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Summary

19th century ore-chute retaining wall on the east side of the southern quay at New Quay

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX46NE/538/9

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WALL (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Gaskell Brown , C. + Coleman-Smith, R., 1982, The Archaeology of New Quay, Devon, 146 (Article in Serial). SDV336506.

NMR, 1996, SX46NE30 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV264274.

Ore-chute wall to Newquay, running from SX45516927 to SX45416959. The south quay at Newquay is bounded by a substantial wall 12-30 feet high, buttressed at 30 foot intervals. There are at least 8 ore-chute openings near the top of the wall at irregular intervals. The track above the wall shows no trace of any railway although it seems likely one may have existed (citng Gaskell Brown + Coleman-Smith, and Ordnance Survey 2500 1953 map).

Mills, R. + Murrell, D. + Vandenbossche, P. + Watts, S., 1997, An Archaeological Assessment of the East Side of the River Tamar between Calstock and Gunnislake (Undergraduate Dissertation). SDV242446.

Buck, C., 2003, Morwellham & Newquay, Devon (Report - non-specific). SDV241179.

Buck, C., 2006, New Quay: Archaeological Assessment, 29 (Report - Assessment). SDV336511.

It is likely that the construction of the ore-shute retaining wall (Site 23)on the eastern side of the quay preceded the tiled ore quay of 1856. Ore would have been taken by trauck from nearby mines & brought down the track (Site 24.1) & tipped through the shutes to the quay below. The survey in 2006 found the 200 meter long wall site difficult to access.

Team Surveys, 2009, New Quay, Devon (Plan - measured). SDV356725.

Houghton, P., 2015, An Archaeological and Historical Report on New Quay Nr Tavistock Devon Volume One, 98-102, fig 8, 123-126 (Report - Assessment). SDV363202.

The construction of the retaining wall on the eastern side of the quay is thought to have preceded that of the 1856 tiled ore quay.
In 2005, the site was described as badly overgrown and difficult to access from the quay due to vegetation overgrowth and flooding. Since the southern quay has been cleared, the wall and some of the ore shutes can be clearly seen, although some are still obscured by ivy. At the southern end of the quay an access route has been provided from the sites overburden which takes a route up and out to the far end of the retaining wall. At the southern end the height of the wall has been reduced from 3.7 metres to approximately 1.0 metre. Photographs of the cleared ore shutes included.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3990 - Morwellham & Newquay, Devon
• EDV3991 - New Quay, Devon: Archaeological Assessment
• EDV6507 - Survey of New Quay (Ref: 090239)
• EDV8147 - Watching brief during vegetation clearance works at New Quay

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