Albion Stone Welcomes £20m Funding for MEMO Visitor Attraction at Jordans Mine
Albion Stone PLC has welcomed the announcement of a £20 million government funding package for the long‑anticipated MEMO visitor attraction, marking a major milestone for a project the company has supported since 2009. The immersive educational attraction, designed to explore themes of evolution, extinction and biodiversity will be located within Jordans Mine and accessed through Bowers Quarry once extraction operations at the site are complete.
The MEMO project, which has been almost two decades in development, will transform the vast underground chambers of Albion Stone’s mines into a world‑class visitor destination. Plans include intricately carved mine walls, 30‑foot pillars, and a multimedia journey that brings to life the story of our planet’s changing natural history. The attraction is projected to draw around 350,000 visitors each year and create up to 100 year‑round jobs, delivering a meaningful boost to Portland’s local economy.
Albion Stone’s deep involvement in the project dates back to its earliest vision. The company’s underground mining operations at Bowers Quarry—Portland’s first ever—laid the groundwork for the adjacent development of Jordans Mine, where the visitor experience will ultimately be housed.
Managing Director Michael Poultney said Albion Stone is “thrilled to see this important project secure the funding it needs to move forward”, highlighting that the company has supported MEMO from concept to feasibility for more than fifteen years. The funding breakthrough ensures that once the current phase of extraction concludes, Jordans Mine will transition into a landmark attraction on the Jurassic Coast, one that celebrates Portland stone, local craftsmanship, and the global importance of biodiversity.
The project will also create a stonemasonry training centre that will offer three year apprenticeships and provide new opportunities for local people to develop specialist skills in an industry with deep roots in the heritage of Portland. It is intended that the trained stonemasons will produce the massive Portland Stone load bearing stones for the MEMO tower, which will stand on the Bowers Quarry cliff edge overlooking Chesil Beach.
Set to open its first phase in 2028, MEMO represents a long‑term investment in the island’s future. Albion Stone looks forward to continuing its partnership with MEMO and the Eden Project as the transformation of Jordans Mine takes shape.
Albion Stone, a fourth generation family business pride ourselves on having a helpful and skilled workforce as well as modern and traditional manufacturing process to enable us to produce the highest quality Portland Stone with minimal environmental impact.
