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Summary

Building (B): four two-roomed cottages built as a single range and probably originally two-storeyed. A path along the SE side gives access to the front entrances; only the third along can now be seen. At ground level each cottage has a front room measuring c5 x 3.3m and a back room c 5 x 2.5m. A back door is visible in the third cottage. Two prominent rubble piles sit astride the party walls between the front rooms, partly masking rectangular chimney stacks leading from a fireplace in each. Drill-split lintels are utilised in the stacks. Wall construction is similar to (A); 0.5m wide and generally 0.5m high but up to 2m high around the chimney stacks. The westernmost cottage is only a turf-covered platform 0.5m high and it looks as if this may have been a ruin before the remaining three were abandoned.
These buildings were roofed in 1890 and may have been cottages for workers at Powder Mills.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NW194
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 884263
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/151/2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Constructed, XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Rectangular building shown on 19th century map aligned north-north-west to south-south-east along the northern boundary of a rectilinear enclosure. A well is shown as 'W' to the north-west of the building at SX63157695.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Building of reduced length shown on early 20th century map.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV150434.

Visited on 21 st March 1967. Two ruined buildings east of Powder Mills Farm. The southernmost is rather ruined, of one room with lean-to. The second house is much larger with three large and three narrower rooms may have been an office block for nearby Powder Mills.

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

Two buildings within an enclosure. Appears to be a quarry between. Visible on aerial photographs.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, P. Pattison (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(14/08/1989) Ruins of two groups of 19th century stone cottages, situated at SX 63207690 within a small block of associated fields adjacent to the B3212 Post Bridge - Two Bridges Road. A small quarry has disturbed some of the field banks. The southernmost house is rather ruined, of one room with lean-to. The second house is much larger with three large and three narrower rooms: it may have been an office block for the nearby Powder Mills (Haynes manuscript). See also MDV52803.
(B) SX 63197692 Four two-roomed cottages built as a single range and probably originally two-storeyed. A path along the SE side gives access to the front entrances; only the third along can now be seen. At ground level each cottage has a front room measuring c5 x 3.3m and a back room c 5 x 2.5m. A back door is visible in the third cottage. Two prominent rubble piles sit astride the party walls between the front rooms, partly masking rectangular chimney stacks leading from a fireplace in each. Drill-split lintels are utilised in the stacks. Wall construction is similar to (A); 0.5m wide and generally 0.5m high but up to 2m high around the chimney stacks. The westernmost cottage is only a turf-covered platform 0.5m high and it looks as if this may have been a ruin before the remaining three were abandoned.
These buildings were roofed in 1890 (OS 1890) and may have been cottages for workers at Powder Mills.
(C) SX 63187695 A small stone chamber measuring 2.5m x 1.4m internally, with mortared walling 0.4m wide and 0.6m high. This structure seems to be a privy for cottages (B).
The buildings are integrated with a small group of rectangular fields covering c 2.5 ha, with turf-covered earth and stone banks forming the boundaries. They average 2m wide and 0.8m high and are occasionally patched with stone facing. Only the W boundary is faced entirely along its external side where there is also a slight ditch.
Two fields have evidence of cultivation:- (i) Immediately SE of (B) are two adjacent sets of parallel ridges and furrows. Furrows of the first set are c 2m apart and run up/down the slope. The second set consists of low ridges very closely spaced, running along the contours and probably former potato beds. The field was probably a vegetable garden for the cottages; - (ii) SX 63277693 A larger field shows some attempt at subdivision into smaller, rectangular plots defined by low banks 0.8m wide and 0.3m high. One such plot contains an area of rig and furrow running up/down slope, the furrows 2.2m apart and the ridges 0.3m high. This area too may have been given over to small-scale, allotment type gardening. A pot water leat (SX 67 NW 226) runs through the site from W to E, supplying both cottages and fields.
A small, flat-bottomed quarry, 25m across and up to 2.5m deep, is situated just N of (A). It interrupts a slightly sunken trackway, 2.5m wide and 0.9m deep, which ran from cottages (B) to the main road.

Dawson, T. + Hambley, J., 1995, A Survey of the Service and Accommodation Buildings belonging to the Powdermills Gunpowder Factory, Postbridge, 14-15, Figures 1,11,12,14,16, Plates 17-19 (Report - Survey). SDV351071.

Cherrybrook Bridge Cottages lie within an enclosure adjoining the former turnpike road circa 325 metres to the east of Powder Mills Farm. The rectangular enclosure includes two separate buildings, garden, small fields, paths and a disused quarry.
Building 513: Rectangular building orientated east-north-east to west-south-west and constructed of roughly coursed granite rubble and faced granite blocks. The outer walls survive mainly as rounded earthen banks. The east wall stands in places up to seven courses high. There are probable doorways in the south-east and south-west corners with two in the centre of the south wall. The four separate units comprised a small north and larger south room. Adjoining the outside of the north wall a small square stone chamber may represenrt a privy. The most substantial internal features are two chimney breasts.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Outline of building shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6128 - Survey of the Service and Accommodation Buildings associated with Powdermills Gunpowder Factory (Ref: 95.63)
• EDV8645 - Powder Mills and Gawler Newtake, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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