architect and master builder; he died on 25 July 1776 aged 70.
The church was displaced in 1917 by All Saints, Easton, then fell into poor condition. Friends of St George's rescued it in 1979; it was fully restored and vested in the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands in the Church of England parish of Portland All Saints, Diocese of Salisbury.