Lano's Arch
Lano's Arch, also known as Lano's Bridge, is a stone arch/bridge of mid-19th century at Tout Quarry, which was built as part of the quarry's tramway system. The structure is dated 1854 and became a Grade II listed monument in May 1993.
The arch is made up of thin-bedded Portland stone with ashlar dressings and deeply-recessed mortar. It is approximately 2.5 metres wide, 3.5 metres to crown, with the tunnel vault being roughly 4 metres long. The structure rises to 5.5 metres without parapets. A set of 27 concrete steps are attached alongside the south abutment. An inscribed keystone reads, "J.C.LANO 1854". English Heritage, in their 1993 survey, noted: "This is a well-built structure with some design pretension in an abandoned quarry area."
The arch is one of a number of surviving industrial structures within Tout Quarry and around West Cliff. Aside from the arch, there are surviving tramway tracks, tunnels, and quarrymen shelters, as well as the remains of tipping bridges at West Cliff. A shelter for quarrymen survives at the back of the arch.
History
Tout Quarry was worked commercially since at least the 18th century. Initially most of the quarrying was undertaken on the clifftops of West Cliff, but progressively moved inland into Tout over the course of the 19th century. In the early-to-mid-19th century, as the quarrying moved further inland, large stone waste tips (or 'beaches') were being formed between the working parts of the quarry and West Cliff. A series of gullies were formed within these tips, allowing tramway lines to be laid for carrying waste stone and overburden to the cliff edge to be tipped.
One gully, now known as Lano's Gully, was provided with a tramway line as one of a number linking Tout Quarry to the Merchants' Railway, which was a horse drawn and cable operated incline railway opened in 1826. With the railway's establishment, stone from the northern quarries of Tophill could be transported from Priory Corner, at the top of the island, and down to a pier at Castletown to be shipped off to their destination.
Lano's Arch was constructed in 1854 by Jonathan Comben Lano, who, as a stone agent Mr. W. H. P. Weston, operated some of the quarrying at Tout during that time. Lano was also a respected local resident and a member of Portland's Local Board of Health from 1858. The arch, which was built on the inland side of Lano's Gully, was designed to link the two waste tips on each side of the gully. A tramway or roadway was laid across the top of the arch to carry waste stone, which was possibly used to continue and complete the formation of the two adjoining tips.
Lano's Arch is likely to have fallen into disuse before the end of the 19th century. By the time of Ordnance Survey's survey of the island in 1889, the tramway line running underneath the arch had been removed. Tout Quarry fell into disuse by the mid-20th century.
The arch has been a victim of vandalism on a number of occasions. During the late 1980s, it was significantly damaged by vandals attempting to cause the structure to collapse, but an appeal allowed it to be reconstructed using old photographs. Another vandalism attempt occurred in 2003, when youths removed a number of its stones from the structure on the gully side.
2012 restoration
In 2011, Dorset Countryside proposed the consolidation and repair of the arch. That year, Lano's Gulley underwent stabilisation work which was funded by English Heritage using the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. Although the project did not include the arch, the contractors working in the gulley raised concerns over the condition of the top of the arch. By this time, it had become unstable due to parts of the top three to four upper courses having become dislodged.
Dorset Countryside submitted a planning application for their repair scheme in July 2011 and it received approval in January 2012. The project was carried out in 2012 to plans drawn up by master stonemason Alan J. Wolsey. The repair work involved reinstating the damaged upper courses of the structure with Purbeck bed limestone, which were held in place by deeply-recessed hydraulic lime mortar. The top of the arch was then stabilised with the building of a single course of large stone blocks to form a heavy coping.
The project followed the 2010-11 opening of a bricked-up tramway tunnel for use as a public right of way, running under Wide Street, on the opposite side of the quarry. The tunnel was also created by Jonathan Lano, eight years after Lano's Arch, in 1862. The two projects were awarded a combined commendation by the Weymouth Civic Society in 2012.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Archaeology Data Service - Isle of Portland Industrial Archaeology Survey Report - PDF document
2) Dorset Council - Planning application: 11/00600/LBC - 27 January 2012 - website page
3) Dorset Echo - Quarry arch is attacked by vandals - 19 September 2003 - website page
4) Exploring Portland - Tout Quarry Sculpture Park and West Weares - Geoff Kirby - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Bridge in Touts Quarry at NGR SY 685 727 - website page
6) Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust (Learningstone.org) - Tout Quarry Map - PDF document
7) Portland Town Council - Planning & Highways Advisory Committee Minutes - 24 August 2011 - PDF document
8) Portland: Tout Quarry - Where Sculpture & Environment Meet - Creative Studios/Portland Sculpture Trust/Weymouth & Portland Borough Council/Environmental Services Department - 1999 - leaflet
9) Weymouth Civic Society - Planning Annual Awards - Awards 2012 - website page
The arch is made up of thin-bedded Portland stone with ashlar dressings and deeply-recessed mortar. It is approximately 2.5 metres wide, 3.5 metres to crown, with the tunnel vault being roughly 4 metres long. The structure rises to 5.5 metres without parapets. A set of 27 concrete steps are attached alongside the south abutment. An inscribed keystone reads, "J.C.LANO 1854". English Heritage, in their 1993 survey, noted: "This is a well-built structure with some design pretension in an abandoned quarry area."
The arch is one of a number of surviving industrial structures within Tout Quarry and around West Cliff. Aside from the arch, there are surviving tramway tracks, tunnels, and quarrymen shelters, as well as the remains of tipping bridges at West Cliff. A shelter for quarrymen survives at the back of the arch.
History
Tout Quarry was worked commercially since at least the 18th century. Initially most of the quarrying was undertaken on the clifftops of West Cliff, but progressively moved inland into Tout over the course of the 19th century. In the early-to-mid-19th century, as the quarrying moved further inland, large stone waste tips (or 'beaches') were being formed between the working parts of the quarry and West Cliff. A series of gullies were formed within these tips, allowing tramway lines to be laid for carrying waste stone and overburden to the cliff edge to be tipped.
One gully, now known as Lano's Gully, was provided with a tramway line as one of a number linking Tout Quarry to the Merchants' Railway, which was a horse drawn and cable operated incline railway opened in 1826. With the railway's establishment, stone from the northern quarries of Tophill could be transported from Priory Corner, at the top of the island, and down to a pier at Castletown to be shipped off to their destination.
Lano's Arch was constructed in 1854 by Jonathan Comben Lano, who, as a stone agent Mr. W. H. P. Weston, operated some of the quarrying at Tout during that time. Lano was also a respected local resident and a member of Portland's Local Board of Health from 1858. The arch, which was built on the inland side of Lano's Gully, was designed to link the two waste tips on each side of the gully. A tramway or roadway was laid across the top of the arch to carry waste stone, which was possibly used to continue and complete the formation of the two adjoining tips.
Lano's Arch is likely to have fallen into disuse before the end of the 19th century. By the time of Ordnance Survey's survey of the island in 1889, the tramway line running underneath the arch had been removed. Tout Quarry fell into disuse by the mid-20th century.
The arch has been a victim of vandalism on a number of occasions. During the late 1980s, it was significantly damaged by vandals attempting to cause the structure to collapse, but an appeal allowed it to be reconstructed using old photographs. Another vandalism attempt occurred in 2003, when youths removed a number of its stones from the structure on the gully side.
2012 restoration
In 2011, Dorset Countryside proposed the consolidation and repair of the arch. That year, Lano's Gulley underwent stabilisation work which was funded by English Heritage using the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. Although the project did not include the arch, the contractors working in the gulley raised concerns over the condition of the top of the arch. By this time, it had become unstable due to parts of the top three to four upper courses having become dislodged.
Dorset Countryside submitted a planning application for their repair scheme in July 2011 and it received approval in January 2012. The project was carried out in 2012 to plans drawn up by master stonemason Alan J. Wolsey. The repair work involved reinstating the damaged upper courses of the structure with Purbeck bed limestone, which were held in place by deeply-recessed hydraulic lime mortar. The top of the arch was then stabilised with the building of a single course of large stone blocks to form a heavy coping.
The project followed the 2010-11 opening of a bricked-up tramway tunnel for use as a public right of way, running under Wide Street, on the opposite side of the quarry. The tunnel was also created by Jonathan Lano, eight years after Lano's Arch, in 1862. The two projects were awarded a combined commendation by the Weymouth Civic Society in 2012.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Archaeology Data Service - Isle of Portland Industrial Archaeology Survey Report - PDF document
2) Dorset Council - Planning application: 11/00600/LBC - 27 January 2012 - website page
3) Dorset Echo - Quarry arch is attacked by vandals - 19 September 2003 - website page
4) Exploring Portland - Tout Quarry Sculpture Park and West Weares - Geoff Kirby - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Bridge in Touts Quarry at NGR SY 685 727 - website page
6) Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust (Learningstone.org) - Tout Quarry Map - PDF document
7) Portland Town Council - Planning & Highways Advisory Committee Minutes - 24 August 2011 - PDF document
8) Portland: Tout Quarry - Where Sculpture & Environment Meet - Creative Studios/Portland Sculpture Trust/Weymouth & Portland Borough Council/Environmental Services Department - 1999 - leaflet
9) Weymouth Civic Society - Planning Annual Awards - Awards 2012 - website page
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