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Summary

Burrator and Sheepstor Halt, which opened in 1924 on the Princetown Branch line. Included in the 2015-16 railway audit of features.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NW/82

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RAILWAY STATION (Early 20th Century - 1924 AD (Between) to 1924 AD (Between))
• STEPS (Early 20th Century - 1924 AD (Between) to 1924 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1979, South West Water Authority Burrator Survey, No.80 (in smr). (Report - non-specific). SDV278356.

SX 5498 6795 Site of Burrator and Sheepstor Halt on the Yelverton - Princetown railway.

Thomas, D. St. J., 1981, A Regional History of Railways of Great Britain, 112 (Monograph). SDV168.

Wakeham, C., 2016, Report on an Audit of Archaeological Features and Structures Relating to Railways and Tramways on Dartmoor Phase 1, DR+T_GWRP_132, 133 (Report - Assessment). SDV360397.

[DR+T_GWRP_132] Railway halt (disused) at SX 54983 67953. Burrator and Sheepstor Halt, which opened in 1924 on the Princetown Branch line (A.R. Kingdom, 1991, page 87), could be reached from both the east and the west. The western route was via a track, kissing gate and a flight of steps (DR+T_GWRP_133) on the higher (western) side of the railway line. This route would have required the pedestrians to cross the railway line itself. The eastern route was via a rough track ascending the valley side from the northeast (DR+T_GWRP_131). This track passed quite close to the halt and on its same side. It is marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map and its pre-existence may have had some bearing on the choice of location for the later halt. Ten 0.92m wide concrete surfaced brick steps ascend westwards from the track to a height of c.1.75m. At the top is a small concrete landing of 0.92m x c.1.10m. Another flight of brick and concrete steps leads northwards from the landing. These steps are all taller than those of the first flight, each being about 0.2m high and 0.28m deep. There are five of these steps and then another landing behind the fifth, c.0.95m above the height of the first. This second landing of c.1.10m x 2.39m delivers the pedestrian to an old metal kissing gate with two straining posts on either side for the railway fence. The northern straining post is fashioned out of bridge rail and is c.1.3m tall. A bracing strut is bolted to its northern side, giving it an overall length of c.1.75m. The southern straining post is fashioned out of light Vignole rail (or flat bottomed rail). It has a diagonal bracing strut bolted to its southern side, giving it an overall length of c.2.05m. Between the straining posts are two c.1.7m tall gateposts formed of 6cm x 13cm metal beams. They are set 0.84m apart with the hanging post on the north side. A semicircular railing (composed of two bolted sections) runs off the southern gatepost to a similar post 0.88m to the west. The gate which swung between the posts is now long gone. On the western side of the kissing gate are more steps. The first is 1.17m wide, 0.48m deep and its southern end is staggered 0.92m to the north of the others. The southern ends of the steps above it are all flush, although they are different widths (ranging from 1.52m to 1.85m) which give the northern edge a jagged appearance. There are three steps of 0.61-0.62m depth, and then a step of 0.93m depth, around two sides of which is an L-shaped top step of 0.61m depth. From this step the pedestrian can step up west onto the level of the track bed. The foot of yet another flight of steps (probably wooden) once stood to the north of here and gave access to the platform. Behind it stood a building of which only the footings remain. The building was entered via a doorway to the north of the top step. The concrete foundations, measuring at least 2.2m x 6.12m, remain in situ, as does the concrete floor surface. The floor is 0.72m above ground level at the back, but flush with the track bed surface at the front. Some remnants of the brick wall footings are still in place around the edge of the concrete floor. Nothing remains of the main wooden superstructure of the building, although a metal bracket near the northeast corner may have had something to do with securing it. There are two vertical metal pipes along the back of the footings. They are 3.3cm and 4cm in diameter and over 2m apart. Their purpose is unclear. Anthony Kingdom (1991, page 22) reproduced two photographs, attributed to Lens of Sutton, which show the halt (including the building) whilst still in use.
The remains of the halt are in a very poor state. The upper hinge on the old hanging post is broken. The landing beside the kissing gate has been undermined by apparent subsidence. The roots of a gnarled old beech tree just below it may be contributing to the collapse. There are a number of rocks scattered down the slope to the north of the tree which seem to have slipped down through some other cause. They give the impression of a disturbed extra flight of steps. Moss and grass are spreading over the two flights of steps either side of the kissing gate and over the concrete floor of the building. In the latter case the grass is exploiting cracks in the floor surface and has spread over 50% of it. The step below the L-shaped top step has lost much of its concrete surface/tread. Bracken is encroaching on the back of the building remains and low foliage is overhanging part of the site. On a positive note: the lower flight of steps is in fairly good condition.
[DR+T_GWRP_133] Kissing gate and steps at SX 54976 67952. The western route to Burrator and Sheepstor Halt (DR+T_GWRP_132) was via a track kissing gate and a flight of steps set back c.2.5m from the higher side of the track bed. This route would have required the pedestrians to cross the railway line itself. The footpath leading towards the kissing gate across Yennadon Common is marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map, although in 1882 it crossed Devonport Leat via a footbridge and then swung sharply to the south before following a south-westwards course parallel to the railway line. The second edition Ordnance Survey map shows that by 1904 the footpath had been diverted to the flight of steps and carried on across the railway line and then north-eastwards, across the cart track DR+T_GWRP_131 and down the slope towards Burrator Dam. An earlier date for this flight of steps, than its counterparts to the east of Burrator and Sheepstor Halt, seems quite plausible considering the variation in design. There are fifteen brick steps topped with 5cm thick concrete treads, above which is a small concrete and granite landing which leads to the kissing gate. Initially the design seems identical to that of the lower flight of steps connected with the halt. The difference lies in the dimensions of the steps - everything is scaled down. The individual steps are 0.8m wide, 0.19m deep and 0.16m in height. They are uncomfortable and slightly precarious to use - factors that were obviously recognised by Great Western Railway, who provided a c.0.95m high tubular metal handrail down along the southern side. The top of the rail is horizontal and its end is secured by a wooden post, c.1.15m tall and c.10cm wide, with a ridged head. The rail is supported along its course by two tubular metal stanchions and the lower end of the rail curves down to form the final vertical support. There appears to have been another handrail on the other side as there are bolts projecting northwards from the top step and the seventh down. The bolts are c.1.5cm in diameter, have 2.7cm wide, 1.5cm thick ends and project out 9cm from the sides of the steps. There is also another wooden post near the northern side of the kissing gate. It is almost identical to the first and has a circular hole near the top, which would be suitable for the end of a second tubular handrail. The kissing gate arrangement is a mirror image to that on the opposite side of the track bed. It consists of first some 1.54m tall semicircular railing (composed of two bolted sections) with two upright 6cm x 13cm metal beams at either end (0.87m apart). Opposite the northern beam is another which was used as the hanging post for the gate. The opening between these posts was 0.8m wide. To both north and south of the kissing gate are straining posts fashioned out of bridge rail. The northern straining post is c.1.54m tall. A bracing strut is bolted to its northern side, giving it an overall length of c.2m. The southern straining post is 1.45m high. It has a diagonal bracing strut bolted to its southern side, giving it an overall length of c.1.5m. Both upright straining posts have long bolts, with eyelets at their ends for fastening wire ends, inserted through some of the holes in the rail foot. There are four through the north post and five through the south post.
Some of the bricks on the rises of the steps have damaged faces. The southern handrail is a bit loose and has been wired to an adjacent tree. The northern handrail has disappeared, leaving little trace. The sloped ground on the northern side of the steps is severely eroded. The diagonal bracing struts of the straining posts either side of the kissing gate are badly corroded and that on the northern side has broken away from the upright post.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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