MineArchivePortland Stone Quarries
| Also known as | Bowers Quarry, Bowers Mine |
|---|---|
| Location | Isle of Portland, Dorset — 50.5460, -2.4474 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Limestone |
| Type | Stone |
| Worked | Worked since at least the Roman period; the Bowers site itself since the late 18th century–Still active |
| Operators | Albion Stone plc (1979–?) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A group of stone workings on the west side of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, extracting the pale oolitic limestone that has supplied building stone — most famously for St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters — since Roman times. Bowers Quarry, the best-documented of the group, has been worked continuously by the Pearce and then Albion Stone families of companies since the late 1700s.
History
Portland stone has been quarried since Roman occupation of the island, with large-scale commercial extraction from the 17th century after Inigo Jones and later Christopher Wren specified it for London buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire. Bowers Quarry began as a cluster of small family-run open workings in the late 18th century. Albion Stone plc secured the lease from the Crown Estate in 1979 and has worked the site since, latterly moving extraction underground.
Workings
Bowers began as an open quarry, but in 1998 Albion Stone won planning permission for a trial underground mine there — Portland's first — to reduce the surface scarring and environmental impact of traditional open quarrying. Mining trials ran from 2002 to 2005, with underground extraction from Bowers eventually linking up with the adjacent Jordans Mine workings in November 2019; all current extraction from the site is underground.
What remains
Bowers remains an active, working underground mine operated by Albion Stone, with public access restricted; the site is not open to casual visitors.
Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Underground mining trials at Bowers began in 2002, following 1998 planning permission, and ran until 2005. (high) 1,2
- Bowers Mine workings linked up with the adjacent Jordans Mine in November 2019. (high) 2
- Portland stone was specified for St Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London. (high) 1,3
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
Company page on current Bowers/Jordans/Stonehills operations
View sourceImages
Sources
- (secondary) The History of Portland Stone: Albion Stone's Legacy — Albion Stone plc
- (secondary) Our Mines: Jordans/Bowers & Stonehills — Albion Stone plc
- (secondary) Bowers Quarry — Wikipedia
- (observational) Portland Victorian tunnel, Portland Dorset, Oct 2016 — 28DaysLater.co.uk
- (primary) Mine plan: BOWERS — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue
Record created: 25 August 2026 · Last researched: 25 August 2026