A champion of stone heritage and craftsmanship, the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (PSQT) joins the Stone & Surfaces Show 2026 as an official partner
PSQT are getting ready for the Stone & Surfaces Show in London’s Docklands (12-14 May). Please do visit their stand at G5 – on the right side of entrance N1 to the show where a model made by Eddie Zhang (London School of Architecture MA) of the Fleet Street Arch will be on show. It is hoped inspirational ideas and support will flow from this display. Designs for the back of the “archway” will incorporate the timeline of Portland’s fossil record, linking the past to the present, whilst acting as the lower portal of the deepest, and therefore oldest layer of what was once the ocean floor. MA Bournemouth Architecture student Herbie Hudson is producing a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) model of the landform which incorporates the Gatekeeper Stone. The Trust is extremely grateful to the City of London Cooperation who donated the 7.2 metre high neo classical arch to the project and Keltbray Construction who delivered it back to Portland. This will be the first time a significant piece of architecture would have been returned to its original quarry, reconnecting people with place, creating a landmark where heritage is not only preserved but performed, learned, about and renewed.
The Geological Society of London will be publishing an article paying tribute to the role of the late Emeritus Professor Denys Brunsden, geomorphologist at Kings College London, who had the vision for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and led the successful application for UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) status 25 years ago. To commemorate Denys and the 25 years of WHC Status the Trust is carving the first of 12 Memory Stones that looks out across the World Heritage Coast with a view to Star Point beyond Exmouth to be opened later this year.
In addition, the Gatekeeper Stone which is, the last stone from the Geomorphology of Inmosthay Quarry, will mark the first outdoor learning area that is being developed with the community. This will contribute to the Jurassic Coast Education Strategy through reinstating the fossil stromatolites, the earliest living thing that gave oxygen to the air we breathe. The Importance of education will be underlined as the fossil record is revealed.
In line with King Charles’ theme of Heritage and Harmony, the Trust had an exhibition stand at Kingston Maurward Gardens, Dorchester. The stand demonstrated how the Gatekeeper stone outdoor learning area with its stromatolite fossil, and the geomorphology marks the start of the Memory Stones walk through time. This creates a “green corridor” where every footstep represents one million years leading to the reconstructed Arch.
The theme of keeping alive heritage skills and knowledge of the past for the future chimes well with our collaboration and PSQT’s Collaborative Regeneration Partnerships.