Beneath Portland in Dorset lies a vast cavern, the result of quarrying and mining that has created some of the world's most famous buildings. Cornwall's Eden Project wants to turn the hollow hillside into an "internationally famous" attraction that tells the story of life on earth. But the ambitious project is yet to secure the £30m backing it needs. And if fundraising efforts fail, Eden will take the project elsewhere and the mine will be filled with waste stone. Eden co-founder Sir Tim Smit said Eden Portland would be "a hugely successful, world-class destination that is both a visitor destination as well as a scientific institution". "The location is to die for," he said. "It's beautiful and it's beguiling." The attraction would showcase extinct species and include fossil displays, as well as offering other experiences. Eden Cornwall is hoping to secure the £30m through funds from government, philanthropists as well as investing its own money which is hoped would be paid back through ticket sales. Above ground, the natural beauty of the Jurassic Coast stretches as far as the eye can see but, out of the sun, the artificially-lit tunnels of Bowers Mine resemble a deserted underground city, criss-crossed with roads and flanked with towering slabs of limestone. The stone, formed 145 million years ago, has been used by stonemasons since at least Roman times and can be found on thousands of buildings across the UK and around the world, from the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral in London, to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. "There aren't many streets in the city of London without some stone from here," said mine manager Mark Godden, who has worked at the site for 38 years. "St Paul's came off the cliffs. "In the 17th Century, they would literally tumble stone down on the the foreshore, square it up on the foreshore as close to the sea as... |