Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock is a coastal feature located at the promontory Portland Bill, at the southernmost end of Portland. One of area's most popular attractions, it was formed in the late 19th century.
History
Quarrying at Portland Bill began in the mid-19th century and remained a small-scale operation into the early 20th century. The Bill Quarries were largely based along the west side of the Bill and stone was transported along a short tramway to a shipping quay, now the site of Red Crane. One area absorbed into the quarries was the natural stone formation known as White Hole, which was largely retained while quarrying progressively worked the surrounding cliffs.
During the late 19th century, much of White Hole was removed by quarrymen, leaving a stack of rock detached from the rest of Portland Bill. Access to the top was retained by a large slab of rock leaning against it. Due to the stack's perceived resemblance of an open bible leaning on a pulpit, it soon gained the name Pulpit Rock.
As quarrying activity declined at Portland Bill in the early 20th century, Pulpit Rock became an increasingly popular attraction for visitors to the Bill. When the Portland Urban District Council replaced the original rough track running to Portland Bill with a tarred road in 1922, the Bill began to develop as a tourist destination, with both Pulpit Rock and the lighthouses being the key sites of interest.
Today, Pulpit Rock remains one of the Bill's primary attractions and is a much photographed feature. Despite the danger, for many decades Pulpit Rock has been used for tombstoning. It is also a popular point for anglers, and in 1998 the British record for a Ballan Wrasse was caught there by Pete Hegg.
The exposed rocky surface that surrounds Pulpit Rock is known as Snail Shore. The surface contains snail, oyster and mollusc shells that once made up a Jurassic seabed thriving with marine life around 150 million years ago. The geological succession up from sea level at Pulpit Rock is: Portland Cherty Series (up to the level of the neighbouring quarried platform), then Portland Freestone (the oolitic limestone quarried inland of Pulpit Rock), then a cap of thin-bedded limestones which are part of the basal Purbeck Formation.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page. The primary sources are in italics.
1) BBC News - Anger at YouTube 'tombstone' clip - June 2009 - website page
2) Exploring Portland - Portland Bill - Geoff Kirby - website page
3) Ordnance Survey - various maps, including 1864, 1903, 1929 and 1960
4) Jurassic Coastline - Bill of Portland - Quick Facts Area - website page
5) Portland Bill - Geological Field Guide - Dr. Ian West - website page
6) PortlandBill.co.uk - Portland Fishing: Pulpit Rock - website page
7) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
History
Quarrying at Portland Bill began in the mid-19th century and remained a small-scale operation into the early 20th century. The Bill Quarries were largely based along the west side of the Bill and stone was transported along a short tramway to a shipping quay, now the site of Red Crane. One area absorbed into the quarries was the natural stone formation known as White Hole, which was largely retained while quarrying progressively worked the surrounding cliffs.
During the late 19th century, much of White Hole was removed by quarrymen, leaving a stack of rock detached from the rest of Portland Bill. Access to the top was retained by a large slab of rock leaning against it. Due to the stack's perceived resemblance of an open bible leaning on a pulpit, it soon gained the name Pulpit Rock.
As quarrying activity declined at Portland Bill in the early 20th century, Pulpit Rock became an increasingly popular attraction for visitors to the Bill. When the Portland Urban District Council replaced the original rough track running to Portland Bill with a tarred road in 1922, the Bill began to develop as a tourist destination, with both Pulpit Rock and the lighthouses being the key sites of interest.
Today, Pulpit Rock remains one of the Bill's primary attractions and is a much photographed feature. Despite the danger, for many decades Pulpit Rock has been used for tombstoning. It is also a popular point for anglers, and in 1998 the British record for a Ballan Wrasse was caught there by Pete Hegg.
The exposed rocky surface that surrounds Pulpit Rock is known as Snail Shore. The surface contains snail, oyster and mollusc shells that once made up a Jurassic seabed thriving with marine life around 150 million years ago. The geological succession up from sea level at Pulpit Rock is: Portland Cherty Series (up to the level of the neighbouring quarried platform), then Portland Freestone (the oolitic limestone quarried inland of Pulpit Rock), then a cap of thin-bedded limestones which are part of the basal Purbeck Formation.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page. The primary sources are in italics.
1) BBC News - Anger at YouTube 'tombstone' clip - June 2009 - website page
2) Exploring Portland - Portland Bill - Geoff Kirby - website page
3) Ordnance Survey - various maps, including 1864, 1903, 1929 and 1960
4) Jurassic Coastline - Bill of Portland - Quick Facts Area - website page
5) Portland Bill - Geological Field Guide - Dr. Ian West - website page
6) PortlandBill.co.uk - Portland Fishing: Pulpit Rock - website page
7) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
Gallery
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