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Summary

Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway from Sutton Harbour to Princetown. Opened in 1823 and used mainly to transport granite. Section north of Yelverton converted to railway in late 19th century. Most of the rails were removed in 1916.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of the World War II RAF Harrowbeer airfield, as well as medieval fields and farms, industrial tin working, sections of the Devonport and Plymouth Leats, and part of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway on Roborough Down
• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains on Walkhampton Common including 19th century Swelltor and Foggintor Quarries, a section of the early 19th century Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway, later converted to railway, also streamworks along the Yes Tor Brook
• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of a section of the late 18th century Devonport Leat running between Roborough Down and Burrator Reservoir
• SHINE: Earthwork remains of an area of the Hart Tor tinworks west and north of Hart Tor, Walkhampton Common

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: LINEAR 1900
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439568
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NW/41

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TRAMWAY (XIX - 1823 AD (Between) to 1883 AD (Between))

Full description

1840, Tithe Map (Cartographic). SDV339770.

Tithe Map depicts the route of the tramway runnning all the way to Princetown.

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

By the time of the First Edition historic map (late 19th century), the tramway had been converted (north of Yelverton) to the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway. Route of this track and some of the older sections of tramway depicted on the historic map.

Hicks, C. E., 1947-1949, A note of the Plymouth and Dartmoor railroad, 381-383 (Article in Serial). SDV252925.

An act of parliament of 1819 authorised the construction of the Plymouth and Dartmoor railroad. The details of its prospectus are reproduced. The main line of rails was fixed on granite blocks, and the sidings were composed of granite blocks fixed to serve as rails. At Leigham the high ground was tunnelled for about 580 metres. The 37 kilometres of track from Kings Tor to Plymouth were opened in 1823. The railroad was never profitable, and in 1880 the Dartmoor portion was reconstructed to form the Princetown-Yelverton Railway.

Baxter, B., 1966, Stone Blocks and Iron Rails (Article in Serial). SDV340946.

The 4 feet 6 inches Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway ran from Sutton Harbour (SX 486542) to near Princetown (SX 588735), by way of Yelverton, a distance of 25 1/2 miles. It was opened in 1823 for the transport of granite to Plymouth and coal, timber, sea-sand, etc., to Princetown. The line became part of the South Devon Railway in 1851, and then in 1878 it became the Princetown Railway and was partly abandoned. At Leigham (SX 515286) is a tunnel, 620 yards long.

Thomas, D. St. J., 1966/1973, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain Volume 1 The West Country (Monograph). SDV363838.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 20-21, 169-174 (Monograph). SDV149229.

The Plymouth and Dartmoor tramway was planned in the early 19th century by Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt to add to the developing road system across the moor. It was intended to bring up lime and sea-sand for the improvement of the land, timber for building, coal and other domestic necessities. In returning, the railway would carry Dartmoor's exportable commodities; granite, peat and mining products.
The line opened on 26 September 1823, although at that time the upper end only reached as far as King Tor, in the vicinity of the granite quarries. The final section to Princetown subsequently completed. The total length of the single track line was 25.5 miles with a high degree of winding and looping due to the terrain. The railway was not the success it was hoped. Little was carried on it other than granite and by 1840 traffic had dwindled considerably. The section above Yelverton was sold, reconstructed to standard gauge and reopened as the Princetown Railway in 1883. Occasional traffic was carried on the lower section until about 1900 but in 1916 most of the rails, except those taken over by the Lee Moor Tramway, were removed.

Kendall, H. G., 1968, The Plymouth and Dartmough Railway and its Forerunners (Monograph). SDV340944.

Greatly detailed account of the railway and its history.

Anthony, G. H., 1971, The Tavistock, Launceston and Princetown Railways, 86-100 (Monograph). SDV341175.

Detail based on Kendall.
The King Tor to Princetown section of the track was completed by December 1926.

Minchinton, W. E., 1976, Industrial Archaeology in Devon, 27 (Monograph). SDV7016.

Tramway track. The Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway. Built for Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt by William Hughes and Roger Hopkins, ran between Sutton Harbour and Princetown. Opened in 1823, it was used for the transport of granite to Plymouth and raw materials and general supplies for Princetown.

Thomas, D. St. J., 1981, A Regional History of Railways of Great Britain, 110-112 (Monograph). SDV168.

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

Partly visible on the aerial photographs.

Gray, V., 1985 - 1986, Tramway/Railway (Worksheet). SDV340943.

Horsedrawn tramway. Route of track can be traced for almost its entire length through Bickleigh parish. Section near Darklake Farm has a number of stone sleepers in situ. Embankment to south of Farm collapsing. Four milestones in situ.

Bastin, C. H., 1989, Princetown Railways (Pamphlet). SDV252923.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Some sections of embankment still depicted on the modern mapping. Map object partly based on this source.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015 onwards, 2015 onward Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV362959.

Wakeham, C., 2016, Report on an Audit of Archaeological Features and Structures Relating to Railways and Tramways on Dartmoor Phase 1, DR+T_GWRP_052, DR+T_PDR_001-002, 010, 034, 036, 039, 043, 056, 058 (Report - Assessment). SDV360397.

Various sections of trackbed recorded in the 2015-16 railway audit.
[DR+T_GWRP_052] Track bed at SX 55481 72225. Track of compacted earth and granite rubble "metalling" on the southern side of the Princetown Branch which intersects with the railway track bed at about SX 55512 72227 in the east and SX 55440 72230 in the west.
[DR+T_PDR_001] Track bed at SX 55460 73991. Section of Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed between SX 55440 73971 and SX 55375 73838 which was abandoned during the laying of the Great Western Railway line in favour a of a shorter and less angular bend through cutting DR+T_GWRP_167.
[DR+T_PDR_002] Track bed at SX 55385 73832. Section of Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed to the southeast of the later Great Western Railway track bed as it enters cutting DR+T_GWRP_168. This section of the old Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed emerges from beneath the Great Western Railway line at about SX 55385 73833 and heads in a general SSE direction towards the intersection of the King Tor and Swelltor Quarry sidings with the main Great Western Railway line.
[DR+T_PDR_010] Track bed at SX 55355 72063. Raised (c.0.2m high) section of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed, c.2.9m in width and stretching for about 170m between SX 55336 72128 and SX 55417 71968. Its course merges with the later Great Western Railway track bed at both ends. It may be seen to continue to the north of its truncation by the Great Westerm Railway line as DR+T_PDR_052. This track bed section (DR+T_PDR_010) contains a series of c.0.6m (east-west) by 0.5m indents lying 0.4-0.5m apart along its upper surface. These indents appear to be the former positions of the granite setts which held the rails.
[DR+T_PDR_034] Curved section of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed where its course was abandoned by the later Princetown Branch between SX 58231 73314 and SX 58375 73340.
[DR+T_PDR_036] Curved section of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed where its course was abandoned by the later Princetown Branch between SX 58130 73253 and SX 58211 73312. It is c.120m in length and is on a general northeast-southwest alignment, curving out slightly to the northwest along its course.
[DR+T_PDR_039] Curved section of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed where its course was abandoned by the later Princetown Branch between SX 57109 73192 and SX 57333 73155. It is c.245m in length and is on a general northwest-southeast alignment, curving out slightly to the south along its course.
[DR+T_PDR_043] Curved section of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway track bed where its course was abandoned by the later Princetown Branch between SX 56961 73154 and SX 57112 73198.
[DR+T_PDR_056] SX 54495 70620. The course of the later Princetown Branch deviated away to the east of the Princetown Railway Branch as it passed through a number of fields which are now part of Peekhill Farm. The first edition Ordnance Survey map depicts the defunct stretch of track bed as still in situ in 1883, although the second edition shows that it had been removed.
[DR+T_PDR_058] Track bed (possible) at SX 56239 72515. An apparent curved stretch of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway identified from satellite imagery (NLS). Its southern end lies about SX 56207 72414, near that of the Princetown Branch cutting DR+T_GWRP_171. It appears to curve out to the northwest to its furthest point at about SX 56239 72515. This point is near the lower end of the northwest ramp or embankment leading to bridge DR+T_GWRP_042. The northern end of the embankment lies at about SX56357 72552 near the northern end of the Princetown Branch cutting. The track bed section is an estimated 240m in length and was bypassed by the later cutting.
See report / dataset for full information.

Richards, A. F., 2021, Correction of the tramway route (Personal Comment). SDV364199.

(05/03/2021) Correction of the route of the tramway pointed out; near the Burrator Inn in Dousland the route of the railway diverges from that of the tramway, creating a more gradual curve.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7375 - Archaeological recording during construction of the Dousland to Rundlestone water main (Ref: 94.40)
• EDV7384 - Survey of buildings at Swell Tor Quarry, Walkhampton
• EDV8225 - Survey of an area of Walkhampton CommonSurvey of an area of Walkhampton Common
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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