Tout Quarry facts for kids
Tout Quarry, also known as Tout Quarry Sculpture Park and Nature Reserve, is a special place on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It's an old stone quarry that has been turned into a park filled with amazing sculptures and a home for nature. You can find it in the northwest part of Tophill.
The sculpture park first opened in 1983. Later, around 2004, it also became a nature reserve. Today, Tout Quarry shows off many different carvings and artworks made from local Portland stone.
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What is Tout Quarry?
Tout Quarry was a busy place in the 1700s and 1800s. Workers dug out lots of stone from here. The last time stone was taken from the quarry was in 1982. About 30,000 tons of stone were dug up then to help protect the coast from the sea.
After that, a group called the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust started the sculpture park in 1983. This helped save the quarry from being dug up even more. The park officially opened that same year. Many of the first sculptures are still there today. Some, however, did not last very long.
You can see many deep paths leading to the cliff edge around the quarry. These used to be tramway lines. They carried waste stone to the cliff to be dumped. They also moved large blocks of stone to Priory Corner. From there, the stone traveled on the Merchant's Railway to Castletown. Then, it was shipped all over the world. Lano's Bridge, a historic bridge built in the mid-1800s, carried a high tramway for stone waste.
Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust
The Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust was created in 1983. This was when the quarry became a park. The trust works to "preserve knowledge and understanding of all aspects of stone and the landscape from which it comes." They work inside the quarry and at their main office, the Drill Hall.
There is an outdoor workshop in the quarry. Here, people can take courses from May to September each year. These courses teach skills in stone carving and sculpture. You can learn about direct carving, lettercutting, relief carving, and making architectural details. The indoor workspace at the Drill Hall is also used for these lessons.
The Trust has been recognized for its work. In 2008, they were a runner-up for an award about community projects. In 2009, they were also chosen as a finalist for another award.
Amazing Sculptures to See
There are more than 70 different sculptures hidden around Tout Quarry. Each one is unique and tells its own story. Here are just some of the artworks you might discover:
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Images for kids
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Fallen Fossil by Stephen Marsden
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Window by Justin Nicol
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Hearth by Timothy Shutter
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Still Falling by Antony Gormley
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Representation of a Baroque garden by Shelagh Wakely
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Lano's Bridge
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Stone Sculpting Workshop
