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Summary

A clay pit, associated spoil heaps, buildings and possible settling tank of probable late-19th to mid-20th century date are visible as earthworks and structures on aerial photographs of 1946 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 on the south-west facing slopes west of Shaugh Prior village.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHINA CLAY WORKS (XIX to Mid 20th Century - 1880 AD to 1946 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RP 3236-3237 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

An irregularly shaped pit, track, rectangular structure and circular tank are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5139-5140 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

An irregularly shaped pit, track and rectangular structure and circular tank are visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1953-1969, 1953-1969 National Grid OS A edition imperial (Cartographic). SDV352727.

The circular pit is depicted.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5363 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

An irregularly shaped pit. track and circular tank are identifiable.

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.

An irregularly shaped pit is visible as an earthwork surrounded by mounds under light scrub vegetation on aerial photographs of 1946 on the south-west facing slopes west of Shaugh Prior village. The pits are approached by a track from the road to the south, and a rectangular structure approximately 8 by 2.5m in size can be seen near the entrance to the pit. A roughly circular pit 15m in diameter is visible cut into the slope circa 13m east.
Visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 reveal the pit to be up to circa 50m across, inset within a mound circa 110m ling and 80m wide.
The visible earthworks do not correspond with any pits depicted on the 19th or early 20th century maps available to the survey. The circular pit immediately to the east is depicted on later 20th century maps.
The circular form and size of the pit is comparable to the settling tanks of the Shaugh China Clay Works circa 200m to the north-west.
This might support the interpretation that the earthworks are the remains of clay pits and associated structure of later 19th to mid-20th century date, possibly associated with the Shaugh China Clay Works.

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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