The Grove, Portland
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The Grove is a small village located at Tophill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. The village is found close to the larger village Easton, and is most notable for containing the HM Prison Portland, including its museum Grove Prison Museum. As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, The Grove has been designated as a conservation area, as it is a place of special architectural and historic interest. The village was designated in 1981.[1][2]
The village developed with the establishment of HM Prison Portland in 1848 and before had no road links or buildings. By the middle of the 19th century, the village's main road, Grove Road, had been established, as a gateway to the prison.[2] The convicts at the prison would provide labour for the building of the breakwaters of Portland Harbour, and a number of surrounding quarries were opened, known as Admiralty Quarries.[3] The convicts soon became a tourist attraction,[4] and a number of homeowners along Grove Road opened cafes from the upstairs of their houses for tourists to watch the convicts at work.[5] After becoming a permanent establishment, the prison was converted into a Borstal in 1921, a Young Offenders Institution in 1988, and in 2011 it became an Adult/Young Offenders establishment.[6]
The end of the First World War saw a need for housing on Portland, and the first council-built houses were in the Grove's Victoria Road, built in 1932.[7] With the outbreak of World War II, Portland was a natural target for German aircraft, due to the importance of island's naval base.[8] During August 1940 the Borstal was hit with four boys left dead, while during the Easter of 1941 three houses in Augusta Road left four dead.[9][10] The Grove has seen further housing over the second half of the 20th century, one of which is Rufus Way, built over a filled-in quarry.[11] Portland United Football Club began to play their games at Grove Corner since 1921.[12] During the 1990s, the club's original football ground was moved further into the village to provide quarrying access, and an unexploded World War 2 bomb was discovered. This sparked a major evacuation of 4000 people for a 31-hour operation by the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Team.[13]
