Art Deco Portland House Open To Public For Heritage Open Days

The National Trust Art Deco property Portland House which overlooks Portland Harbour will be open to the public free of charge for Heritage Open Days on September 15, 16 and 17. There are no bookable tickets left on the National Trust website however on each day The Trust have confirmed that walk ups will be possible between 10am and 2.30pm. It is expected that Sunday 17 will be the quieter day due to the Ironman 70.3 event happening in the area.

Portland House is an Art Deco – Hollywood 30’s Spanish style Villa. The house was Grade II Listed in 2001  It stands in a plot of roughly 7 acres and overlooks the waters of Portland Harbour. Portland House was designed by architects Gerald Wellesley & Trenwith Wills and is now owned by the National Trust.

• Built in 1935 for wealthy young bachelor Geoffrey Bushby – from London – he furnished it with 18th Century furniture
• Built as a holiday home and party house
• Oak staircase, Poole pottery, handpainted tiles
• Shortly after completion of the house Geoffrey died on Christmas eve, 1935. He was 36 years old.
• Geoffrey’s mother inherited his estate and lived here with her daughter, Dorothy Bushby (sister). Dorothy died in 1983.
• The house suffered turbulent times during World War II and the garden littered with shrapnel and windows blown out
• Portland House was given to The National Trust in 1970 by Dorothy  and was tenanted until 2010
• The foreshore is set within the site of special scientific interest (SSS|) and is now part of Dorset & East Devon coast world heritage site
• Portland House was restored in 2010 with a budget of £480,000, the roof was leaking, a ceiling was down, re-plumbed, re-wired, ground-source + pump added, subsidence on the patio
• Now  a holiday cottage Portland House  sleeps 12, 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, mainly furnished with original art deco furniture.