Verne Cistern is a water supply cistern 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 at the southern flank of the Verne Ramparts, on the slopes of Verne Hill, along the route of the horse drawn and cable operated Merchant's Railway - now a public footpath. It is on the edge of the

Verne Citadel Verne Citadel is a 19th-century citadel on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Located on the highest point of Portland, Verne Hill, it sits in a commanding position overlooking Portland Harbour, which it was built to defend. It later became H ...

, a 19th-century fort, which is now HM Prison The Verne. The cistern became Grade II Listed in May 1993.

History

Constructed circa 1880, the water supply cistern has a monumental entrance built into the hillside. This cistern evidently served, inter alia, a tank slightly lower on the slope, however this is now concealed by foliage and remains inaccessible. At the time of construction of the citadel, the southern face of Verne Hill went through remodeling, and this was when an existing fresh water spring head was housed in the cistern's stone retaining wall, cut into the outer wall of the Verne Ditch bank, midway along and adjacent to the upper track. Before the supply of piped water to Portland in the early 20th century, this storage cistern and its works would have been an important installation. In recent decades the entrance of the cistern has become overgrown and inaccessible, but is often cut back and cleared. The structure is not under care, and remains a victim of vandalism, particularly littering within the interior. It is located on common land, and can be viewed by the public.

References

{{Isle of Portland Isle of Portland Grade II listed buildings in Dorset