Monument record MDO19481 - King Barrow Quarries, Portland

Large quarry bounded on east by Waycroft Quarries and south by Withies Croft Quarries, Easton Lane forms the western boundary. Worked progressively throughout C19, as indicated on maps. First named ‘King Barrow Quarries’ in 1889. Served by branches from Merchants' Railway. A large part was still unquarried in 1889 and some still remained to be worked in 1901. By 1927 the whole quarry was mostly worked out.

Large disused 19th century limestone quarries. An area of working faces, some benches, massive stone revetment walls for retaining waste overburden and flat-topped spoil tips. Most of the working faces are within deep linear or sub-circular depressions. In the South-estern part of the quarry there is a particularly deep working with a platform at the top where at least three crane bases survive. In the extreme South-West corner of the site are a lime kiln (at SY69057272) and associated buildings. The lime kiln is built of roughly coursed stone with a segmental draw arch containing a single draw eye. The roof of the arch is staggered at an angle to the back wall, which has a stepped profile supported by three iron lintels. Apparently, this is the only lime kiln to survive on the Isle of Portland. <1>

Large quarry bounded on east by Waycroft Quarries and south by Withies Croft Quarries, Easton Lane forms the western boundary. Worked progressively throughout C19, as indicated on maps. <2-7> First named ‘King Barrow Quarries’ in 1889. Served by branches from Merchants' Railway. A large part was still unquarried in 1889 <6> and some still remained to be worked in 1901 <7>. By 1927 the whole quarry was mostly worked out. <8> Extensive areas of waste tips (beaches), by 1889 and 190. Area to north has been filled and levelled to form parade ground.

The 19th to 20th century quarries in the vicinity of Withies Croft Quarries are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of the 1940s. See MDO19486 for more details and sources.

<1> English Heritage, 2000, Monument Protection Programme Quarrying IndustryStep 3.2 Additional Site Assessments
Lancashire University Archaeological Unit,., 5 (Serial). SDO17683.

<2> F Webb and Co Salisbury, 1800, A Map of the Isle of Portland (Map). SDO10235.

<3> Wyld, J, 1828, Plan of the Island of Portland in the County of Dorset (Map). SDO10236.

<4> Roger Hopkins and Sons, 1832, Plan of Grove and Easton area of Portland, showing proprietors of quarry lands (Map). SDO10237.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1889, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet LVIII.11 (Map). SDO10240.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1901, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet LVIII.11 (Map). SDO10241.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1929, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet LVIII.11 (Map). SDO10242.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1466201 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 18 2023 2:02PM