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Summary

Leat cut in the 12th century to serve the new town mill and the abbey's mill.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47SE/92

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1855-1895, First Edition 1:500 Town Map (Cartographic). SDV338879.

Mill leat shown along north side of Parkwood Road, from east of Kelly College to the iron and brass foundry on Parkwood Road, and on to the Town Mill. Map object based on this source.

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

Mill leat shown from weirs to the north-east of Parkwood, to the Town Mill.

Hicks, H. R., 1942-1946, Drake's Weir, Tavistock, 299-300 (Article in Serial). SDV350139.

Leat marked Drake's Pool mill Leat is shown on a plan of Tavistock of 1752. Started at Head Weir and entered the town through Lower Brook Street to power the old Abbey Mill.

Finberg, H. P. R., 1946, Drake's Weir, Tavistock, 369-70 (Article in Serial). SDV350150.

This leat was constructed between 1150 and 1200, to power both the Abbey Mill and the new Town Mill. Nothing to do with Sir Francis Drake, the name refers to a local family.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 169 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

The course of the mill leat through Parkwood formed part of the borough boundary in the 18th century and the mill sites along it were probably all occupied in the medieval period.

The Tavistock and District Local History Society, 1994, About Tavistock: An Historical Introduction and Six Town Walks, 52 (Monograph). SDV354806.

Leat cut to serve the town corn mill which was built in the 12th century. Called the Mill Brook, the leat took water from the River Tavy, about a mile upstream, and flowed through the Parkwood area, where it was to serve other mills, and into the town where it took over from the Fishlake in passing on from the town mill to serve the abbey corn mill as well.

Warren, S., 2002, Evaluation. Listed Foundry Building. Parkwood Road, Tavistock, 5.2; photo 15 (Report - Evaluation). SDV348734.

Photograph shows the mill leat exposed during conversion of foundry buildings to dwellings.

Mettler, A.E., 2010, Field Book to the Plan of Tavistock: 1751 and 1752, 29, 55-6, 61, 65 (Monograph). SDV350389.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Map object based on this source.

The Tavistock Wynne Map Heritage Project, 2012, Tavistock 1752 (Website). SDV350360.

Route of mill leat shown in green. Map object based on this source.

Frederick Sherrell Limited, Apr 2012, Proposed Olympic Swimming Pool at Kelly College, Tavistock, Devon, 3, 4, Photo 6 (Report - Assessment). SDV359540.

Section of the leat where it passes to the south of the propsed site is dry.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6940 - Desk Study Report for proposed Olympic Swimming Pool at Kelly College, Tavistock (Ref: 3751)

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