Monument record MWX4045 - Tilly Whim quarries, Durlston, Swanage

An old quarry marked as Tilly Whim (Old Quarry), marked on the first edition OS map. The quarrying is visible on aerial photographs of the 1950s and 2005. Extensive cliff-side galleries situated to the south-west of Durlston Head which formerly worked the Portland Freestone. Its earliest working date is unkown, although it is reputed to be the source of stone for Corfe Castle. It was certainly extensively quarried during the Napoleonic Wars for fortification building. Demand slumped after the Wars, and in 1887 George Burt opened the galleries as a tourist attraction on his Durlston Estate, and they stayed open until rock falls led to their permanent closure in 1976. The earliest quarrying is probably now representd by the ledge on the seaward side of the quarry, with subsequent workings being conducted underground. The ledge also facilitated loading of stone onto boats below using whims

An old quarry marked as Tilly Whim (Old Quarry), marked on the first edition OS map, also marked on the second edition map (1-2)

The quarrying is visible on aerial photographs of the 1950s and 2005 to the east of Anvil Point Lighthouse. The quarrying is visible over an area measuring approximately 135 m by 26 m. <4-5> This site was digitally plotted during the South west Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch two (Map). SDO11594.

<3> Lancashire Archaeological Unit, 2000, Monument Protection Programme Quarrying Industry Step 3.2 Additional Site Assessments, Dorset 22 (Monograph). SDO18060.

‘Extensive cliff side galleries situated to the south west of Durlston Head which formerly worked the Portland Freestone (Purbeck-Portland). The antiquity of the workings is not known though the site is reputed to be source of stone for Corfe Castle. The stone was used extensively during the Napoleonic Wars for fortification building. Following the end of the War the demand slumped and little activity took place with the exception of smuggling. In 1887 George Burt opened the galleries as a tourist attraction on his Durlston Estate and they continued to be open to the public until rock falls led to their permanent closure in 1976. The ledge in front of the gallery entrances is likely to be the result of an initial cliff-side quarry with subsequent working continued underground due to the extent of the overburden. The ledge also facilitated the loading of stone onto stone boats below using whims which gave the site part of its name, the former element being the name of a local quarryman.’

<4> XX-XXX-2005, Google Earth 2005 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12861.

<5> Royal Air Force, 15-MAR-1950, NMR SZ 0277/18 RAF 541/461 0065 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12862.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1466679 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 19 2025 4:12PM