1971 Look Stranger, Skylark Durston. Heart of Stone, Portland

[@JamieTaylorvRS]

Skylark was my granddad. He was a remarkable man and I miss him so much. It's wonderful to have this footage of him though - thank you Stuart for sharing it with everyone.

[@StuartMorris7]

Yes he was a legend. You must be proud. Skylark was also my 1st Cousin once removed (my dad's cousin)!

[@JamieTaylorvRS]

Hi Stuart; yes, we’re definitely family. I have an excellent book of yours somewhere as well… We are very proud of Skylark - legend is right! The film is lovely but what you don’t see here is how funny and mischievous he was, as I’m sure you remember. Anyway, thanks for sharing the footage; it’s great that he lives on in KZbin land! Love, Jamie

[@markofsaltburn]

First broadcast on Wednesday, 13th October, 1971. Thank you for sharing this.

[@hannacarter9782]

My Pap is in this! This is amazing 🤩 This was filmed way before I was born so I never knew him this young and agile, this has literally made my year ♥️

[@StuartMorris7]

That's lovely! Who was your Pap?

[@hannacarter9782]

Dennis “Den” Carter he’s in it from around 12:20 in a beanie, jeans & a blue top ♥️ I miss him so much and this was amazing to find, thank you 😊

[@StuartMorris7]

@@hannacarter9782 yes I knew Dennis, a fine chap.

[@FlyRusty]

Lovely to see a master mason at work and describing the life

[@agr1314]

What a wonderful voice

[@djjules5945]

what a beautiful portrait, he shows so many characteristics of the Portlander. My Dad's family is from Portland - Whites, Pearces. Still visit but so very different from what I remember in the 70s and 80s.

[@fraserdonachie5792]

... superb time capsule - the jersey + bobble hat combo could be a new look for me ... thanks for sharing ...

[@portlandsculpturequarrytru6271]

Skylark was a Trustee of the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust . The Trust saved Tout Quarry from further mineral extraction in 1983 (after 30,000tons of stone were extracted for sea defences ) when artists including Antony Gormley creating commissioned works - PSQT has continued to keep alive the skills and knowledge of working with stone and individual histories of working lives - this audio visual archive will connect to the Memory Stones interpretation for the Portland Quarries Nature Park -in a collaboration with the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Skylark advised me to record people before it was too late - he was also a poet and visionary - you can see PSQT film of Skylark on Learningstone website of Skylark reading 'the Quarry Bells' in Tout Quarry Sculpture Park & Nature Reserve.

[@hairynews1973]

Just back from a holiday in Dorset and finally managed to visit Portland. Lovely scenery.

[@debfisher6096]

What a character. Sadly, they don't make them like that any more

[@interestingfarming4577]

Norster - once a Portlander, always a Portlander!

[@123boat]

Lovely video

[@andrewparsons230]

So sad its dieing that trade these guys knew what work was nuff respect X

[@bradsteele7762]

What a great film, many thanks for sharing. I've been a stonemason for 30 years this year ( 2018 ) and really enjoyed watching . I wonder if any of Skylarks poems were published at all......can you read them anywhere ?

[@StuartMorris7]

Skylark's daughter Jane has recently published some of his poems in a little book "This Ancient Rock", available from Portland Museum.

[@bradsteele7762]

Stuart Morris That's great , thank you. I'll try and source a copy. Cheers !

[@DrAnjanaKhatwa]

A really lovely film. Stuart - I hope you will not mind my using parts of this film as a learning resource to inspire teachers about life on Portland? It is on behalf of the Dorset Wildlife Trust to help schools learn about the Portland Nature Quarry Park.

[@StuartMorris7]

That's fine Anjana. Although I did extensive enhancement and some editing, the BBC obviously still has copyright of the original of course. I'm sure it will be useful for your educational purposes. Skylark was my Dad's cousin.

[@ianspaintpot]

it will never compete with glass concrete act as it is a dying industery.it is getting to expensive now it will in the next 20 years be cost effective to mine it it is one of the most expensive stone to buy. dont forget the geological impact mining is causing.

[@StuartMorris7]

I suggest you do your homework. Portland Stone is not a dying industry. It is in great demand. Most is now being extracted by underground mines, not open quarries.

[@ianspaintpot]

@@StuartMorris7 no sorry what i mean with a dying industry is that as the price of stone get more expencive as it is very expencive the cost of extracting it from the ground will out wiegh the price hence dying industry. and dont forget portland is not the only place that produces quality limestone in the uk/over seas. and you also have places like portcrete and others that produces fake limestone cannot tell the diff from a distance. hay the pyramids are made from fake limeston geocrete if it was good for them it is good for everyone

[@StuartMorris7]

@@ianspaintpot Production of Portcrete stopped years ago. Mainstream experts agree that the pyramids were made of natural limestone and granite, not a form of concrete. Remember my film of Skylark Durston was made 50 years ago!

[@24flyingcats84]

Comben Pierce this White Stone.