The Quarrymen

The quarrying of Portland stone, that beautiful, creamy white limestone that has been sliced out of the Jurassic rock of the Isle of Portland since Roman times, or before, provided the livelihood for the men of the family in the generations I am getting to now.  From the outset, I thought that I would get all caught up in tales of the dodgers of the Excise Men in the early 19th century, but I find myself much more interested in the quarries and quarrymen after all.  I did re-read Moonfleet a few weeks ago, but the smugglers are on the back shelf for now.

Really, I could write an entire essay, or several essays, on the history of different aspects of quarrying this famous stone, but I must refrain and try and keep a little more focused on one project at a time: genealogy, not geology!  So I won't airily throw around terms like, curf and chert, or ooids and skull cap, as though I had not just been introduced to them.  Instead, I will give the briefest of commentary on this rock, for those (mostly on this side of the Atlantic) who do not know anything about it.



Original St. Paul's in Flames

Wren's St. Paul's Cathedral

After the Great Fire of London, in 1666, which destroyed hundreds of buildings, including the original St. Paul's Cathedral, Portland stone was used extensively in the rebuilding of London, as it would be again after the German bombings of WWII.  It was the architect of the new St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren, who popularized its use, and he would even end up being elected as a Member of Parliament for Weymouth in 1702.   The stone has been famously used for Buckingham Palace, Waterloo Bridge, the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, the British Museum, the National Gallery, as well as Christchurch Priory and Salisbury Cathedral, and some of it was even hauled across the Atlantic to clad the United Nations building in New York City.

Many millions of tons of stone have been extracted from Portland over the centuries, and until recently, it was all done by men, not machines - and I'm just finding out about those of them that share my DNA.  From all accounts they were a fit and "intelligent-looking" bunch, which is reassuring to know.  It would be unfortunate to find out that I am descended from a brood of funny-looking inbreds. 
                                                
photo credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Fire_London.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hosmer_Shepherd