Durdle Pier

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Durdle Pier Crane

Durdle Pier is a disused 17th-century stone shipping quay, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found close by Yeolands Quarry, on the east side of the island within the area of and Penn's Weare.[1]

History[]

Cliff path above Durdle Pier (seen bottom left).
One of three remaining parts of the destroyed crane lying along the eastern coastline.

Durdle Pier dates back to the 17th century,[2] and became one of the main stone shipping places on the east side.[3] East and Penn's Weares were the location of Sir Christopher Wren's first workings of stone to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666.[4] During the mid-19th century, the original crane was replaced with one made by Galpin of Dorchester.[3]

Once quarrying in the area ended, fishermen became the pier's main users for lifting boats from the water. The crane became broken and beyond repair in the early 21st century.[5] During 2014 the pier's crane was destroyed by the sea. Close to the pier are two World War II pillboxes.[6][7]

The Great Southwell Landslip, Britain's second-largest recorded historical landslide, occurred in 1734, between Durdle Pier and Freshwater Bay.[8] The Dorset names Durlston Bay and Head (in Swanage) and Durdle Pier, again without early spellings, can be associated etymologically with Durdle Door.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Yeolands Quarry and Durdle Pier, Portland, Dorset". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  2. ^ http://www.visitweymouth.co.uk/downloadForms/RailwayWalkleaflet.pdf
  3. ^ a b Historic England. "DURDLE PIER (453861)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 1466569". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  5. ^ petervanallen Peter Allen+ Add Contact. "Durdle Pier | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 1420399". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 1420401". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2013-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Durdle Door, Dorset, England". Thedorsetpage.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2013-03-02.

Coordinates: 50°32′39″N 2°25′04″W / 50.5441°N 2.4179°W / 50.5441; -2.4179

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