Description

PORTLAND

SY6873 FORTUNESWELL, Fortuneswell
969-1/3/200 (North side)
Nos.116 & 118
including front garden walls and
gatepiers

17-MAY-1993

GV II

Pair of attached houses of early-C19 date.

MATERIALS: Constructed of coursed Portland stone rubble which is rendered, except for the rear of No. 116. A stone-coped roof of asbestos slate with brick ridge and end stacks.

PLAN: Each house has a four-unit plan with a rear outshut. A detached shop that fronts onto the road has been built within part of the former garden of No. 116, sometime between 1892 and 1903. This is not of special interest.

EXTERIOR: The principal (south-west) elevation of each house is double-fronted with a central entrance and C20 doors. The windows are of various dates and styles. No.116 has late-C20 French doors to either side of the doorway which, according to historic photographs, have replaced similar doors. Above are two uPVC windows and a roof dormer. To the rear of No.116 there are early-C19 six/six-pane hornless sash windows, a horizontal-sliding sash with glazing bars, and a small fixed-window of C20 date. The windows to the front of No.118 are mostly late-C19 in date; the dormer window is a late-C20 replacement with a uPVC frame. To the rear are late-C20 timber casements.

INTERIOR: The original plan form and circulation remains largely intact. Historic features survive throughout, including staircases of stick balusters and turned newels; doors that are mostly four-panelled with architraves; some simple cornicing; and, although the fireplaces have been blocked, many retain early-C19 timber surrounds.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: No.118 retains its front garden walls which extend to the roadside boundary wall which has a central entrance. The gateway has pyramidal caps to the piers flanking the central steps, a similar right end pier, and tall pier to the left with ball finial. In the rear yards of both houses is a small outbuilding, probably a wash-house. These have been constructed of large blocks of Portland stone and built against the rear retaining wall of the yard; each has a monopitch roof. The outbuilding to No.116 retains a copper for heating water.

HISTORY: Fortuneswell, which was originally known as Fortunes Well because it was established around a small watercourse, lies on steeply sloping land and is the principal settlement on Portland. Nos. 116-118 Fortuneswell are a pair of semi-detached houses which are set back from the road. The exact date of construction is unknown but the houses are depicted on the 1841 Tithe Map.

SOURCES: RCHME, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset (1970), vol. II, part II, South-East, 255
Weymouth & Portland Local Plan Review (2003), Weymouth & Portland Borough Council

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: Nos. 116-118 Fortuneswell on the Isle of Portland are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: despite the loss of early-C19 fenestration to the principal elevation, the symmetrical and balanced design of these semi-detached houses displays good craftsmanship using local materials
* Interior: the early-C19 plan form and fabric remain intact, with a good survival of internal joinery, original staircases and doors, and original roof structure
* Group value: they contribute to the local streetscene and form a good grouping with St John the Baptist's Church.

Listing NGR: SY6864773558

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26498648

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings