Tout Quarry

Part of Tout Quarry's landscape

Tout Quarry (aka Tout Quarry Sculpture Park) is a disused quarry that later became a sculpture park, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarry stands at the north-west corner of Tophill, Easton and is located close to the cliff's edge and alongside the road leading to Weston and Portland Bill. It is found close to King Barrow Quarry which is further east. Now a Sculpture Park and Nature Reserve, the quarry displays a collection of various carvings and works in Portland Stone, carved into the living rock face e.g. Still Falling by Antony Gormley, extracted boulders, constructed from shale, or worked from the landscape.[1][2]

Background

Tout Quarry worked commercially from c.1750-1982 as one of eighty working quarries on Portland. It was worked for the famous Portland stone, used for important buildings in London and around the world, from St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace to the United Nations Building in New York.[3] The 260-year-old quarry workings were last worked in 1982 for a boulder contract when 30,000 tons were excavated from the quarrymen's banking for sea defenses. Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust began the sculpture park in 1983 - a year later - saving the quarry from further mineral extraction with the creation of sculptures, and the park officially opened in that year. Many of the original site specific sculptures can still be discovered today, although some didn't last much longer than a year. Temporary works and installations also forms part of the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust yearly artists residency programme.[1][4]

To date, Tout Quarry remains a creative and educational resource for visitors, schools, colleges and universities who come to learn about stone through the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust.[5]

In places around the quarry, there are numerous ravines leading to the cliff edge. The Tramway lines once ran through the quarry, taking stone waste to the be dumped over the cliff or taking block stone to Priory Corner where it awaited transport by the local railway for the ships at Castletown.[1]

Lano's Bridge was built in the mid-1800s to carry a high level tramway taking stone waste to the cliff edge. After severe vandalism in the late 1980s, the bridge was reconstructed where it remains in good condition today.[1] The bridge is Grade II Listed.[6]

With further work to link up Portland's disused public quarries as part of the Portland Quarry Trail project, in 2010 it was decided to unblock an old tramway tunnel to provide a pedestrian walkway under the main road from Tout Quarry to Inmosthay Quarry. In addition, the route of the Merchants' Railway behind Tillycombe had been opened up as well as the tramway route into King Barrow Quarries.[7]

Sculptures

There is estimated to be over 70 different sculptures within the quarry.[8] These include:

Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust

The Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust was formed in 1983 when the quarry was turned into a park.[9] The Trust is dedicated to preserving a knowledge and understanding of all aspects of stone and the landscape from which it comes. It operates within the quarry, where a working workshop is located within the quarry.[10] The outdoor workshop runs from May to September each year for artists all levels of skill. The workshop's yearly programme of stone carving and sculpture courses teaches skills in stone carving direct carving, lettercutting, relief carving and architectural detail. The Drill Hall indoor stone workspace nearby is also used for this purpose.

In 2008, the Trust was the runner-up in the British Urban Regeneration Association's awards for community-inspired regeneration.[11]

In 2009, the Trust was shortlisted for the British Urban Regeneration Awards Scheme.[12]

In 2012, the Stone Island Programme was created, based within the workshop.[13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tout Quarry and Sculpture Park, Portland, Dorset". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "Tout Quarry Map | General". Learningstone.org. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Tout Quarry". Portlandholidaylet.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust - History | General". Learningstone.org. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Learn How To Carve Stone at our stone carving workshops in Portland, Dorset, UK - visit PSQT". Learningstone.org. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281839)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  7. ↑ http://www.portlanders.co.uk/lano%27s-bridge.html
  8. ↑ http://learningstone.org/images/stories/Tout4a.doc
  9. ↑ http://learningstone.org/images/stories/Tout_3_word.doc
  10. ↑ "Tout Quarry Portland Sculpture Trust & Stone Carving on Portland". Visitweymouth.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.regen.net/news/922538/Set-stone
  12. ↑ Swinney, Hilda (29 January 2009). "Portland quarry trust up for award (From Dorset Echo)". Dorsetecho.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "Stone Island Programme | General". Learningstone.org. Retrieved 8 June 2012.

External links

Gallery

Coordinates: 50°33′11″N 2°26′41″W / 50.5531°N 2.4446°W / 50.5531; -2.4446

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