TE Lawrence's grave site 'under threat' from quarry plans

The site of TE Lawrence's grave is under threat from plans for three nearby quarries, campaigners have said.

Woodsford Quarry, near Moreton in Dorset, would be extended under the proposals, while new quarries would be created at Station Road and Hurst Farm.

Frome Residents Against Mineral Extraction (FRAME) said the plans would see the grave's churchyard setting "utterly spoilt" for visitors.

A public consultation on the county council plans runs until 31 January.

They will then be submitted to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, in late spring/early summer, Dorset County Council said.

The proposals are part of a county-wide minerals plan.

Scholar and soldier TE Lawrence - known as Lawrence of Arabia - is buried in the churchyard at St Nicholas' Church in Moreton.

Bid to protect Lawrence of Arabia's home

Clarice Wickenden, of FRAME, said the three quarries would have a "negative environmental impact on the setting for visitors who come from across the world to visit St Nicholas' Church and his grave".

She added: "The natural environment would be completely and utterly spoilt - there'd be dust, noise, vibration and light pollution."

Opponents have also raised concerns over their proximity to listed buildings in the village, increased traffic, and flooding - due to the possible disruption of drainage systems and loss of agricultural land.

Thomas Edward Lawrence, who was born in Wales in 1888, found fame in World War One when he helped lead a series of guerrilla operations, known as the Arab Revolt.

The Oxford scholar wrote about his experiences in his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which helped form the basis of the film about his life, Lawrence of Arabia, starring Peter O'Toole.

He spent many years living in Dorset where he died in a motorcycle crash, near Bovington, in 1935.