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| HER Number: | MDV114612 |
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| Name: | Foundations of a shelter on Piles Hill |
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Summary
Remains of possible pillow mounds and the tumbled foundation support of a wooden building which may have been used for accommodation by the workers at the Redlake Clay mine. Possible remains of a temporary camp for the railway construction workers.
Location
| Grid Reference: | SX 652 604 |
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| Map Sheet: | SX66SE |
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| Admin Area | Dartmoor National Park |
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| Civil Parish | Harford |
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| District | South Hams |
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| Ecclesiastical Parish | HARFORD |
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Protected Status: none recorded
Other References/Statuses: none recorded
Monument Type(s) and Dates
- PILLOW MOUND? (XIX to XX - 1900 AD to 1932 AD (Between))
- WORKERS TEMPORARY SETTLEMENT (XIX to XX - 1900 AD to 1932 AD (Between))
Full description
Stainer, N., 2016, Features on Piles Hill, Two photos included (Correspondence). SDV359460.
Remains at SX65213 60415 (GPS) appear to be pillow mounds and the tumbled foundation support of a wooden building such as was used for accommodation by the workers at the Redlake Clay mine: possible remains of a temporary camp for the railway construction workers?
Clearly man made features and although they are an unrealistic distance from the moor’s edge for ‘moorstone’ collection, there is some evidence of post 1800 quarrying.
Closer to the run of the clay pipeline than to any other visible archaeology and Helen Harris (Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor) comments that the clay mine workers who constructed the site, the tramway and the pipeline, lived on site during the week and trapped rabbits.
Possible that this may be a sheltered site for the workers to live in the early stages of the construction process; it is also close to a winter spring for water.
At both Leftlake and Redlake the concrete foundations of the dormitory blocks can be seen – a little way away from the actual workings.
This site appears to be a less permanent construction, making use of the plentifully available local moorstone.
Only HER site in vicinity is a possible vermin trap a little to the north; otherwise rather obscure place for a vermin trap.
Sources / Further Reading
| SDV359460 | Correspondence: Stainer, N.. 2016. Features on Piles Hill. Email. Digital. Two photos included. [Mapped feature: #3207 ] |
Associated Monuments
| MDV5167 | Related to: Redlake Clay works pipeline (Monument) |
| MDV3138 | Related to: The Redlake China Clay Railway (Monument) |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events: none recorded
| Date Last Edited: | Mar 8 2016 11:46AM |
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