Monument record MDO25579 - Rocket Quarry, Portesham

A disused quarry is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. The Portesham Quarry was opened in the 19th century and produced stone from the Upper Jurassic strata for both building stone and limeburning. Stone from the quarry has been used in the construction of Abbotsbury Abbey, Hardy's Monument, and Athelhampton. In 1887 the quarry was connected to the a siding of the Abbotsbury Railway near Portesham Station by an inclined tramway, the course of which is followed by a modern farm track. Quarrying continued on an intermittent small-scale basis from 1895-1928.

The Portesham Quarry was opened in the 19th century and produced stone from the Upper Jurassic strata for both building stone and limeburning. The larger part of the quarry is in the Lower Purbeck (Lulworth Formation), but some stone has been dug in three beds of the Portland Limestone. The latter has been used in the construction of Abbotsbury Abbey, Hardy's Monument, and Athelhampton Hall, and more generally throughout the Cerne, Piddle, and Frome valleys, for both domestic and ecclesiastical buildings. In 1887 the quarry was connected to the a siding of the Abbotsbury Railway near Portesham Station by an inclined tramway, the course of which is followed by a modern farm track. Quarrying continued on an intermittent small-scale basis from 1895-1928. Two lime kilns once stood at the site but only part of one remains. <1>

A disused quarry is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <2-5>. It is considered likely to be post medieval in origin. These extractive pits were digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project

<1> Lancashire Archaeological Unit, 2000, Monument Protection Programme Quarrying Industry Step 3.2 Additional Site Assessments (Monograph). SDO18060.

<2> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 3299-3300 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11849.

<3> Royal Air Force, 17-1-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1067-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11909.

<4> 1-2-1968, MAL 68052-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11913.

<5> 30-11-1980, MAL 3880 176-78 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11899.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1466558 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 18 2023 5:04PM