St Andrew's Church, Portland

St Andrew’s Church stands above Church Ope Cove on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Portland is a limestone island joined to the mainland by Chesil Beach. The churchyard wall and three monuments beside it are also protected. The site was once a Saxon church before the Normans rebuilt it in 1100. French raiders burned the church in 1340 and again in 1404, but each time it was restored. The church gained a tower around 1470–1475 and was rededicated to St Andrew. Landslips in 1625 and 1665 damaged the building and cemetery. After the Great Southwell Landslip of the 1730s, a new church replaced it in 1754–1766. Bombing in the Second World War added to the damage before conservation began. Today only the lowest walls remain, with some stones moved to Portland Museum. Excavations in 1898 and later digs uncovered foundations and graves. The ruins sit close to the sea, with Portland Bill lighthouse visible to the south. Visitors walk among the remnants and look down to Church Ope Cove below.