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Archiver > ENG-DORSET-LIFE > 2002-04 > 1020211507


From: Paul Benyon <>
Subject: Re: re [Dor-Life] Portland Prison
Date: Wed, 01 May 2002 01:05:07 +0100
References: <000201c1efcf$d66e34e0$1a00fea9@mary>
In-Reply-To: <000201c1efcf$d66e34e0$1a00fea9@mary>


Dear Mary

I think Constance Kent is the name we were both searching for - she
who was convicted of the murder of her brother-in-law.

St Peters (The Convict Church) in the Grove, was built for GBP2,400,
which was met from public subscription - to provide for the "moral
improvement" of the inmates! Rodney Legg also adds that the ceilings
are in Finnish Redwood, entirely assembled in pure tongue and grooved
perfection and held with wooden pegs rather than nails.

Unfortunately, these days, the church spends most of its time under
lock and key as it is no longer in general use - although I was
fortunate enough to attend a wedding there a few years ago, for which
ISTR a special licence was granted !?

Ah! The winter of 62/63 - the ship I was serving on was anchored some
way off shore and could only be reached by floating pontoons, which of
course moved a little with the motion of the water - as these pontoons
were covered in ice and compact snow for much of that 8 weeks it
became a bit of a lottery as to whether one made it ashore dry - funny
thing though - coming back onboard later in the evening never seemed
to pose the same problem ;-) Can you remember the TV pictures - as
people increased their heating during the evening so the size of the
TV picture shrank until in the end it was a small square in the middle
of the screen and became impossible to watch?

Happy days

Paul

On Mon, 29 Apr 2002 23:44:55 +0100, you wrote:

>Hallo Paul,
>You jogged my memory. I first saw that floor as a teenager perambulating around the Island. Yes, in those days, before AUWE (s) was built. one could actually walk right around the perimeter, except the part in the dockyard. The best way around was on the train and I was privileged to be a passenger on the last day of the passenger service, in about 1955 or 6. The freight trains ran for several years longer until the bridge at Ferrybridge was deemed unsafe to carry the train. This caused a considerable problem in the snows of 1962 when no transport ran from Weymouth. We were told that if we lived within 3 (or 5 was it) miles of the Old Stone Pier we were to walk to it and get an MFV into Portland Dockyard. The snow and ice lasted for at least 8 weeks. I remember walking to friends 3 miles away by moonlight for an evening out and thinking little of it despite the cold and depth of snow.
>
>The mosaic floor was laid by Charlotte .... who had, I believe, been convicted of murder. I can't remember the whole story but it is well worth seeing her work. Also the view from Grove Point down the old railway line at valerian time is very colourful.
>I just had a look at the Weymouth/Portland site and was quite disappointed to see no reference to the view from Priory Corner or to the prison. I thought there might at least be a reference to that mosaic.
>
>Mary ()

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