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Summary

Granite quarries at West Emsworthy Rocks worked as part of the Haytor Granite quarries, set up in the 1820s by George Templer. The quarry is small in scale and probably undeveloped. Extraction focused on two faces mainly above ground on the north and north-west sides of an exposed granite outcrop. Both faces were served by branches of the Haytor Granite Tramway (SX 77 NE 27) and remains of the trackbed and fragments of stone track are still in place.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77NW100
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1202051
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NW/126

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• QUARRY (Constructed, XVIII to XIX - 1751 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Adams, E. A., 1946, The Old Heytor Granite Railway, 153 (Article in Serial). SDV341504.

Small disused quarry near Emsworthy Newtake. It was connected by the old granite tramway to the main Haytor Quarry. Several granite setts still in position.

Ewans, M. C., 1977, The Haytor Granite Tramway and Stover Canal (Monograph). SDV341543.

Thomas, D. St. J., 1981, A Regional History of Railways of Great Britain, 86-7 (Monograph). SDV168.

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

Not visible on aerial photographs.

Devon County Council + Teignbridge District Council, 1985, Haytor Granite Tramway and Stover Canal (Report - non-specific). SDV349496.

Everett, C., 1988, Haytor Down - Summary of Archaeological Features, HD6, Map 2 (Report - Survey). SDV359684.

Two 19th century granite quarry working faces.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume One - The East, 24, Map 1 (Monograph). SDV299725.

The furthest point reached by the tramway is the west end of the Emsworthy Rock ridge. There are two faces with a track to each though neither has been much worked. The track ends at tumbled stones split from the rock face and maybe ready for loading.

Harris, H., 1994, The Haytor Granite Tramway and Stover Canal, 43 (Monograph). SDV341541.

The westernmost quarry at Haytor granite quarry complex. Possibly one of the earliest workings developed by George Templer from 1813. May have supplied setts for the granite tramway.

Newman, P., 1999, 2002, Haytor Down, Ilsington, Devon (Revised), 29, Figure 9 (Report - Survey). SDV346395.

(20/02/1999) Granite quarries at West Emsworthy Rocks worked as part of the Haytor Granite quarries, set up in the 1820s by George Templer. The quarry is small in scale and probably undeveloped. Extraction focused on two faces mainly above ground on the north and north-west sides of an exposed granite outcrop. Both faces were served by branches of the Haytor Granite Tramway (SX 77 NE 27) and remains of the trackbed and fragments of stone track are still in place. The two faces also each have a spoil heap associated with them, consisting of large, angular fragments of granite of up to 2m in length, many showing traces of feather and tare and shot holes. The western quarry heap has traces of a tramway on its top surface suggesting further development at the site was anticipated but never realised. Also at the western quarry is a circular stone-built structure measuring 3.5m diameter by 0.9m high with one side collapsed. This is possibly the base for a crane, used for loading large blocks onto the tramway wagons. In addition to the quarries which are unlikely to be earlier than 1820, there is also many moorstone cutting pits in the vicinity of Emsworthy Rocks, including several very large ones north of the tramway. These could be associated with an earlier episode of stone extraction in this area.
Depicted by discussed by Harris, (1994); for history see Ewans (1964). Depicted by Butler (1991).
For plan see RCHME 1999.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 2002, Haytor Down: The Archaeology (Plan - measured). SDV359685.

Two areas of quarrying shown on survey to the west of Emsworthy Rocks..

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

Quarry faces shown on survey.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7021 - Haytor Down: Survey Report (Ref: A1/2/1999)

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