Olympic sculpture takes pride of place

Sculpture made of Portland limestone Credit: Duncan Sleightholme

Visitors arriving at Weymouth railway station will now be greeted by a stone sculpture of the Olympic Rings. It was carved by local stonemasons using world-renowned Portland limestone.

The Rings were craned into place early this morning. The sculpture is made up of 10 separate stones and took a total of 190 hours to complete. It will stand 2.5 metres tall, 1 metre deep, and 3.8 metres long.

Olympic rings craned into place Credit: Duncan Sleightholme

The sculpture weighs around 9,000kg and was fitted together at a factory in Portland before being placed into position by crane.

Mayor celebrates arrival of olympic sculpture Credit: Duncan Sleightholme

Organisers hope the Rings will provide a distinctive welcome for visitors coming to Weymouth for the London 2012 Olympic Games sailing events.

We are delighted to be able to welcome the world to Weymouth and Portland for the Olympic sailing events against this fantastic backdrop of the Olympic Rings. This sculpture will help the town really stand out and will showcase the outstanding craftsmanship of our local stonemasons using world-famous Portland Stone.

Olympic rings provide a welcome to Weymouth Credit: Duncan Sleightholme

After the Games, it is planned that the Rings will be moved to Portland.