The Drill Hall is situated at the centre of 11 surrounding quarry environments within a half mile radius connected by public footpaths, known collectively as the Quarry Park.  Quarries on Portland are currently working, disused, filled in or built on.  Each has a different history, geological features, quarrying process, and ecology as part of a cycle of natural regeneration. Historically disused quarries have been prone to fly tipping and vandalism, becoming places with forgotten stories where the families that worked them have long since passed away.

A project to refurbish the Drill Hall is being developed connected by a walk through time that leads into the Quarry Park with a pathway of 600 metres where every footstep is equivalent to 250,000 years. This centre for learning about different aspects of stone, is inspiring exhibitions, educational courses and sustainable use of the Earth's natural resources. 

A Living Land Archive, which consists of audio-visual materials collected in the quarry environment over 26 years will be interpreted and accessed through the building. As knowledge of the quarry landscape depletes due to increased industrial mechanisation, the importance of the building will grow, continuing to archive, present and interpret this information.

Further reading:

Mineral Industry Report MA/2/3/006: Independent Quarry: A new model for regeneration

http://www.sustainableaggregates.com/rprts_revs/rr_theme3.htm  

Mineral Industry Report MA/5/3/007: Cultural Landscapes and Stories of the Earth

http://www.sustainableaggregates.com/rprts_revs/rr_communication.htm