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Summary

Also known as Redlake Peat Tramway. Built for Messrs. Davy and Wilkin of Totnes, 1847-1850, for carrying peat from Redlake Mire to Shipley Bridge. The tramway was constructed from wooden rails bolted to granite blocks, along which the peat was transported in horse-drawn trucks. The business only continued for a few years and ended in 1850.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork remains of the early 20th century China Clay works at Redlake Mine and the associated railway, as well as prehistoric remains on Ugborough Moor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SE128
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442143
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/60

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TRAMWAY (Constructed, XIX - 1847 AD (Between) to 1872 AD (Between))

Full description

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, pg. 95, 109, 221 (Monograph). SDV149229.

Zeal Tor Tramway built for Messrs. Davy and Wilkin of Totnes, 1847-1850, for carrying peat from Redlake Mire to Shipley Bridge. The tramway was constructed from wooden rails bolted to granite blocks, along which the peat was transported in horse-drawn trucks. The business only continued for a few years and ended in 1850.
The men who worked in the peat-cutting at Redlake used to stay out there during the week and they built a house of sorts on Western White Barrow and lived largely on rabbits poached from nearby Huntingdon Warren.
Much of the route of the old tramway can be seen. The lower part of it was later, in 1872, used by the Brent Moor Clay Company, as also was the building at Shipley, now abandoned.
The wooden rails and granite blocks have disappeared. The track line, clean turf not overgrown, is clearly defined. From 'the crossways' in the north the track keeps to the west of Western Whitebarrow and continues down the south side of the hill in a south-easterly direction to the Brent parish boundary.

Minchinton, W. E., 1976, Industrial Archaeology in Devon, 27 (Monograph). SDV7016.

Zeal Tor or Redlake Peat Tramway. This tramway has wooden rails bolted to granite blocks and was built in 1847 to carry peat from the Redlake beds on the open moor to the naphtha works at Shipley Bridge. It closed but was later used for a time (in 1872) by the Brent Moor Clay Company. The track can be followed over the moor and some of the blocks of granite containing the holes where the rails were attached may be seen.

Thomas, D. St. J., 1981, A Regional History of Railways of Great Britain, 91 (Monograph). SDV168.

Wade, E. A, 1982, The Redlake Tramway and China Clay Works (Monograph). SDV166649.

Leyson Hopkin Davy and William Wilkins of Totnes established the South Brent peat and peat charcoal works at Shipley Bridge in 1846. In order to transport raw peat to Shipley Bridge the Zeal Tor tramway was constructed 1847. It was horse drawn, built with wooden rails bolted to granite sleeper blocks. The gauge was between 4ft 6 inch and 5ft (judged from places where sleepers still exist). Three miles in length.
The Partnership was dissolved 1850 and the tramway left to decay until 1872. The Brent Moor Clay company was formed by Messrs Hill and Hall, who sought to produce clay. The site was half way along and close by the course of the old tramway, to which a connection was built. The tramway was then used for transporting materials between Petre’s pit, as it became known, and the old naphtha works at Shipley Bridge which was converted to clay dries. However, the clay was of too poor quality for anything but pottery, and the 1870s was a depression in the china clay industry. Petre’s pit closed and the Company abandoned works by 1880 and the tram was left to rot.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 295-297 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Sidings were constructed between Whitey Mead and Broad Rushes where the track turns due South to flank Bala Brook Heath (SX662648 approximate area). Also above the bend at Broad Rush are a loopway and three working station buildings.

Ordnance Survey, 2014, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV355681.

Route of the disused tramway is depicted on the modern mapping.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Feature shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

The track bed of the Zeal Tor Tramway, runs from Crossways at the head of Redlake Mire to Shipley Bridge, of which the section of track north of Western Whitebarrow, including the northern terminus lies within the survey area. It was constructed by Davey and Wilkin in about 1848, to transport peat to their naphtha works at Shipley Bridge, but operated for only a few years (Harris 1966; Wade 1985). The slightly sunken trackbed is between 4 metres and 5 metres wide. Just south of Crossways, the spoil heap of a large excavation associated with later clayworks has covered the track and at Crossways itself, the Redlake tramway of 1912 (MDV3138), has transected it at right angle. From this point, the track continues for another 270 metres before fading into Redlake Mire.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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