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Summary

A disused two mile long pipeline once used to convey china clay slurry (china clay suspended in water) between the Wigford Down - Shaugh Lake Clay Pits and the china clay processing works at Shaugh Bridge (SX53376358). It can be traced along its length either as a single ceramic pipe, a cast iron pipe or twin ceramic pipes. Inspection chambers occur at various intervals.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE46
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1311327

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PIPELINE (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Fletcher, M., 2000, The Ferro Ceramic Mine and Shaugh Brickworks, Meavy (Report - Survey). SDV360342.

(20/02/2000) This pipeline can be traced from SX 55446454 (adjacent to the Cadover Bridge car park) to the clay drys at Shaugh Bridge (SX56SW38). It lies on, or just below, the ground surface and in places a revetment holds it against the steep slope. At various intervals along its length there are raised inspection chambers.
Between SX55446454 and SX55136426 it comprises a single ceramic pipe (internal diameter 0.2m). This is now badly smashed because it lies along a well-used path. Between SX55136426 and SX55096423 where it traverses a stream valley there is a cast iron pipe of 0.3m internal diameter with a short T-connection at the lowest point of its run. This connection presumably was used to occasionally flush out the pipe. Between SX55096423 and SX5337658 it is visible as a double line of ceramic pipes. An 0.5m high revetment is the downhill side well.
Its course was surveyed between SX54926417 and SX54376386 within North Wood in the Autumn of 1999. The majority of the double ceramic pipeline has been smashed and the revetment is now used as a footpath. Two inspection chambers within the wood are extant. One at SX54586403 is a rectangular stone built chamber 0.9m high with internal dimensions 1.8m by 1.0m. Threaded rods set in the top held the ? iron cover. The second chamber (at SX54926417) of similar dimensions to its neighbour, is set within a fairly substantial mound which is 2.3m high on the downhill side and 1.0m high on the uphill side. Presumably the scrapers were pulled through the pipes from these chambers.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 27/09/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

two mile long pipeline used to convey waterborne clay come down to the Shaugh Bridge china clay works from the Wigford Down - Shaugh Lake clay pits. The remnants of the clay slurry pipeline can still be seen at intervals alongside the footpath that runs down the southern side of the Plym Valley from Cadover Bridge. A worker reported how they had to regularly pull scrapers through the pipe to clear intruding tree roots, etc.(Owens M 1994 'Industries beneath Dewer' Dartmoor Magazine 35, 16-18)

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8730 - Shaugh Bridge and North Wood: English Heritage Field Survey Project

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