Luxury Villas Portland
Portland, United Kingdom, is a charming island known for its rugged coastal beauty and rich maritime history. Home to stunning limestone cliffs, quaint fishing villages, and a famous lighthouse, Portland offers picturesque walks along its rugged shores. Visitors can explore historic forts, enjoy fresh seafood at local eateries, and witness breathtaking sunsets over the English Channel. With its unique blend of natural wonders and cultural heritage, Portland is a hidden gem awaiting discovery.
Admiralty Hotel & Restaurant
The Admiralty hotel is a beautifully located 60 bed hotel situated on the southern edge of Portland, overlooking Portland bill and the English channel. The majority of our rooms have stunning sea views & we have a beautiful panoramic bar and restaurant overlooking the Portland bill light houses. We also have a sports bar with pool table and huge TVs so you can enjoy the sports of your choice. The hotel is set in the old AUWE building (admiralty underwater weapons establishment) In 1959, Portland’s Admiralty Gunnery Establishment was transferred to Ports down Hill, allowing the research at Portland to focus on anti-submarine research and underwater weapons. The formation of the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment was an amalgamation of a number of Admiralty research sites, including the Underwater Countermeasures and Weapons Establishment at Havant, the Torpedo Experimental Establishment at Greenback and the Underwater Launching Establishment at Bournemouth. This amalgamation saw all research into underwater weapons and detection systems concentrated at Portland, with two primary sites forming the AUWE: “AUWE (North)” and “AUWE (South)”. The North site, located at Portland’s Naval Base was formerly the HM Underwater Detection Establishment. The work carried out at Portland had the highest security classification during the Cold War. In 1961, the two establishments were the center of worldwide attention, after the discovery of espionage infiltration. This became infamously known as the Portland Spy Ring, a Soviet spy ring that operated in England from the late 1950s till 1961 when the core of the network were arrested by the British security services. In 1984, the AUWE became part of the Admiralty Research Agency (ARE) and later the Defense Research Agency (DRA) in 1991. With the end of the Cold War in 1991, both Portland’s naval base and the two research establishments closed in 1995. AUWE(S) was sold and became the Southwell Business Park in 1997, while AUWE(N) was demolished around 2005.