THE West of England or Porthoustock quarry on the Lizard peninsula is shipping out over 12,000 tons of stone each month. Cargoes are being carried to Newhaven, Littlehampton and Belfast.
A regular caller is the 48-metre long Calemax Enterprise that carries 800 tons.
The quarry stopped working in 1978 when pilot Gordon Kent took the last ship out of the quarry. Then nearly a quarter of a century later Gordon had the honour of piloting the coaster Malone into Porthoustock when it re-opened for business.
Quarrying started at Porthoustock (Cove Port) in the 1890s. The stone barges Silex, Regina and Sweet May loaded at Porthoustock in the 1920s and regularly carried their cargoes of stone to Falmouth, Gweek, Truro and the smaller inlets on the River Fal.
Barges fell into two distinct categories outside or inside barges. The bigger "outside" barges were engaged in the coastal trade while the "inside" barges plied the rivers, creeks and coves.
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