Historical Sites in Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor Archaeology, Dartmoor, Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor Archaeology Dartmoor has the longest stone row in the world, '60% of all stone rows to be found in England' and 'a third of all stone rows in the UK and Brittany' (stats from Postbridge National Park Visitor Centre). Tavistock, on the western border of the national park, is part of...
Rider's Rings, South Brent, Dartmoor National Park
Rider's Rings, or Ryder's Rings, is an ancient settlement on high moorland situated on the western lip of the Avon Dam Reservoir Valley. We've positioned Rider's Rings on Google maps. Zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location. To visit, head for the car parking area at Shipley Bridge...
Tamar Valley & Tavistock UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tavistock, Dartmoor National Park
The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape is one of a small number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK. It's split into sections. Running north east/south west, these are*: Tamar Valley Mining District with Tavistock. Caradon Mi...
Foxtor Farm, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park
Foxtor Farm is a collection of ruined buildings and enclosures east of the infamous Foxtor Mires. Fox Tor, a series of rocky outcrops on the edge of Dartmoor's south plateau, is to the south. Today, the farm ruins are in a remote and quiet area of the National Park. On the route of ancient paths and...
Swincombe, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park
Swincombe is a collection of ruined, disused buildings just west of Hexworthy. It's named on the Harvey British Mountain Map 'Dartmoor' map. The buildings are drawn on an area of private land on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map but not named. Swincombe consists of Higher/Upper and...
Crock of Gold, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park
The Crock of Gold is a cairn circle and cist by Conchies Road roughly a mile and a half east of Princetown. One of Dartmoor's most famous cists with, arguably, the most evocative name, the Crock of Gold burial site is very easily accessible on foot. A crock is an earthenware pot or jar. Pres...
Conchies Road, Princetown, Dartmoor National Park
During WW1, many Conscientious Objectors were housed in Dartmoor Prison. In this time, they built what is know locally as 'Conchies Road' which runs from the Tor Royal area just east of Princetown across the moors towards Swincombe Bridge. The road stops about half way between these points. Roughly...
Yarrow Mine/Devon Wheal Francis/Yarner Copper Mine, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park
At Yarner Wood Reserve Base, painted on an angled wood panel, are depictions of the Yarner Wood area through history. One, particularly dark, is of a bleak landscape. In the foreground is a mine. It's hard to imagine when wandering around this wood today that there was once a thriving copp...
Hutholes Abandoned Medieval Settlement, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park
An information board on site reads that 'this is the site of a deserted medieval settlement known today as Hutholes. Within an area of just under an acre lie the remains of six buildings dating to the 13th and 14th centuries A.D.' We've positioned Hutholes on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satell...
Dinna Clerks Longhouse, Widecombe in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor is known for its longhouses. Higher Uppacott is a superb example of an extant longhouse. The ruined medieval village at Hound Tor is famous for its medieval longhouse foundations. We include the lesser known Dinna Clerks because it's a great excuse to encourage you to visit one of Sout...
Higher Uppacott Longhouse, Poundsgate, Dartmoor National Park
Exeter has a superb museum. In its medieval section is a model of a house with toy animals at one end and living space at the other. The model is popular with children and is a great introduction to a Devon longhouse. There are dozens of these longhouses in and around Dartmoor National Park. The...
Battle of Lydford Memorial, Lydford, Dartmoor National Park
Near English Heritage's Lydford Castle (English Heritage), across the road from Lydford St Petroc's Church, is a distinctive memorial topped by a Viking axe crossing a Saxon shield. This marks the 'SITE OF DANISH SAXON CONFLICT. 997 AD'. The following is taken from 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' edi...
Battle of Bovey Heath Battlefield, Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor National Park
Near the eastern border of Dartmoor National Park, on the outskirts of the gateway town Bovey Tracey, is Bovey Heathfield Local Nature Reserve. In the seventeenth century, during the English Civil War, this was the site of the Battle of Bovey Heath. There's an information board on site that reads:...
Battle of Sourton Down Battlefield, Sourton, Dartmoor National Park
Sourton is a small village on the north eastern border of Dartmoor National Park. Sourton Down is a nearby area of countryside where the A30 passes over the A386. Dartmoor's highest ground at Yes Tor and High Willhays is visible from the down. On the night of the 25th April 1643, this was the locati...
Huntingdon Barrow or Heap of Sinners, South Brent, Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor is blessed with some super place names. There's Deadmans Bottom and Grim's Grave, the Crock of Gold and The Ten Commandments Stones. Our favourite is the Heap of Sinners north west of the Avon Dam Reservoir on Dartmoor's south moor. The location lives up to the name. The barrow sits at t...