The Cove House Inn is an 18th-century public house on the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct fr ...

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. Covering an area of , ...

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 ...

. It is situated within the village of

Chiswell Chiswell , sometimes , is a small village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is the oldest settlement on the island, having formerly been known as Chesilton. The small bay at Chiswell is ca ...

, and alongside

Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank) in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain.A. P. Carr and M. W. L. Blackley, "Investigations Bearing on the Age and Development of Chesil Beach, Dorset, and the Associat ...

on the esplanade. The Cove House Inn remains one of Portland's most popular pubs, and has been reputed to be one of the best inns for panoramic views in the area. The pub has been a Grade II Listed Building since May 1993.

History

The current building has been recorded as being early 19th-century, although there is also evidence that the building has origins from the late 17th to the early 18th century. Despite its particularly vulnerable position on the beach, the pub was a survivor of the Great Storm of 1824. The pub's position, overlooking

Chesil Cove Chesil Cove is a curved steep bank forming the south-east end of Chesil Beach in Dorset, England. It is thus part of one of three large shingle structures in Britain, extending from West Bay to the Isle of Portland (Portland Bill), the latter ...

has linked it to various involvements with shipwrecks. The pub was also a focal point for important meetings on the island. Between 1958-65, construction of a sea wall was completed, and this gave the inn and Chiswell village protection from the sea. In past storms, the sea has been recorded as smashing open the pub's door and roaring into the bar as well as throwing pebbles onto the roof. During the storms of January–February 2014, prime minister David Cameron arrived at Portland to show support for those affected by the storms. During his time on the island he visited The Cove House Inn.

Design

The pub is built with large square dressed Portland stone blocks, and has slate roofs and stone stacks. The interior was modified during the 20th century; and there are substantial dressed stone walls in the basement, possibly part of an earlier building on the site. Outside of the pub is an outside seating area, overlooking Chesil Beach and the rugged cliffs of Portland peninsular. Noted in the 1975 book "Better Pubs in Dorset", the long open windows of the pub are shuttered in the winter storms for protection. Inside the building is made up of old oak furniture and pictures of wrecks. There is also some carving on the bar backing.

References

External links

Official The Cove House Inn website
{{Isle of Portland Isle of Portland Grade II listed pubs in Dorset