HOW do you set about creating three large pieces of stonework that weigh half a tonne each and reflect the spirit of an island?

That was the challenge set to former Weymouth College student John Goodliffe, who was commissioned by supermarket giant Tesco to produce three relief works, each measuring two metres by one metre for its new site on Portland.

After three months of drawing and preparation plus four months of stone carving later, John, 62, had created the largest and most ambitious work of his career so far, with the help of two college masonry students.

John said: “I was delighted to have been recommended for the job by Weymouth College.

“I really like Portland because it’s got a real sense of its own identity.

“I’ve been there a lot and I’ve carved there at Tout Quarry. I wanted to leave a mark which I hope will be enjoyed by the people who live there.

“If you think that St Paul’s Cathedral is built from Portland Stone, hopefully my work will be there a long time. It does try and capture something of the history and the spirit of the place.”

Here, John describes the hard work, thought and preparation behind the creation.

I START by visiting the site where the carvings will be installed. I want to see how sunlight will move across them. I look at viewpoints and how they change as one moves around.

Next I research themes and subjects. For the Portland friezes I walked and photographed extensively on the island, I talked to people, searched the internet for historic pictures, read up on histories.

I needed to steep myself in the place and its people and the lives they led and what quickly became clear is that it was a physically tough life.

Portland itself is quite exposed, sticking out into the sea.

Employment was – and still is to some extent – in the quarries, fishing, the Royal Navy: none of them ‘cushy’ options.

This breeds in people a certain vigour and self-reliance, and a strong sense that your welfare depends on the welfare of your comrades. It was this spirit, this fortitude that I wanted to celebrate.

I formalised my ideas, did some thumbnail sketches, and discussed them with the client.

And there the matter rested, for two and a half years, as the project went through planning committees, consultations and revisions and all the other processes required of a largish land development.

Except, of course, you don't rest. You keep thinking, you keep talking to people, ideas continue to develop.

When I got the go-ahead, the budget was, predictably, reduced! Redesign was required.

What resulted was what you see in Park Road. Panel one is easily recognisable to everyone, visitor and islander. It shows the lighthouses and a derrick at Portland Bill. Panel two depicts the historic work of the island.

It shows a primary stone saw, a dreadnought and traction engine – this engine commemorates George White who was crushed to death by his load after losing control when the pinion broke. It is recorded that, rather than save himself, he deliberately manoeuvred the stricken rig so as to avoid hitting children just leaving school.

The final frieze draws its inspiration from historic photographs which date from 1850s to the 1950s.

The panel is not to be seen as whimsical or backward-looking. The scenes are historic but what it is really about is continuity with the past. Everything depicted still happens today in some form, and will continue in the future: children will continue to play, be inquisitive, discover things, be shown things; fishing is both a means of livelihood and a pastime – though these days beach seining only happens at the other end of Chesil.

The prison service continues; babies are born; old men confer in the pub; people look out to sea, wear wonderful hats!

I made detailed scale drawings, showed them to various Portland connected people, responded to their suggestions and submitted the revised drawings to the client.

Once agreed, the stone was ordered and I made full size working drawings, maquettes, moulds, sections, and wrote guidance notes for the students who were to assist me.

We started carving in September 2010 and finished at the end January this year, ahead of the store’s official opening in February.

It was an immense relief and I’m very pleased with the work.

I went up there on the day it opened and it was a bit funny really, everyone was charging into the store and nobody was looking at the friezes.

I felt a slight pang of disappointment that they weren’t getting any attention but that will come later, I hope.