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Summary

Depicted on the late 19th century historic map, this trackway ran from Sheepstor Bridge roughly south-westwards to the Burrator and Sheepstor Halt on the Princetown branch of the Plymouth and Dartmoor railway, then heads south and westwards around Yennadon Down.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TRACKWAY (XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD (Between) to 1880 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Wakeham, C., 2016, Report on an Audit of Archaeological Features and Structures Relating to Railways and Tramways on Dartmoor Phase 1, DR+T_GWRP_131 (Report - Assessment). SDV360397.

SX 55006 68045. Dirt track which ascends the valley side for c.300m to Burrator and Sheepstor Halt (DR+T_GWRP_132) from the road beside Burrator Reservoir at SX 55080 68233. It then roughly follows the lower side of the Princetown Branch track bed southwards for about 190m before doubling back on itself by curving round to the north to link up with the old railway track bed. This latter bend is a late 20th century modification to the route to enable South West Water to gain vehicular access into the plantation above Burrator Lodge. A modern branch off the bend runs down across Yennadon Common to the road at about SX 54745 67655. This later addition is marked on the modern Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure/Explorer maps. The route of the northern section of the track, before the bend, is at least as old as the Princetown Branch and is clearly depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map. However, when it reached the modern bend it carried on roughly following the course of the railway, albeit at a slight distance, for about another 100m before gradually peeling away and heading towards the foot of modern Dousland on a roughly parallel course to the railway. It eventually joined the Walkhampton-Meavy road at the corner of Dousland (SX 54060 67871). Parts of the old route seem to have become incorporated into modern routes which now criss-cross Yennadon Common. At the other end, it originally continued on further to the northeast and, after a couple of twists and turns, ended at Sheepstor Bridge (now under Burrator Reservoir). The section running from the road up to Burrator and Sheepstor Halt is c.2.5m wide and appears to have been, at least partially, metalled with rubble stone and chippings. There is a patch of concrete covering a c.1.1m long strip of the track at SX 55006 68045. It contains two uniform wheel marks of 13-14cm width, 1.37m apart, presumably made by vehicle tyres, although the dimensions are similar to the scale of imprint a horse-drawn cart would make.
The section of the track running up to Burrator and Sheepstor Halt seems to be in generally reasonable condition for an off-road track. There are a couple of large potholes near drain DR+T_GWRP_136 and the occasional smaller pothole elsewhere.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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