Bowers Quarry

Bowers Quarry

Bowers Quarry is an active stone quarry located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is located on the western side of Portland, where it lies west of the villages Weston and Easton. The quarry is operated by Albion Stone and became the site of the first Portland Stone mine. In October 2002 the firm successfully initiated Portland's first ever underground mining operation, which was a precursor to Jordans Mine, which would start in 2008.^[1] It has also been the selected site for the planned Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory.

History

A remaining stone tipping bridge on the western cliff-tops, close to Bowers Quarry.

The quarry has been in operation since the late 1700s, when it was made up of various small individual family run quarries.^[2] In 1979 Albion Stone secured the lease for the quarry from the Crown Estate. From this time the quarry gradually extended south towards the Weston Estate.^[3] Bowers had long become a deep quarry and, as a result of an 8-metre stand-off of untouched ground alongside the boundary and the gentle slope of up to 15 metres of overburden above the Portland Stone beds, a significant quantity of dimension stone was to be potentially wasted alongside the boundary.

In 1998 the firm received planning permission for the first Portland Stone trial mine at Bowers Quarry. As an experiment, the mining technique was to reduce the environmental impact of the stone industry on Portland.^[4] The Bowers Mine trials began in 2002, and were completed in 2005.^[5] In the spring of 2006 the High Wall extraction in Bowers Quarry commenced.^[6] The extraction from Bowers Quarry today is completely underground through mining. Bowers is largely quarried for Bowers Roach, Whitbed and Basebed.^[7] In 2005 Albion Stone revealed a new mining plan for the Jordans Quarry, which started in 2008 and was also a success.^[8]

In 2013, Dorset County Council approved a new planning application, allowing Albion Stone to extend the existing mine under the playing fields to the south. The ground is now on a long lease from the county to Albion Stone and new portals have been dug into the faces of Bowers Quarry to access the extended area. These reserves of Portland stone are estimated to last 20–30 years. As part of the application, a phased restoration plan has been agreed covering the entire quarry.^[9]

In 2006 the MEMO project was established by Sebastian Brooke. The project aims to create a Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory on the western clifftops at Portland - at Bowers Quarry. The monument is to pay homage to the world's extinct species.^[10] The lease for the site was successfully agreed with the Crown Estate, and the project given the go-ahead by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. As part of the project, almost half of Bowers Quarry is to be restored to limestone grassland. The costs of MEMO have been estimated at being £20-£25 million, with fundraising efforts continuing to date. Once open, the attraction will generate funds by charging an entry fee of up to £9 and it is expected to attraction 140,000 annual visitors within three years of launch.^[11]^[12]

In August–September 2012 Pierre Sauvegeot's Harmonic Fields, an ensemble of more than 500 instruments played by the wind, was set up near the cliff-edge within a disused section of Bowers Quarry. Harnessing the natural energy of the wind, the orchestra of instruments created a symphonic soundscape. Harmonic Fields was part of the London 2012 Festival, a 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together artists from across the world with those in the UK.^[13]

References

Coordinates: 50°32′46″N 2°26′54″W / 50.5462°N 2.4482°W / 50.5462; -2.4482

Isle of Portland

Settlements and areas	Castletown Chiswell Clay Ope Easton Ferry Bridge Fortuneswell The Grove Portland Bill Portland Harbour Southwell Tophill Underhill Victoria Square Wakeham West Cliff Weston

Beaches and coastal features	Balaclava Bay Cave Hole Chesil Beach Chesil Cove Church Ope Cove Freshwater Bay Hallelujah Bay Little Beach Mutton Cove Portland Raised Beach Pulpit Rock Salt Pans Wallsend Cove

Attractions	Broadcroft Quarry Nature Reserve Chiswell Earthworks Culverwell Mesolithic Site Fancy's Family Farm Grove Prison Museum John Penn's Bath Jurassica King Barrow Quarry Nature Reserve Nicodemus Knob Perryfield Quarry Nature Reserve Portland Museum Royal Manor Theatre Tout Quarry Sculpture Park Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy

Military	Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment Blacknor Fort East Weare Battery East Weare Camp East Weares Rifle Range HMS Osprey Inner Pierhead Fort Ministry of Defence Magnetic Range Mulberry Harbour Phoenix Units Portland Breakwater Fort Portland Naval Communication Headquarters RAF Portland RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) ROC Post Portland Bill Royal Naval Hospital Verne Citadel Verne Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery Verne High Angle Battery

Castles	Pennsylvania Castle Portland Castle Rufus Castle

Lighthouses, Daymarks and NCI	NCI Portland Bill Old Higher Lighthouse Old Lower Lighthouse Portland Bill Lighthouse Portland Breakwater Lighthouse Trinity House Obelisk

Prisons	HM Prison Portland HM Prison Weare HM Prison The Verne

Gardens	Chiswell Walled Garden Easton Gardens Governor's Community Garden Victoria Gardens

Buildings and houses	The Captain's House The Cove House Inn The George Inn Queen Anne House The Regal Cinema St George's Centre

Churches	All Saints Church Avalanche Memorial Church Church of Our Lady and St. Andrew Conjurer's Lodge Easton Methodist Church Southwell Methodist Chapel St Andrew's Church St George's Church St. John's Church St. Peter's Church Underhill Methodist Church United Reformed Church

Memorials	Portland Cenotaph Royal Naval Cemetery

Industry	Durdle Pier Folly Pier Folly Pier Waterworks Grove Lime Kiln King's Pier Portland stone Portland Windmills Red Crane Southwell Business Park Sureline Verne Cistern

Working and disused Quarries	Bowers Quarry Broadcroft Quarry Coombefield Quarry King Barrow Quarry Perryfield Quarry Tout Quarry Yeolands Quarry

Railway	Merchant's Railway The Old Engine Shed Portland Branch Railway

Sports	Grove Sports Stadium Portland United F.C.

Events	Easton Massacre The Great Southwell Landslip

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