Why Every Project Team Should Visit Albion Stone’s Mine, Factory – and Take the London Tour
When it comes to designing and delivering a successful project in Portland Stone, nothing is more valuable than understanding the material from the ground up. At Albion Stone, we offer something truly unique – a hands-on experience that brings you face to face with the stone, the people, and the knowledge behind some of Britain’s most iconic buildings.
We believe everyone involved in specifying Portland Stone must visit our mine and factory on the Isle of Portland, followed by a tailored London Tour. These visits are more than just educational – they are inspiring, insightful and essential to ensure the smooth running of your project.
Discover the Stone from Its Source
The journey begins underground, where you’ll experience the extraordinary world of our working mine. Here, you’ll gain a deep understanding of how Portland Stone is carefully extracted – and how this influences everything from design decisions to delivery timelines.
You’ll explore the differences between each bed of stone, appreciate their individual characteristics, and learn how to design in a way that respects the natural limitations of the material. You’ll also see the extensive stock of block available and get a clear picture of our factory’s capacity to handle projects of any scale.
During your factory tour, you’ll witness the high-quality work currently being produced – a testament to our skilled team and modern machinery. You’ll view our 3m x 2m range panels, which allow you to understand the geological traits and natural beauty of each bed, up close.
This is also your chance to sit down with our expert team. We’ll help you refine your stone selection, advise on best practice detailing and stone sizes, and introduce value engineering options that can save your project money without compromising the design vision.
Step into the Future – and the Past – on the London Tour
With your shortlist of stones in hand, we’ll take you on a personalised London Tour led by our Business Development Manager, Ben Levy. This tour is designed entirely around your project.
We’ll show you historic and modern buildings using the exact stones you're considering. You’ll see how these stones perform over time – what they look like fresh from the quarry, how they weather after 10 or 50 years, and even how they stand after centuries in the British climate.
This part of the journey is incredibly eye-opening. It allows you to see real-world examples of both good and bad detailing, helping you make better-informed design decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
Make Confident, Informed Decisions
Together, the Mine, Factory, and London Tours give you the full picture. They provide the confidence that you're selecting the most suitable stone for your project, with a clear understanding of how it will look, perform, and age.
But perhaps most importantly, these visits show that Albion Stone has the capacity, capability and proven track record to deliver. We’ve supplied Portland Stone to some of the UK’s most prestigious buildings, and we bring that knowledge and experience to every new project.
If you want your Portland Stone project to run smoothly, start with a visit. You’ll leave not only better informed, but also inspired.
Get in touch to book your tour – this is a step every architect and client should take.
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.
