Projects

Establishment of a permanent arts/sciences local community 'think tank' that has contributed ideas for the future development of Admiralty aggregate quarry, with a view to community projects in the future, with particular reference to the progress of the Quarry Park initiative for Portland.

The formation of an arts/sciences local community 'think tank' has brought together a number of people including the local historian, anthropologists, retired quarrymen, teachers, ecologists, youth and care workers to contribute ideas for the future of Admiralty Quarry. The quarry has been worked for aggregates over many years and will reach the end of its working life in 5 years time. It is the deepest quarry on Portland and shows a unique cross section of strata, from the land surface to the Kimmeridge clay with horizontal bands of the Cherty series. Ideas for the restoration scheme for Admiralty Quarry have included:

- access to geological interpretation via ramps recommended by Paul Ensom.
- a sheltered forest suggested by Bob Ford, naturalist.
- an outdoor adventure area with climbing wall and bicycle tracks. (this project is now being
progressed for Pennsylvania Quarry)
- a motorbike track, reported by the Portland Community Development Officer and Island Ranger as Chair of the Quarry Park Forum
- a large amphitheatre offering cultural after-uses of the quarry. A drawing was made with a slope created to run away from the bottom of the rock face, preserving its detail, encompassing the whole of the quarry into a large amphitheatre space, using the high vertical face as a natural backdrop and acoustic curve. This would preserve interpretation of the important geological face and strata and still allow for infill with inert material. Historian Stuart Morris was in support of a large amphitheatre space as a cultural use of the quarry with the suggestion of a motorbike track not being appropriate for the future use of this historic site.
- a night sky observatory using the full depth of the quarry (advice from a structural engineer will be needed on how best to use the infill process to support a viewing device, with the depth of the quarry naturally shielding light pollution).
- a large maze and labyrinth that will connect the link road and public pathway from Admiralty to
Independent Quarry