DAT Purchase of Portland Naval Plan

Latest DAT purchase for the Dorset History Centre

Hand-coloured plan A Draught of Portland the Shambles, and the Race of Portland, late 18th century print of a 17th century original.

Drawn by Captain Greenville Collins (DHC reference: M/207)

Collins was an important figure in naval history, being a prominent hydrographer, appointed by Samuel Pepys (Secretary to the Admiralty) to chart the coastlines of Britain as part of the modernisation of Britain’s naval defences.  The resulting Great Britain’s Coasting Atlas was produced of which this single plan forms part.  It has been enhanced with colour and is a particularly attractive version of Collins’s work.

The seas off Weymouth and Portland can be notoriously hard to navigate and many shipwrecks testify to the dangers of sailing in these waters.  The chart marks precisely the location of the Shambles – a bank ‘composed of coarse sand and shingle’ that shifts in size and depth subject to the movement of the sea.  Also prominently displayed on the plan is the Portland Race – the fast-moving water driven by tidal shifts off the southern point or Bill of Portland.  The plan marks the different location of the Race depending on whether the winds are coming from the north or south.  The plan in addition to its visual aids also offers a written guide to mariners seeking to navigate the waters off Portland avoiding danger and bringing their vessels safely into harbour.

This plan is an excellent addition to DHC’s holdings and reminds us once again of the county’s important and sometimes tragic maritime history.