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Summary

Leats of probable late-19th to early 20th century date are visible on the south-west facing slopes of Cholwich Town Waste on aerial photographs of 1946 as earthwork ditches. The leats were probably associated with Cholwich Town China Clay Works. The leats were destroyed by the late 20th century expansion of the China Clay Works.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017399: Cholwich Town contour reave, cairn and two enclosures

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (XIX to Mid 20th Century - 1801 AD to 1946 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The ditches do not correspond with any depicted features.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

The ditches correspond in part with depicted leats.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RS 4254-4255 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2292-2293 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric (Cartographic). SDV350058.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5862 01-JUN-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5962 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks east of the clay works.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Numerous linear and curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks approximately 1 to 3m wide on aerial photographs of 1946, on the south-west facing slopes of Cholwich Town Waste immediately north and east of the former Cholwich Town China Clay Works clay pit.
The ditches do not correspond with any features depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1880s First Edition 25inch map.
A proportion of those ditches visible immediately north and south-east of clay pit on the 1946 aerial photographs do correspond, in part, with water channels depicted on the 1904-6 Ordnance Survey Second Edition 25inch map.
The ditches are interpreted as the remains of leats, a number of which were constructed between circa 1880 and 1906 to abstract water from an adjacent spring-fed stream to supply the expanding clay works.
By 1946 the clay works had expanded from its early 20th-century scale truncating the earlier leats. Those ditches that do not correspond with those shown on the 1906 map are interpreted as leats constructed between 1906 and 1946 to supply the enlarged clay works.
The leats were destroyed by later 20th century expansion of the clay works, with the exception of those to the east, which remain visible as earthworks on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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