Monument record MDO47889 - Medieval quarrying, Portland

Limestone quarries. Quarrying for limestone on the Isle of Portland began in the 14th Century. The oldest quarries are in the north east of the island.

Portland Limestone Quarries. Although Portland Limestone had been exploited by the Romans, full exploitation only began in earnest in the early C 14. The earliest quarries are in the NE of the island. Until the arrival of the railways in 1826, all stone had to be shipped from wooden piers on the east side of the island.

An extensive network of tramways were used to transport the stone, the quarries on the Weston side of the island using the Merchants tramway to Castletown, the central and eatern quarries using a route to The Camber along the east side of the island. By 1903 both networks were linked to utilise both of these routes and also the Portland Railway and the Easton and Church Hope Railway. <1-3>

<1> Bettey J H, 1983, The Portland Strip Fields. Archaeological Journal, 76 (Article in serial). SWX2151.

<2> Hudson, K, 1984, Industrial History from the Air, 12-15 (Monograph). SWX2152.

<3> Davey, N, 1976, Building Stones of England and Wales (Monograph). SWX2153.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 868106 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 20 2024 4:49PM