Great Globe
Encyclopedia
The Great Globe at Swanage
is one of the largest stone spheres in the world. The Great Globe is constructed of Portland stone. It weighs 40 tons and is 10 feet (3 m) in diameter.
, a 1.13 square-kilometre (280-acre
) country park
and nature reserve
stretching along the coastline south of Swanage
, on the Isle of Purbeck
in Dorset
. The Park is part of the Jurassic Coast
World Heritage Site
. The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi), from Orcombe Point
, near Exmouth
, in the west, to the Old Harry Rocks
in the east.
(1788-1868), a Swanage-born man, was a stonemason and builder. He was the founder of the quarry
ing and construction
company Mowlem
. John Mowlem and his nephew and business partner George Burt wanted to give something back to their home town, which was the source of their Portland and Purbeck limestone, popular for building at the time. John Mowlem built the Mowlem Institute, a reading room and public library, in 1862.
George Burt
(1816-1894) purchased an undulating tract of land covering Durlston Head during the same year. This estate included quarries that supplied their firm with limestone. Burt developed this estate as a tourist attraction.
. The castle was designed by G.R. Crickmay, and built by W.M. Hardy in 1886-87. It is built entirely of local stone. The 'castle' was never a real castle: it was purpose-built by Burt as a restaurant for visitors to his estate.
South of Durlston Castle within the Estate grounds is the Great Globe. Constructed in Greenwich in 1887 in Mowlem
's stone-yard, it was brought to Swanage by sea. The Globe, which is made of Portland stone
, consists of 15 segments, with four stones for each of the lower three courses and three in the top-most course, the segments connected by granite dowels. It measures 10 feet (3 m) in diameter and weighs 40 tons. Its surface is carved in detail and lettered to show the continents, oceans and certain more specific areas of the world. In the year of its creation, it was erected by W.M. Hardy upon a platform chopped 136 feet (41.5 m) above sea level into the solid rock of the hill. Around the Globe is a set of stone plaques carved with quotations from English and Roman poets and the Bible, as well as facts about the natural world. These were not completed until 1891.
Durlston Country Park has been owned by Dorset County Council
since the early 1970s and is open to the public. Today the castle is the home of the Jurassic Coast Visitor Centre. Durlston Castle and the Great Globe are both being restored over 2010 by the Council. Also within Durlston Country Park and within walking distance of the Globe are Durlston Bay
, the Tilly Whim Caves
and the Anvil Point
Lighthouse.
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
is one of the largest stone spheres in the world. The Great Globe is constructed of Portland stone. It weighs 40 tons and is 10 feet (3 m) in diameter.
Location
The Great Globe stands within Durlston Country ParkDurlston Country Park
Durlston Country Park is a 1.13 square kilometre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coast of the Isle of Purbeck near Swanage in Dorset, England...
, a 1.13 square-kilometre (280-acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
and nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
stretching along the coastline south of Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
, on the Isle of Purbeck
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. The Park is part of the Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi), from Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point is a coastal feature near Exmouth, Devon, on the south coast of England. It lies about south of the city of Exeter, southeast of Exmouth town centre and about southwest of Sidmouth....
, near Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...
, in the west, to the Old Harry Rocks
Old Harry Rocks
The Old Harry Rocks are two chalk sea stacks located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England.- Location :Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of Studland, about 4 kilometres northeast of Swanage, and about 10 kilometres south of the large towns of Poole and...
in the east.
Preamble
John MowlemJohn Mowlem
John Mowlem was an English stonemason, builder and founder of the quarrying and construction company "Mowlem, Burt and Freeman".-Career:Mowlem was born in Swanage, Dorset, the son of a quarryman...
(1788-1868), a Swanage-born man, was a stonemason and builder. He was the founder of the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
company Mowlem
Mowlem
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.-History:Founded by John Mowlem in 1822, the company was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1902 and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. It acquired SGB Group in...
. John Mowlem and his nephew and business partner George Burt wanted to give something back to their home town, which was the source of their Portland and Purbeck limestone, popular for building at the time. John Mowlem built the Mowlem Institute, a reading room and public library, in 1862.
George Burt
George Burt (Britain)
George Burt was a public-works contractor and businessman from Swanage, England, who managed the construction company Mowlem, founded by his uncle John Mowlem....
(1816-1894) purchased an undulating tract of land covering Durlston Head during the same year. This estate included quarries that supplied their firm with limestone. Burt developed this estate as a tourist attraction.
Venue
Upon the crest of the hill Burt established the Durlston Estate and built his folly Durlston CastleDurlston Castle
Durlston Castle stands within Durlston Country Park, a 1.13 square-kilometre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coastline south of Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset.-Preamble:...
. The castle was designed by G.R. Crickmay, and built by W.M. Hardy in 1886-87. It is built entirely of local stone. The 'castle' was never a real castle: it was purpose-built by Burt as a restaurant for visitors to his estate.
South of Durlston Castle within the Estate grounds is the Great Globe. Constructed in Greenwich in 1887 in Mowlem
Mowlem
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.-History:Founded by John Mowlem in 1822, the company was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1902 and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. It acquired SGB Group in...
's stone-yard, it was brought to Swanage by sea. The Globe, which is made of Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
, consists of 15 segments, with four stones for each of the lower three courses and three in the top-most course, the segments connected by granite dowels. It measures 10 feet (3 m) in diameter and weighs 40 tons. Its surface is carved in detail and lettered to show the continents, oceans and certain more specific areas of the world. In the year of its creation, it was erected by W.M. Hardy upon a platform chopped 136 feet (41.5 m) above sea level into the solid rock of the hill. Around the Globe is a set of stone plaques carved with quotations from English and Roman poets and the Bible, as well as facts about the natural world. These were not completed until 1891.
Durlston Country Park has been owned by Dorset County Council
Dorset County Council
Dorset County Council is the county council of the Dorset in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils...
since the early 1970s and is open to the public. Today the castle is the home of the Jurassic Coast Visitor Centre. Durlston Castle and the Great Globe are both being restored over 2010 by the Council. Also within Durlston Country Park and within walking distance of the Globe are Durlston Bay
Durlston Bay
Durlston Bay is a small bay next to a country park of the same name, just south of the resort of Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England...
, the Tilly Whim Caves
Tilly Whim Caves
Tilly Whim Caves consists of three stone quarries in Durlston Country Park, 1 mile south of Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, southern England....
and the Anvil Point
Anvil Point
Anvil Point is part of the Jurassic Coast near Swanage on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of , from Orcombe Point near Exmouth, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks, in the east.-Geography:...
Lighthouse.