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Summary

The Devonport Leat was constructed from 1795-1802 to supply water to Plymouth Dock (known as Devonport after 1824). The leat takes water from the West Dart, the Cowsic and the Blackabrook rivers to the north of Princetown and is over 43 kilometres in length. It is still a functional leat from the weir head intakes to the western end of Burrator Reservoir and beyond that remains as a feature in the historic landscape, which is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1463454
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SW/65/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2009 AD)

Full description

SEE HEADSHEET, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV145571.

Devonport leat in bickleigh parish (see headsheet).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV145573.

Aph=raf/106g/uk/1190 3193-3195(24/2/1946).

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

A watercourse is shown.

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

A watercourse labelled as ‘Devonport Leat’ is shown.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RP 3174-3178 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

A narrow curvilinear ditch is visible.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Recorded.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5062 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A narrow curvilinear ditch is visible.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2021, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A narrow curvilinear earthwork ditch, circa 1.5m wide, is visible on aerial photographs taken from 1946 onwards and on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. The earthwork corresponds to a watercourse shown on the mid-19th century Parish Tithe Map and on the late 19th century Ordnance Survey map which labels this watercourse as 'Devonport Leat'. Parts of this leat are also depicted on the 2020 Ordnance Survey MasterMap, although much of its extent has been levelled from development. Only the visible earthwork ditch section that falls within this project area has been transcribed. The monument polygon for this leat is partly based, where visible, on the modern mapping which is probably more accurate than the transcriptions derived from rectified aerial photographs taken in 1946. The monument polygon for this leat also terminates just beyond the south-western extent of this project area. The earthwork ditch associated with the Dartmoor section of Devonport Leat (MDV19902) has been attributed to that record.

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

A watercourse labelled as ‘Devonport Leat is shown’.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

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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