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Summary

Railway opened in 1866 and ran between Newton Abbot and Moretonhamstead, closing in 1964. Site developed following the closure and although the terminus buildings / structures have been removed, the goods shed appears to have been retained.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset: 30/04/2019
• National Buildings Record: 6664
• National Monuments Record: SX78NE44
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 501561

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RAILWAY STATION (XIX to Mid 20th Century - 1866 AD (Between) to 1964 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The late 19th century historic map shows the Terminus building and structures to east and north-west.

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

The early 20th century historic map shows the Goods Shed labelled to the east of the Terminus structure.

Bray, L., 2019, Moretonhampstead Railway Station (Un-published). SDV363900.

(30/04/2019) The site of Moretonhamstead Railway Station (MDV8054) was the terminus of the Moretonhamstead and South Devon Railway which opened in 1866 and ran between Newton Abbot and Moretonhamstead. Its impact on eastern Dartmoor and the Wrey Valley in particular was significant, bringing enhanced communication to a previous isolated area enhancing local development. Passenger services on the line were suspended in 1959 with goods traffic ceasing in 1964. The importance of the line in the recent history of eastern Dartmoor lends its remains considerable historical value while it also possesses evidential value due to the potential to yield information regarding railway development I the area.
The same is true of the site of its terminus which also possesses a level of communal heritage value. Since the line’s closure this has been used as the site of haulage company depot. However, elements of railway infrastructure do survive and include a Grade II Listed engine shed, the passenger platform and a goods shed which individually possess historic, aesthetic, architectural and communal value. The setting of the Listed structure has been adversely affected by the site’s use as a depot which has obscured the inter-relationships of the surviving structures through unsympathetic development.
The site’s significance stems from the inherent qualities of the individual surviving elements, their inter-relationships as parts of a railway station, the evidential value of the site for yielding additional information regarding the development of the railway and, importantly, its wider context as part of a railway line which had a great impact on the area it served. As such the site is considered an undesignated heritage asset.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

The modern mapping indicates that although the terminus building/structures have been removed, the goods shed appears to have survived and has been integrated into the larger structures that occupy the site of the railway station. The historic aerial photographs (1940s, 1999, 2015) appear to support this.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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