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Summary

Collection of ruinous buildings and structures associated with the 19th century peat works

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440664
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/17
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SE30

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PEAT STORE (Constructed, XVIII to Early 20th Century - 1800 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• PEAT WORKINGS (Constructed, XVIII to Early 20th Century - 1800 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Crossing, W., 1901, A Hundred Years on Dartmoor, 56 (Monograph). SDV350954.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map, 98NE (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Walkhampton Peat Works (disused)' shown on the early 20th century (1907) map.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 170 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric, (1965) (Cartographic). SDV350058.

'Walkhampton Peat Works (disused)' shown on the later 20th century (1965) map.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 105-6 (Monograph). SDV149229.

Le Messurier, B., 1979, Post-Prehistoric Structures of Central North Dartmoor. A Field Survey, 69 (Article in Serial). SDV269283.

Visited on 14th May 1976. At SX 57308070. Walkham Head Peat Works: started about 1875 but disused by 1886. Three ruined stone platforms and a fallen and shattered brick wall or a chimney. At SX 57008075 are three stone uprights, two now fallen, which supported the roof of a peat drying shed. (These Grid Refererences may refer to the 'Works (disused)' shown on modern maps to the south-east.)

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SE30, SX58SE30 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV266861.

(16/10/1979) As described by Le Messurier (1979). The remains of the individual buildings or platforms are perceptible but currently unapproachable within an area of marsh. Not surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. The published building seems to be a generalisation.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 1039 (Monograph). SDV249702.

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

Not visible on Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 110 , Map 33 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Small rectangular building shown at this location. 'Peat Works' shown to the east on the east bank of the River Walkham.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(09/08/1995) The remains of several buildings associated with peat working lie close to Walkham Head Ford, centred at SX 57258067, a further ruined building lies some 350m to the northwest at SX 56928083. The ruinous buildings close to the ford comprise the foundations of three buildings and a ruined chimney. The building closest to the ford, at SX 57258065, comprises a platform of moorstone some 2m square and 0.6m high. Ten metres to the north-east, at SX 57268067, is a rectangular moorstone platform, 5.5m NW-SE, 3.7m NE-SW and 0.6m high. The third building, at SX 57248068, comprises a roughly circular moorstone platform 3m in diameter and 0.7m high surrounded by tumbled stone. The remains of a brick chimney lie at SX 57288066.
Some 350m to the north-west of these buildings, at SX 56928083, lies the remains of a long, rectangular structure, 38.5m E-W and 5.6m N-S. It comprises 2 parallel banks, 2m wide and 0.5m high, revetted with moorstone blocks. Three fallen orthostats lie along the southern bank, these probably supported the roof structure. Both of the banks have gaps at intervals along them, presumably for further roof supporting orthostats. A track links this building to those by the ford. This building has been interpreted by Le Messurier as a peat drying shed (1979); locally it was known as the "Turf House", and was apparently used to store the peat which was destined for Wheal Betsy (Crossing, 1912).
There is evidence of extensive peat cutting in the area around Walkham Head in the form of turf ties, which are now overgrown with heather. The peat was cut for use as fuel in the mines around Mary Tavy 7.5km to the west, notably the mines of Wheal Betsey and Wheal Friendship. The peat was carried by pack horses along the track known as "Black Lane", which led from the works along the northern and western flanks of Lynch tor, down to the moorgate at Baggator. Peat from this source was used in large quantities in these mines in the 1840s (Harris, 1986). In 1883 Cox's Patent prepared Peat-Litter Company began work at Walkham head, but the company was in arrears by 1890 (Hemery, 1983).

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(10/08/2004) As described in 1995. Condition remains unchanged.

English Heritage, 2005, Survey Information (miscellaneous date) (Report - Survey). SDV345855.

Rectangular structure shown on survey.

Cartographic Engineering, 2006, Dartmoor 2006 1:1250 Aerial Photography (digital) (Aerial Photograph). SDV345590.

Visible on aerial photograph.

National Monuments Record, unknown, SX5683 (Aerial Photograph). SDV266860.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8813 - Archaeological and historical investigation of Peat Cutting on North-Western Dartmoor

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