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Summary

Steam hauled inclined plane from the top of Morwell Wood down to the port of Morwellham, forming the last half mile of Devon Great Consols Railway.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021461: Morwellham Quay: transport infrastructure, part of the water control system and a manganese mill

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• INCLINED PLANE (XIX - 1857 AD to 1859 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, SX47SW29 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV336793.

Ordnance Survey, 1907, 111NW (Cartographic). SDV323423.

'Old Incline' shown on early 20th century map.

Minchinton, W. E., 1976, Industrial Archaeology in Devon, 30 (Monograph). SDV7016.

Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T., 1998, Objective 5B: Lower Tamar Valley Recreation and Land Management Iinitiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal, 37 (Report - non-specific). SDV319814.

Buck, C., 2005, Wheal Russell Mine, Devon: Archaeological Assessment, 41 (Report - Assessment). SDV336659.

Devon Great Consols Incline (Site 47) running south from SX4428170353 to Morwellham Quay at SX4452769571. The last half mile of the Devon Great Consols Railway (see PRN 3880) down to the Morwellham Quays on the River Tamar was a steep incline & the trucks were drawn & lowered by a stationary engine & wire rope. The 1867 maps show the Devon Great Consols Incline Winder complex during the heyday of copper ore production (see PRN 3862) whilst the 1884 map shows its operation during the arsenic refining phase (see PRN 3865). The incline is shown as a single track. By 1904 the engine house was unroofed but the cottages were still in use. The survey in 2005 found the incline route of the railway had been cleared of vegetation. Other details: Figs 5-7, 8, 9.

Waterhouse, R., 2006, Proposed Archaeological Excavation of the Devon Great Consols Incline Portal at Morwellham Quay, 5 (Report - non-specific). SDV344977.

A four mile standard guage railway was constructed between 1857 and 1859 to transport copper from Devon Great Consols mine to Morwellham Quay. The last half mile of this descended a steam-hauled inclined plane from the top of Morwell Wood down to the port of Morwellham, running out onto the quays on raised timber trestle viaducts. Excavation of the tunnel portal in 2006 showed that waterlogged timber was present on parts of the site, but overall preservation was poor. In situ timbers include baulk sleepers of Great Western variety, and remains of upright supports for rubbing posts. The latter were very poorly preserved while the majority of the track baulks appear to have been removed in 1903-04.

Buck, C., 2009, Project Design for Site Trenching and Archaeological Recording of Former Buildings at the Morwellham Steam Incline Winder, Devon, Appendix; Site 47 (Report - non-specific). SDV366274.

The incline route went straight down the side of the hill. The track bed route has not been planted with conifers (or if it had, they have now been felled), and so can be clearly seen from above and below the hillslope. Out of the project area the line went through a tunnel and under a row of houses down to the quays.
There may be some timber railway setts still buried in situ.

Buck, C., 2012, Morwell Wood Trail, Nr Morwellham, Devon: Impact Assessment
Nr Morwellham, Devon
Impact assessment, 15, 19; Site 47 (41) (Report - Assessment). SDV361384.

Incline railway bed visible through undergrowth. Crossed by route of proposed Morwell Wood Trail at SX 44304 70435. This narrow site is now a Scheduled monument, but visually it consists of a cleared tree line of hillside 6m wide sloping down towards Morwellham. There are no visible archaeological features. It is proposed to protect the surface of this feature (which does not appear through the undergrowth to have any evidence of visible track bed material), by applying a cover of stone, edged by timber kept in place by small timber stays.

Waterhouse, R., 2017, The Tavistock Canal. Its History and Archaeology, 192, 430-432, 438-464, Fig 6.46, 12.18 (Monograph). SDV361789.

Detailed discussion of the plateway and railway systems relating to the Tavistock Canal considered in Waterhouses' chapter 12. See report for full detail.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4040 - Wheal Russell Mine, Devon: Archaeological Assessment
• EDV4840 - Archaeological Excavations at the Devon Great Consols Incline Portal, Morwellham Quay, 2006
• EDV9109 - Impact Assessment: Proposed Morwell Wood Trail, Wheal Maria, Gulworthy

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