Upton Grange, A Chapter of Dorset History

By the early 17th century the Grange comprised an aisled barn and a large cow house, all constructed of local stone and ships’ timbers. The complex would have resembled the courtyard form of today’s Grange buildings.

The ‘Smugglers’ path is a steep winding trail descending 500ft from the Coastguard Cottages perched on the summit of ‘White Nothe’. This path is accurately described in the 1898 novel ‘Moonfleet’. The owners of Upton Grange regularly found themselves in the cells of Dorchester Assizes after frustrated officials raided the house expecting to find contraband. However, the judiciary usually took a lenient view and, when little evidence was found, everything returned to normal within a few days.

But who knows? There was, and still is, a well trodden path to the ‘Smugglers Inn’, a fine 13th century hostelry at the head of Osmington Cove.

A portion of Upton Grange became an RAF radar station in 1941, only finally closing in 1974. President Eisenhower’s Chief Meteorologist was stationed here for D-Day to observe troop ships leaving Weymouth for France. Very wisely, he is reputed to have chosen Owls Roost Cottage for his quarters.