The History of Quarrying on Portland
The first definite evidence of quarrying on Portland comes from comes from Roman buildings, for example at Dorchester, where Portland Stone was being used almost 2,000 years ago. Naturally exposed on the cliff faces, blocks were broken off and tumbled down to the foreshore for loading onto barges or rafts. The Romans marked their building stone blocks by a series of cuts to denote figures of volume. Similar quarry marks continued to be used until the 1950's.
By 1300 AD Portland stone was widely exported for domestic and public use. The quarries expanded during the 14th and 15th Centuries, supplying stone for many major building projects including Exeter Cathedral, Christchurch Priory, Westminster Palace and the first stone version of London Bridge. During these years the skills needed for winning the stone were developed. Stone for the larger projects was dispatched in roughly-dressed blocks for final finishing on the site, but for local buildings the finer art of masonry was developed on the Island.
During the 16th Century quarrying declined on Portland, but revived in 1619 when Inigo Jones chose Portland Stone to rebuild first the Banqueting Hall and then the original St Paul's Cathedral. Stone was still being obtained from the cliff edges. First the overburden was cleared back into great banks or 'beaches'. The stone was then reamed off and tumbled onto the Weares below, a skilled and often dangerous operation. The quarrymen could tell the quality of stone partly by the note it made from a blow of the kivel, a short, heavy pick-shaped tool used to dress the stone. The blocks were then hewn into roughly cuboid blocks, carefully measured, marked and either dragged on sleds or lifted onto carts to be taken to one of several piers, mainly along the east side. Carts of the type being used in 1635 were in use until the 1880's. Made entirely of wood, with platform planking carried on massive solid wheels, their simple but robust design had changed little for centuries. Cattle were yoked to the shafts in earlier times, and for braking on the steep slopes sleds weighted with stone were towed behind.
Durdle Pier, East Weares
By its nature the Island coast was always subject to landslips. Quarrying activity in the cliffs upset the natural processes, and consequently enormous falls often coincided with peak stone production. They were of mixed blessing. On the one hand they exposed wide faces of fresh stone; on the other they destroyed the vital roads and even the piers on the water's edge. One such landslip occurred in 1636, and another in 1665 when the Great Pier, which had been built on the north east side for the Banqueting House contract, was destroyed by a massive portion of cliff becoming detached and sliding into the sea. The pier was a platform of squared blocks projecting into the sea and was the sole means by which stone was loaded by a crude derrick-type crane and screw jacks into the barges. Unlikely salvation came a year later following a far greater disaster in London, for 1666 was the year of the great fire of London and the destruction of the old St Paul's Cathedral.
The nation's most famous architect, Christopher Wren, was engaged to design and supervise the rebuilding of the City of London and its cathedral following the Fire. After the success with which Portland Stone had been used by Inigo Jones before the Civil War, the decision was soon taken to use it to transform Wren's grand plans into reality. By December 1675 it was clear that special arrangements would be necessary on the Island to secure the enormous quantity of stone required. Not only were new piers built, but for the first time quarries were opened on common land away from the cliff edges, a development that previously had been fiercely resisted by Portlanders.
Dumped stone on the East Weares
During the 19th Century, the twin problems of disposing of the overburden and of transporting the stone became more difficult. The grassy banks of the Weares between the cliffs and the shore had been important common land for sheep grazing. With the growth of the stone industry the Weares became valuable as rubble-dumping grounds, and direct control of these areas passed from the Crown into private hands. From the payments for the use of the Weares compensation was paid to the commoners for the loss of grazing rights.
In 1861 a visitor wrote:
“Who has not smiled at the song of the Portland quarryman as he winds up his jack under the weight of some ponderous block of stone? Walking through the quarries you hear the monotonous notes pouring from lusty lungs in every direction. From the nearest you can with difficulty detect the words 'Round boys, Round' etc, all in one continuous note, an octave above an ordinary voice, out of harmony with everything save perhaps the jack itself with its clumsy cog wheels crying for oil.”
Lanošs Arch, Tout Quarry
The main commercial quarries at this time were in Inmosthay, Tout, West Cliff north of St George's Church, and near the east cliffs. By 1880 several hand derricks in the larger private workings had already given way to steam cranes. The traditional Portland quarry jack was not so easily displaced. This simple but powerful mechanism was capable of raising immense loads, as demonstrated in 1848 when a block of stone weighing 232 tons was moved 30 yards using nothing but screw jacks. Screw jacks were still being used long after the Second World War.
The stone industry was thriving at the end of the 19th Century. F. J. Barnes had in 1886 acquired the Victoria Square works of the Portland Stone Company, supplying stone for the Blackwall Tunnel, the Royal Exchange, countless banks, churches and railway stations, and was exporting Portland Stone to New York and China. His main quarries were on the West side where he extended J. C. Lano's tramways through five superb tunnels under Wide Street, by cuttings through Tout to West Cliff. Webber and Pangbourne expanded their large Bottomcombe masonry works near Easton Square with steam machinery, and in 1901 opened a totally new quarry nearby at Cottonfields, by the windmills. The 200 men employed by John Pearce of Stonecleave, Wakeham, were producing masonry for the Institute of Civil Engineers, Westminster. Also in 1901 his company opened a new quarry above Church Ope Cove and loaded 21,000 tons at Castletown for Belfast City Hall, reckoned to be the finest stone building in Ireland. The Bath Stone Firms appeared on the scene to take over both the old-established Steward and Weston families' quarries. Westons had recently supplied stone for the National Gallery, Tower Bridge, the Chancery Lane Public Records Office, and like the other firms, numerous prestigious buildings. Portland was now furnishing some of the greatest streets in London and the Admiralty Offices at Whitehall. An all-time peak was reached in 1904 when Portland sent out well over 100,000 tons of building stone.
In the 1960's the Bottomcoombe Works was the largest masonry yard in Europe, and held the world's largest circular saw. In 1972 600 tons of stone were donated for renovation work on St Paul's Cathedral. Among the blocks loaded onto a sailing barge at Castletown Pier was one originally selected and marked for Sir Christopher Wren, 300 years earlier. Portland Stone continues to be exported in the 21st Century, with recent projects including London's New Stock Exchange, using stone from Independent Quarry.
New Stock Exchange, April 2003
© Copyright Stuart Morris
Adapted by Bob Ford from "Portland, An Illustrated History"
The Dovecote Press 1985; ISBN 0 946159 34 3
by permission of Stuart Morris.