See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

New Quay the ruined remains of small 18th century port on the River Tamar which included two quays, industrial housing, an inn, stables, warehouses & limekilns. Structures visible on aerial photographs were recorded here as part of the Tamar Valley NMP project.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX46NE/538

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• QUAY (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Some of the structures transcribed as part of the Tamar Valley NMP project are depicted on this map.

Booker, F., 1967, Industrial Archaeology of the Tamar Valley, 50 (Monograph). SDV240774.

Enlargement of Quay mainly due to export of surplus copper ore from Devon Great Consols mine. One of the principal lime burning centres for farmland west of Tavistock.

Gaskell-Brown, C., 1980, Untitled Source (Monograph). SDV242404.

New Quay. Ruined remains of small port based at Quay on River Tamar. First leased in 1755 when a small quay and the access track were built. The quay expanded up to maximum extent in 1867. The settlement declined in the early 20th century being abandoned shortly before the end of World War II. The southern quay is bounded by a substantial wall with buttresses. The wall is pierced by at least 8 ore shutes. Probably built in 1856. The northern quay is heavily overgrown and silted. Paved in places with stone slabs c0.6 meters square. Bounded by stone wall on east. The central area contained 1755 dock now not visible.

NMR, 1982, SX46NE22 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV336507.

It appears that the original quay was repaired and extended between 1774 and 1786, a second dock being excavated to the south of the original dock, but this additional dock was filled in between 1817 and 1832. Other details: Aerial photographs SX4569 Nos 2-7.

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

The deserted village and port of Newquay was built in 1755 as a small quay beside the River Tamar to handle agricultural products. It expanded during the mining boom of the 1840s only to fall into decline by 1900. By 1950, it was totally deserted and its buildings are now ruinous. The remaining structures include a limekiln, built in 1774, with an incline plane, a water-wheel pit and leat system, a sawpit, tiled or paved quay with ore chutes above, a row of cottages, smithy and inn (see PRNs 19381-19386 & PRNs 55853-55856 ). The quay, northwards from the inclined plane was paved with slabs. The central quay area opposite the limekiln originally contained the dock built in 1755, but this had silted up by 1884. A warehouse, built in 1755 at the dockhead, had been removed by 1858. The area just north of the dock contained coal stores, an office and yard from 1832 until after 1884, but no trace of these now remains. The tiled southern ore quay, extending from the blacksmith's house to the powder magazine, was almost certainly constructed in 1856, the quay structure, made of horizontal bundles of stakes to provide a firm base, was faced with squared vertical timbers held in position by iron straps. Other details: Figs 1-9, Drawings A-H.

Timms, S., 1985, An Archaeological Assessment of the Remains of the Quay, Mine and Arsenic Works at Gawton, Tavistock Hamlets, 1- (Report - Assessment). SDV352213.

In 1983, work began on vegetation clearance and consolidation on the remains at New Quay, in order to conserve them as part of the Morwellham project. A survey were completed in 1982 by Cynthia Gaskell Brown (Plymouth City Museum) to identify the significant surviving features and structures.

Griffith, F. M., 1988, DAP/JU, 8-11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV336509.

Griffith, F., 1988, Devon's Past. An Aerial View, 111 (Monograph). SDV64198.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1991, An Assessment of Copper Mining in Devon (Copper, Brass, Tin) (Report - Assessment). SDV60709.

Miller, A., 1996, RCHME Aerial Photograph Primary Recording Project (Interpretation). SDV53184.

A rapid examination of aerial photographs shows the remains of Newquay, from the sawpit south to the blacksmith's house.

Hills, 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). SDV336510.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2001-2002, Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records, RAF 540/226/F10/5246-7 (Interpretation). SDV346287.

Post-medieval structures of possible limekilns and industrial buildings are visible on aerial photographs.

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

Smith, J. R., 2006, Bere Alston to Tavistock Railway: Archaeological Assessment, 35-6 (Report - Assessment). SDV336796.

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

A survey of New Quay was undertaken in 2006 to inform future land reclamation & management proposals. New Quay is an abandoned industrial settlement on the east side of the River Tamar in an Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty which forms part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. The small port began in the mid 18th century as an outlet for a stone & slate quarry (see PRN 19387) as well as agricultural products & the import of coal, timber & lime from 1774 to 1904. Most of the buildings were constructed in the early 19th century when the quay exported surplus copper ore from Devon Great Consols Mine. By 1860 New Quay had grown into a small village & formed a continuous river frontage to Gawton Quay to the south. Structures surviving in 2006 included quay workers accommodation (see PRN 19382), an inn (see PRN 19386), two quays, limekilns (see PRN 19384), sawpit (see PRN 19381), smithy (see PRN 19383), warehouses (see PRN 19385), ore hutches & shutes, ore quay floors & a substantial retaining wall (see PRN 55856). The southern part of the northern quay (Site 4) centred on NGR SX45346965 was the first phase of ore quay construction by 1758 with the remainder constructed by 1817. Six mooring posts were shown on the 19th Ordnance Survey map of which two granite posts survive. The southern quay (Site 22) centred on NGR SX45476939, built in 1856, was inaccessible in 2006.

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, 26-27, 110-117 fig 8, 18-19 (Report - Assessment). SDV363202.

Watching brief during vegetation clearance works (see related records for detail).
The North Quay had been previously cleared of vegetation and laid to grass. During 2014 the site was cleared and levelled. In many places the quay tiles and flagstones can be clearly seen.
The southern part of the quay's first phase of construction was carried out in 1758. The remainder of the quay was constructed by 1817, with the quay being entirely re-tiled in 1846.
Only two of the original six granite mooring posts are left in situ on the quay. Close to the incline plain is evidence for a wall running parallel to the incline (function unknown).
Summary of the history of New Quay also included in report; tracing ownership back to the mid 18th century.
Recommendations for management of the structural remains provided, including continuing vegetation clearance and maintenance works.

Houghton, P., 2015, An Archaeological and Historical Report on New Quay Nr Tavistock Devon Volume Two - Appendices (Report - Assessment). SDV363236.

Census information from 1841-1911 compiled to give details of the residents at New Quay and their occupations. In 1841, 35 people were living at the site, in eight properties. The 1851 Census is the first to mention the New Quay Inn being run by Elizabeth Wills. The blacksmith John Redstone is still living on site and residing in his house with 10 others (including his family members). By this time there are 43 people in nine properties. By 1861, this number had increased to 68 (11 properties); this is the busiest time in the sites recorded history. The later census returns from the 19th century show a downward trend in terms of occupants (1871; 47, 1881; 39, 1891; 33) and the number of dwellings decreases to five properties, although by the 1911, only two properties were still in use.
Details from the annual report on the Tavistock Estates (1867) and recommendations for buildings included, as well as images of the artefacts found on the site.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2016, Backlog Recording of the Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Survey (Personal Comment). SDV359374.

The structures transcribed here are clearly associated with New Quay, some of which are depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map. A number of these also have there own individual moument records. Only part of the photo reference is given in the transcription attributes, so the date of the photographs is not known.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3946 - New Quay, Devon: Archaeological Assessment
• EDV3947 - Morwellham & Newquay, Devon
• EDV3948 - New Quay Devon. An Archaeological and Historical Survey
• EDV3949 - DAP/JU
• EDV6507 - Survey of New Quay (Ref: 090239)
• EDV6911 - Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme
• EDV8147 - Watching brief during vegetation clearance works at New Quay

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.