Belle Vue Quarry
Coordinates: 50 ° 36 '12.7 " N , 1 ° 58' 53.9" W.
Belle Vue Quarry is a former quarry on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the southern English county of Dorset , where Purbeck Stone was mined underground . The quarry covers an area of about 3.2 hectares; the entrance is on a hill above the municipality of Swanage .
The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1977 .
Belle Vue Quarry is one of a number of quarries on the Isle of Purbeck that are used as wintering sites for great horseshoe bat colonies . Belle Vue Quarry has a steep 28-meter-deep shaft that leads to two remaining tunnels, which together are about 200 meters long. The shaft was cleared of waste and rubble in 1964 and then fenced off.
Web links
- English Nature website (SSSI information)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002399.pdf Notification Document SSSI (English)