Portland has been shaped and hollowed out over centuries by convicts and quarrymen to provide stone for some of London's best-known buildings.

Portland has been shaped and hollowed out over centuries by convicts and quarrymen to provide stone for some of London’s best-known buildings, one million square feet of Portland stone is said to have been quarried for St Paul’s Cathedral alone. Artist Katrina Palmer has undertaken her own excavations into this elemental island, marked by unsettling absences, deviant goings-on and a writer who has gone missing.

Katrina has created a series of narratives set on Portland for radio listeners, readers and walkers: The Quarryman’s Daughters, is a 30-minute broadcast on BBC Radio 4; The Loss Adjusters, a site-specific audio walk on Portland; and a newly published  book, End Matter.

The Loss Adjusters

“Wonderful, powerful, engaging and such a landscape made the more memorable by these extraordinary and simple stories. More walks like this please…”

This is a site-specific audio walk made for Portland and available to stream and download online here. 

The walk takes visitors from 52 Easton Street, previously a loss adjusters’ premises on Portland, out past a cemetery then on to a quarry. As they walk, people will hear about the primal forces of the island’s geology, a young offender turned gravedigger, and the Horrocks sisters, two daughters of a quarryman.

The walk takes approximately 1hr and visitors are advised to wear suitable footwear.

You can download the sound track prior to visiting but if you are unable to do this there will be mp3 players available at the house to borrow (please bring a credit card, passport or drivers license as a returnable deposit).

OPEN:

16 May – 30 August 2015 (weekends only) 

Saturday  12.00 – 18.00    Sunday   12.00 – 18.00

PARENTAL GUIDANCE: some material contained in END MATTER is of a sexually explicit nature

ACCESS: There are certain access restrictions at 52 Easton Street and on parts of the walk itself. Please refer to the Access Statement below for details and illustrative images of these.Those with specific access requirements are encouraged to call the Artangel office on 020 7713 1400 for further information before your visit.

For more information on Katrina Palmer and this project please visit www.artangel.org.uk

Commissioned by Artangel and BBC Radio 4. 

The Loss Adjusters is presented on Portland by Artangel in association with b-side.

52 Easton Street
Easton
Portland
DT5 1BT