Monument record MDO19529 - Southwell Quarry, Sweet Hill, Portland

First evidence of quarrying is 1901, when there was a very small quarry from which a tramway crossed the road (Southwell High Street) and descended eastwards through Sheat Quarry to a tipping place on the sea cliff. By 1926 the quarry had almost reached its present size. The tramway had been removed. The quarry is very overgrown with a face at the north end. The quarry is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of the 1940s.

First evidence of quarrying is 1901, when there was a very small quarry at SY 68836991, from which a tramway crossed the road (Southwell High Street) and descended eastwards through Sheat Quarry to a tipping place on the sea cliff. (1) By 1926 the quarry had almost reached its present size. The tramway had been removed. (2) The quarry is very overgrown with a face at the north end. (3)

The quarry described above in (1-3) is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of the 1940s, to the south east of Southwell Farm. The quarry is visible over an area measuring approximately 62 m by 60 m. (4) The site is still visible, but under tree cover, on the most recent comprehensive aerial imagery available to the project. (5) This site was digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1901, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet LX.3 (Map). SDO10281.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1929, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet LX.3 (Map). SDO10282.

<3> AC Archaeology, 2002, The Isle of Portland Review of Mineral Planning Permissions Stage 1: archaeological baseline study for Hanson Bath & Portland Stone, document no. 4299/1/4. (Unpublished document). SDO10260.

<4> Royal Air Force, 13-APR-1946, RAF 106G/UK/1411 4051-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13031.

<5> XX-XXX-2009, Google Earth (Aerial Photograph). SDO12705.

Record last edited

Nov 7 2013 3:38PM