The Great Globe at

Swanage Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil ...

is one of the largest stone spheres in the world and stands at

Durlston Castle Durlston Castle stands within Durlston Country Park, 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. History John Mowlem (1788-1868), a Swana ...

within

Durlston Country Park Durlston Country Park is a 320-acre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coast of the Isle of Purbeck on the outskirts of Swanage in Dorset, England. The park is a popular destination for tourists to enjoy the walks, views, vis ...

, a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...

and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. It is constructed of Portland stone, weighs about 40 tonnes and is in diameter. 2012-07-25 great globe view towards durlston castle

South of Durlston Castle within the Estate grounds is the Great Globe. Constructed in Greenwich in 1887 in

Mowlem Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006. History The firm was founded by John Mowlem in 1822, and was continued as a partnership by successive generati ...

's stone-yard (whose founder

John Mowlem John Mowlem (12 October 1788 – 8 March 1868) was an England, 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. As a ...

had lived in Swanage), it was brought to Swanage by sea. The Globe, which is made of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

, 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 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. It was erected by W.M. Hardy that year upon a platform cut into the solid rock of the hill some above sea level. Around the globe is a set of stone plaques carved with quotations from English, Roman poets and the Bible, and also various facts about the natural world. These were not completed until 1891. Eight large stone blocks around the globe represent the compass. The globe is now protected by an iron fence. The globe is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building, having been designated thus in 1983.

References

External links

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Photos of Durlston Country ParkBBC Homepage: Durlston Head
{{Jurassic Coast Isle of Purbeck Tourist attractions in Dorset Jurassic Coast Swanage 19th-century maps and globes