The Salt Pans are two salt pans on the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Both pans sit next to one another, and are situated on the coastline of East Weares, the east side of Portland. The pans sit directly below the Young Offenders Institution

HM Prison Portland HM Prison Portland is a male Adult/Young Offenders Institution in the village of The Grove on the Isle of Portland, in Dorset, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison was originally opened in 1848 as an adult convic ...

, and are found close to various old historic relics such as the East Weare Rifle Range, Folly Pier, King's Pier and the remains of the Folly Pier Waterworks. The East Weares area, including the Salt Pans, has been labelled a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI), largely due to the scrub and wildlife being of high nature conservation value.

History

Situated along the eastern coastline of East Weares, the two salt pans have existed for many centuries. The origins of the pans remain uncertain, however the limited evidence recorded suggest they are likely to be medieval. During Saxon and Norman times the pans were one of two places for the thriving salt production industry on Portland. The other was the tidal lagoon known as The Mere, which was situated at the north of the island. The two pans at East Weares were formed by the digging of Kimmeridge clay. The pans would flood at high Spring Tides and once they dried out through the evaporation of the seawater, the encrusted salt would be removed from the rocks. Although the pans have remained unused for centuries, both remain completely intact and undisturbed.

Access

The salt pans can be reached via an unofficial pathway veering off the official coastal path of the East Weares area. A similar pathway further north links to the remains of the Folly Pier Waterworks. Sitting on the coastline, the pans link directly to the sea and thus can be reached via the coastline edge as well. The pans can also be viewed from the clifftops of Grove Point.

References

Image:Salt Pans, East Weares, Portland, Dorset 9.JPG, The southernmost salt pan seen up close. Image:Salt Pans, East Weares, Portland, Dorset 3.JPG, The north-most salt pan seen up close. Image:Salt Pans, East Weares, Portland, Dorset 4.JPG, The old naval mine found in the north-most pan. Image:Salt Pans, East Weares, Portland, Dorset 7.JPG, Both pans seen from the cliff top again, with the coastal path running further above the pans. {{Jurassic Coast Isle of Portland Jurassic Coast