Five-Star IT services in Castletown Dorset including network security and the very latest progressive web apps, web design and SEO.

We living and working in Dorset & Hampshire

We have been in business since 1986 and have travelled to all corners of the British Isles, mainly to install voice and data networks but also to resolve complex IT and security issues for our wonderful clients, including an overnight round trip to Glasgow to fix a broken PC that just needed plugging in!

They say that home is where the heart is, well our home is right on the border between Dorset and Hampshire and so we love both, from quaint and quiet villages and the peaceful New Forest to the historic docks and the busy towns and cities all right here on our doorstep including Castletown.

We always like to use small local businesses rather than large national and international companies where we can, and encourage others to do the same, the benefits are manyfold, with some obvious but many you may not have really thought about.

passport style photograph of michael mansfield on white background
You are always welcome to visit us.
Michael Mansfield @ Zero42
We are local to Castletown
We are local, well we are sort of...

We may not live in Castletown exactly but we do pass by now and then and so would simply love to drop in and discuss any requirements you may have.
Read our story
Did You Know?
wikipedia globe logo on white background

Castletown is a small village in Underhill on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is located close to Fortuneswell, on the shores of Portland Harbour, and includes a sandy beach, as well as one of Portland's notable highlights; Portland Castle, while the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is also located nearby.

As with the rest of Portland's villages and settlements, Castletown has been designated as a conservation area, as it is a place of special architectural and historic interest. Underhill, incorporating Castletown and other settlements became designated in 1976 with boundary extensions in 1997 and 2000.

Originally the location for fishermen to launch their boats, Castletown later developed during the 19th century with the construction of Portland Harbour's breakwaters, and the establishment of the naval base. During the 16th century, Henry VII had selected Castletown area for the building of Portland Castle. Castletown was an essential part of the Merchant's Railway, which was operational from 1826 to 1939. At a time when stone was transported by sea, the railway brought stone from the quarries at Tophill to Castletown's pier for shipping.

During the early 19th century, Castletown was still only a small settlement, with few residential properties. By the middle of the century, Castletown's character changed. A one-sided terrace was formed by 1864, and a number of businesses and residential properties established. Due to it being the gateway to the naval base, Castletown became a thriving commercial area. In 1944 Portland's harbour was commissioned as USNAAB Portland-Weymouth, becoming a major embarkation point for American troops during D-Day. Castletown saw many soldiers and vehicles pass through.

In the early 1990s, as part of defence spending cuts, it was announced that naval base was to close. It was forecast that the Royal Navy's departure would bring economical disaster to Castletown. The navy left in 1995, and Castletown lost the majority of its income, leading to the gradual loss of a number of businesses.

In October 2014 Nemesis Properties applied for planning permission to redevelop Castletown Pier, and work began during 2015 on transforming the pier into "Crabbers Wharf". In June 2015 further development plans were revealed for the regeneration of Castletown, including a "scuba diving tourist facility, an American themed D-Day attraction and museum." It was also suggested that talks with Portland Port may allow Portland's two Mulberry Harbour Phoenix Units to be opened to the public.

A small beach is found in the village, close to the entrance of Portland Port. The area still features several hotels and pubs, largely established for the navy personnel that once came from the port. The Osprey Leisure Centre is located in Castletown, which was formerly known as the Boscawen Centre, and was opened to the public in May 2007. Originally it was a private Royal Navy facility during the 1980s.

Castletown also holds the Portland Community Hospital. This was originally a Royal Naval Hospital which served Portland's naval base from the late 19th century until 1957, when the hospital was handed over to the NHS. Castletown's Stone Pier, where stone was once shipped, is now mainly used for boat maintenance.

To the southern side of the main road of Castletown two large multi-story accommodation buildings sit set into the steeply rising hillside. These blocks were known as the "Hardy Complex" with their construction allegedly costing between £25-30 million and were built during the late 1980s and early 1990s as state-of-the-art accommodation for Royal Navy personnel, but were abandoned less than 15 years later when the Navy left the island. They were later sold by the MoD to a private developer/construction company, and then subsequently sold on again. Eventually they were acquired by development company Comer Homes, who secured planning consent to convert and refurbish the two buildings to provide a total of 554 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and penthouses. During 2004-05 both blocks were stripped back to just their re-enforced concrete frames and left as empty shells. Re-construction work began on the right hand block, (subsequently named Ocean Views) in 2007 and the external works were largely completed by June 2008. Many of the completed apartments were rented as accommodation for visiting foreign sailing teams for their training, preparation and living quarters for the sailing events of the 2012 Olympics, which took place in Portland Harbour. Today the left block still remains derelict awaiting construction works to restart.

Castletown has a wide array of architecture and buildings, a number of which are Grade Listed.

Portland Castle has been designated as a Grade I Listed building. It is one of three buildings on Portland to be Grade I Listed. Additionally, in October 1981, the castle had become scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The Captain's House, a large detached house, adjoining Portland Castle, is designated a Grade II* Listed building. The gateway and curtain wall to the south east of the house became Grade II* Listed at the same time. Located around 23 metres (75 ft) south of the entrance to The Captain's House is a War Department/Admiralty boundary marker, which has been Grade II Listed since May 1993.

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0

If something here is wrong, you should really consider updating the information on Wikipedia to help other readers, everyone can contribute and all corrections and additional information is always very welcome.

We also used the following coordinates to generate the Google Map displayed on this page.  latitude 50.567817 and longitude -2.445331

Need some help with your I T in
Get in touch

young woman leaning  on hands looking sad in front of computer screen
Cyber Security
Penetration Testing, Security Resilience, Computer Forensics and Reverse Engineering
Web & App Development
Creative design, limitless functions & fully responsive.
Progressive Web App specialists.
Voice & Data Networks
Telephone systems, data cabling and comms room builds including fibre optic, cat5e/6/7 & wifi
Support, Sales & Repairs
Same day service, expert technical consultation and free, friendly, helpful advice.
small blue paper plane with folded up message
group of five people in an office enviroment
mature lady in a smart blouse in an office enviroment
smart young man wearing a blue shirt and glasses

We truly care about our customers, our service and our products.

At Zero42, we genuinely care about our customers, and we're passionate about providing the very best service and products. We understand that choosing the right provider for your cyber security, data + voice communications, and full 360° I.T support is an important decision, and that's why we're here to help.

You can trust us to deliver top-class technical service, rapid technical support, and excellent value for money, whether you need a simple repair or a full unified network solution. Our commitment to our customers has earned us consistent Five-Star ratings, and we're proud to be a small and local business friendly company.

We believe in being reliable, affordable, and flexible, because we know that every customer is different. So, if you're looking for a partner you can trust, look no further than Zero42. We're here to help you succeed.

  • Consistently rated Five Stars
  • Small & local + business friendly
  • Reliable, Affordable, Flexible

Need some help with your telecoms just call the experts

* Advice is always free

0800 640 6042

Click to call
Image Description
Image Description
Logo
Our customers love us, and you will too. Highest quality products , competitive pricing and great service. What more could you possibly want?