More information : SS 7474 4265. Earthworks of a 19th Century building at the foot of Hoaroak Valley, consist of a long rectangular pit about 20m by 8m, and a bank with footings of a possible small lean-to. On the front terrace, amongst prolific rubble, are lines of walls forming small enclosures and two fallen drilled stone gateposts. (1)
SS 74735 42633. The remains of a stone working site situated at about 380m above OD on the east bank flood plain of the Hoaroak Water at the bottom of steep west-facing slopes below Exe Plain.
The main feature, a long rectangular hollow, is cut into the bottom of the scree-clad slope which has been used as a source of stone. The hollow is about 16m N/S by 2m and 0.5m deep internally. The east (uphill) side is formed by a scarp cut into the steep slope. Spoil from the hollow has been dumped along the west side forming a wide outer bank and scarp. The inner footing of this bank, although it does not seem to have been a wall, appears 'scalloped' suggesting it may have been revetted with large stones which have since been removed. A break at the northern end of this west side may have been an entrance. The hollow does not appear to have been a building, as suggested by Preece but it may have been a working platform or finishing area. A track, running along the bottom of the steep slopes, skirts around the eastern side of the hollow apparently post-dating it.
Attached to the northern end of the hollow are the fragmentary remains of a crudely constructed circular stone walled structure, about 4m E/W by 3m and 0.3m high, built out of the scree. There are remains of a similar building, about 5m west of the centre of the main hollow, which has an entrance on the north side and a short length of scree walling, about 1m thick, on its south side. These are probably the remains of small bothies.
Scattered around the site, especially on the slopes to the east of the rectangular hollow, are about a dozen large stone slabs, each about 2m long, 0.5m to 0.7m wide and 0.25m to 0.4m thick. Most slabs are drilled centrally with two small holes all exactly 0.9m apart (some only have one hole) and they have obviously been intended as gateposts.
The area apears to be a stone working site. The gateposts suggest it is contemporary with the enclosure of the area in the early 19th century. Surveyed at 1:2000 by GPS. (1-2)
The site was surveyed at 1:500 scale using GPS as part of the Exmoor project. Seventeen rough-outs intended for gate posts, together with the structures described above, were recorded (3).
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