St Andrews Ruin

14/10/2025

Early morning a few years ago, before Heritage England took over the maintenance. They are not doing a good job.

16/06/2025

St Andrews Ruin looking wild over the weekend. With rose tinted glasses looks romantic, prime for poetic inspiration.

08/03/2025

Morning light in the cemetery.

28/02/2025

The Olde Church

Because someone has to own a property before it can be purchased interest in the ruin cooled by all parties involved and soon ivy covered the walls, red Valerian grew out of the cracks, budlhiea took hold inside the church and brambles encroached over the whole site.

The Olde Church
I walk as our ancestors once did
A very long long time ago,
Following the path to the ancient temple
Where the below is a mirror of the above,
The church was the connection between the two worlds
Harmonizing both matter and spirit,
Connecting with those that have came before
In peace and calm and love.

That peace and calm and love remain,
Though the old church is now a ruin
It still connects to the spiritual world,
A realm free of fear, disease and pain.
Our ancestors still remain on earth with us,
Ever willing to listen and act on our prayers
While the Goddess stirs slowly awake,
For she will revive old St. Andrew’s again.

Scott Irvine

28/02/2025

In a letter to the Mayoress of Portland in July 1981 from the Portland Rector Rev Michael Fidgin who five years earlier threatened to bulldoze the site into the ground praises the work done on the ruin and now recognizes that the Church should accept the sole responsibility for St. Andrew's.

28/02/2025

In April 1998 the Diocese of Salisbury stated they had new reservations of the responsibilities they accepted in 1981 concluding their responsibility to the ruin ended by virtue of an Act of Parliament in 1755 when St Andrew's was officially condemned to abandonment.

28/02/2025

Following the formal church redundancy procedure that in law implicated the Rector of Portland and the Parochial Church Council in a de facto ownership of St Andrews Ruin.
Both the rector and PCC have consistently refused to accept their responsibilities for the old church in the absence of any adequate evidence.

28/02/2025

Other church authorities also expressed their reservations on their 1981 acceptance because of the slight doubt about the continuing role of them holding the public liability insurance policy. Neither the Diocesan Board of Finance nor the Bishop (at the time acting as Incumbent of the Benefice of Portland All Saints and St Peters laid claim to the ownership of the site and its ruin.