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Summary

A 19th century leat in the West Webburn valley north of Challacombe Farm, formerly supplying a tin processing works (Monument HOB UID 917796). The leat is a blunted-V-shaped channel averaging 2.5m wide and 1m deep with an upcast bank on the downslope side, 1.5-4m wide and 0.7-1.6m high, occasionally revetted with rough stone walling.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021393: Medieval strip field system, tinworks, part of a prehistoric settlement, a cairn and reave on Challacombe Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SE149
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 917765
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/312

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Constructed, XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD (Between) to 1899 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/540, 4145 (Aerial Photograph). SDV285230.

National Monuments Record, 1952, SX6980, 10, 11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV315054.

Broughton, D. G., 1968-1969, The Birch Tor & Vitifer tin mining complex, 25-49; fig 4 (Article in Serial). SDV291528.

National Monuments Record, 1977, SX6980, 1/33-5, 5/399-400 (Aerial Photograph). SDV245035.

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

(13/06/1990) SX 6941 8038: A 19th century leat in the West Webburn valley north of Challacombe Farm, formerly supplying a tin processing works (Monument HOB UID 917796). The leat is a blunted-V-shaped channel averaging 2.5m wide and 1m deep with an upcast bank on the downslope side, 1.5-4m wide and 0.7-1.6m high, occasionally revetted with rough stone walling.
At the north end there are two branches; one took water off the river at SX 6945 8045 and a second was fed by adits at SX 6943 8049 draining the East Birch Tor Mine. The two branches join at SX 6942 8042, having cut through earlier streamworking (Monument HOB UID 915166). The leat leaves the valley floor to run along, then on top of the short steep slope which separates the foot of Challacombe Down from the streamworks. At the end of its course the leat turns abruptly southeast. Here it is slightly ramped onto a launder bank, revetted to 0.4m high with drystone on the south and west, before stopping on the slope edge. From this point it would have been laundered onto the overshot wheel in the works below (Monument HOB UID 917796).
A section of this leat between SX 6942 8030 and SX 6938 8050 shown by Broughton (1) is not visible on the ground: it probably ran alongside the field wall immediately to the east (it emerges just north of the second NGR in Headland Warren) and he has actually shown the course of the pump-rod gulley (Monument HOB UID 917796).
Visible on aerial photographs.
Surveyed at 1:2500 with SX 67 NE 111- Monument HOB UID 915469.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8658 - Challacombe, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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