News

Over the last few weeks the first upper floor level stones have been completed for 60 Holborn Viaduct, a classical masonry project in the centre of London, UK. Portland Perryfield Whitbed has been moulded into intricate designs for the prestigious build. An increase in demand for a cleaner Portland has been met by our quarrying team which is reflected in the quality of our projects. For a larger view click on image. Each capital, modillion and corbel are the first of many that make up the upper floor sections of the facades. Over 100 hours of carving alone were required for the above...


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Portland town football club (PFTC) was formed in 2007 by brothers Paul and Andy barber. Originally called Galaxy FC they began life as a five a side outfit playing on a Thursday evening. The continued support from Portland Stone Firms Limited and a grant from the DCFA have meant PTFC has once again been able to create even more teams for the new 12/13 season with a total of 10 teams next season. 5 adult and 5 youth totaling more than 200 Portland registered player’s coaches and managers. The Watery Lane site now known as the Ricol leisure arena and to-date has nearly £5,000 invested in it. A new changing...


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Three feature panels are near completion for the Holborn Street facade of our 60 Holborn Viaduct project, London. They are positioned with similarly carved archways that adorn the streetscape with varying depths of inlaid carving designs. Carved Arch Panels In terms of masonry routers milled the correct depths leaving a projection for carving. The many spirals and curves provided a unique challenge for the carvers who had to position each element of the arch together to tie in the carved segments. Stone of this complexity historically were worked to the finished article onsite after being...


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60 Holborn Viaduct is an exceptionally traditional masonry project located in London. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and with Stirling Stone appointed as the fixing contractor. Our Portland Perryfield Whitbed was specified and approved. Consisting of over 10,000 carving hours alone and even more involving masonry, Holborn Viaduct is as complex a project as we have produced in the past. Recently completed are three of the carved panels situated on the ground to first floor of Farringdon Street, London. The reliefs will be fixed below three moulded archway entrances and are both highly...


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On the 13th November 2011 an extreme Track ‘n’ Trail Enduro Event was held in our Portland Broadcroft Quarry. It is the first event of its kind and attracted enthusiasts with some of the best riders between 9 to 16 from around the UK. Riders afterwards rated the contest as one of the toughest in the UK and the most enjoyable, with the course flowing extremely well between difficult obstacles. Track ‘n’ Trails aim is to organise events to give youth and adult riders, who are already enthusiasts of the sport of Enduro, a safe and professionally organised way to enjoy the experience. Event...


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Spec-Ops operates an adventure day on weekends at our Portland Coombefield Quarry. Classified as a 'desert environment' the terrain lends itself to the game and provides the ideal setting for a special Christmas event: Our Portland block stone was piled to create cover and suitable spaces for the airsoft to be held. Operation Christmas Crisis - Situation Whilst delivering presents to all the good boys and girls, Santa and his sleigh was brought down by anti-aircraft fire over Portland and landed in Coombefield Quarry. Captured by a fanatical group of naughty boys. A NATO task force was dispatched...


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The strong demand for our Portland stone paving and ashlar cladding has led to a new building and tile plant being installed. We are on schedule to be operational for the New Year, providing our historic stone for both Commercial and Private projects. General Manager Neil Fuller commented on the purchase; Before we moved factories our old tile plant had produced large volumes of Portland stone paving, ashlar and even ‘slab’ for projects. Sadly the old plant is worn out and needed to be replaced as it would not be able to keep up with the demand we are experiencing. The potential automated...


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The next phase in our Luxury Private residence project are Portland stone balusters. A fully operational automated  lathe is used to turn the stones, varying to the mould profile specified, with the finishing touches added by a skilled mason operative. Turning Process An initial Portland quarry block is faced off for quality inspection to match the approved ‘range’ either in the factory or on the quarry floor. The stone is then ‘slabbed’ (cut into widths required) and transferred onto the secondary saws. From here ‘blanks’ sawn to slightly larger sizes can be produced for turning...


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The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother stars were filming in Coombefield Quarry for the BBC’s forthcoming production of Jedward’s Big Adventure.  The episode focused on the twins visiting sites along the Jurassic Coast and exploring, in their own unique way, what they have to offer. The Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site, stretches over 95 miles from East Devon to Dorset and records over 185 million years of the Earth’s history. The aim of their visit to Portland was to educate young children about the history of fossils and Portland stone. Three of our dinosaur footprints were...


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Local South Dorset MP, Richard Drax, recently visited Portland stone Coombefield Quarry and our new factory to witness first hand the improvements that have been made. Richard was very interested in the current projects, potential future orders and the work carried out by our experienced quarry and factory crew. Geoff Smith, Director, explained how future demands will be eased by the investment in new quarry and factory machinery. The quarry recently had over £250,000 invested in two brand new diamond wire saws, a generator and Komatsu 500 loading shovel. The initiative is to ‘face off’...


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