Information about the Hameldon Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

Whiteslade House was originally a medieval farmstead with two ground floor rooms, one of which had a nice fireplace, with cupboard recesses each side.  There were at least two outbuildings beside the house.  Records show that the house was occupied by George Stook, in 1813, and by the reverend John White in 1839.  The most recent inhabitants, at some point in the late 1800's, were two elderly spinsters.  However, it was noticed by their neighbours that these spinsters never seemed to go shopping to provide themselves with food and other everyday essentials.  This gave rise to much speculation and gossip between the locals, with a suspicion of witchcraft constantly coming to mind.  In the end, curiosity got the better of the group and they determined to find out exactly what was going on in the house and how the spinsters managed to live without the apparent purchase of food.  Eventually, a small group of neighbours managed to gain entry into the house, whereupon they found a row of large bottles filled with black slugs preserved in salt!  These apparently formed the main part of their diet, which were supplemented by a few vegetables grown in their garden.  With their secret now uncovered, the two spinsters were so full of shame and embarrassment that they pined away and died.  The house subsequently became known as 'Snaily House', but it was never occupied again and has since deteriorated so that all that now exists are the traces of the walls just above ground level.  Unfortunately we were unable to visit the house on our walk as the whole area around it has been fenced off and is not open for public access.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', pages 556-557).     

2) Riddon Ridge Incised Cross - (SX66641/76673)

Information about the Riddon Ridge Incised Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

3) Arthur's Stone - (SX6692/7873)

Arthur's Stone is located on the left bank of the Walla Brook at the point where the boundaries of Spitchwick Manor, Widecombe, Lydford and Manaton all meet in one spot.  The stone, which had formerly been used as a gatepost, was erected in 1973 by Arthur Routley at the time of the beating of the bounds for Spitchwick Manor.  Hence the stone was named after man who erected it.  When initially erected the stone was blank but a round bronze plaque, of four inches in diameter, was added to each of three faces at the time of the 1995 beating the bounds.  These plaques show an abbreviation for each area represented: WID - Widecombe Parish (East facing); LYD - Lydford Parish (West facing); Spitchwick Manor SJVS (Stephen John Valentine Simpson - Lord of Spitchwick Manor - South facing). There doesn't appear to be the expected plaque on the north face for the Parish of Manaton.  (Sources: Dave Brewer - 'Dartmoor Boundary Markers', pages 77-78 and the Dartmoor Explorations website (Under the heading of Cator Bounds on 29/7/2021)).

Note: On page 77 of his book, Dartmoor Boundary Markers, Dave Brewer gives the Grid Reference of Arthur's Stone as SX6715/7720.  This places it about a mile further downstream on the Walla Brook.  I think he has got it confused with another boundary stone that has been sited in this place for many more years and is marked on the current Ordnance Survey map.  We were intending to visit this other stone on the walk, but the ground was too wet and boggy for us to be able to reach it on the day.

1) Willsworthy Military Firing Range - Abandoned Target Tramways at Reddaford Farm (centres at SX5377/8316 & SX5403/8316)

The Willsworthy Military Firing Range complex was established in the early 1900's by the War Office. Of its earliest developments were two target tramways east of the now ruinous Reddaford Farm: a holding that had been purchased from the Calmady-Hamlyn estate in 1905.

In 'High Dartmoor' Eric Hemery only describes the nearer tramway. He writes of a walled pit to house the winding gear that moved the target and the presence of a cable drum that was fast decaying back in his time and probably now disappeared altogether. Also, an observation post nearby where from, by a series of iron rods, the signal to 'FIRE' could be raised or lowered as required. However, he does not mention the second tramway, 330 yards to the north-east, which GOBS weren't able to look for when visiting in June 2021 due to unfavourable ground with dense gorse and other undergrowth in the area.

The tramway nearest the farm runs from SX53773 83248 to SX53748 83101, commencing inside the eastern enclosure wall, which it breaches to recede from in a straight line, firstly alongside a cornditch (according to Hemery) before moving away from the walls. The furthest tramway runs from SX54022 83411 to SX54018 83247, higher up within the newtake.

Both tramways descend towards the south and in the open are set below low rivetted walls on their western side to offer the target trolleys protection whilst firing was taking place. It is thought that most of the stone used for this purpose may have been taken from the former farm buildings. Concrete block bunkers have been constructed at the ends of each tramway for operating personnel to communicate from and control various items such as winding gear. In the turf near each bunker are rusting counter-balanced shafts which have been attributed to target hoist systems. Rusting rails, at a gauge of two feet, and metal sleepers are in situ the full length of the tramway and visible in places where they have not yet become overgrown.

Of the bunkers the one at the northern terminus of the nearer tramway is close to a step stile. Within are the remains of what appears to be part of a communication system. At the southern terminus the bunker doesn’t appear to have any remaining communications electrics but does have a recess, which presumably housed the system historically.

On the furthest tramway, the northern terminus bunker has collapsed, whereas the bunker at the southern terminus is in better condition and contains an alcove for a telephone, but there is no trace of the wires or capstans which would have been used to move the target trolleys on either tramway.

It is possible that both fixed and moving targets were employed. The firing position(s) look likely to have been from across the Mine Leat in what is known today as Willsworthy Camp. Nothing has been uncovered to explain how these target tramways were actually operated.

There is evidence of the alignment of two other abandoned target tramways lying on the crest and gently sloping SW flank of White Hill.  There is a further article on the lower tramway, written as a result of our walk in the area in June 2021.  (Sources: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', page 989, Tom Greeves and Dartmoor Explorations).

1) Horrabridge War Memorial Cross - (SX51226/69696)

Information about the Horrabridge War Memorial Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

2) Horrabridge Incised Cross - (SX51331/69933)

Information about the Horrabridge Incised Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

3) Boundary Stone - Knowle Down - (SX52495/69852)

Standing close to a wall beside the footpath, that runs along the north-west edge of Knowle Down, is a small, square boundary stone. This stone is engraved with 'K D' on its eastern face and with 'F D' on the opposite western face.  The 'K D' refers to 'Knowle Down', which is an open area beside the road that runs from Horrabridge to Walkhampton, on which the stone stands.  The 'F D' refers to 'Fillace Down.  At one time the whole area, now known as Knowle Down, was split into two with the western section being known as Fillace Down and with Knowle Down occupying the eastern section.  There are now two stones remaining along the boundary line, but we only found the one as the bracken and undergrowth was too high and thick for us to be able to make any real headway towards finding the second stone.  It is reported that there was also a third stone, on a path beside the River Walkham, but I'm not aware of whether the path even exists now, let alone the third boundary stone.

One of the fields bordering Knowle Down is still referred to as The Fillace, which is obviously linked to the former name of that part of the down.  It is thought that the name 'Fillace' is derived from 'Filacer', which is defined in the Chambers Dictionary as 'An officer of the English Court of Common Pleas'. A Filacer would have been responsible for filing original writs on which he made out the process, which I understand were documents confirming ownership.  (Source: Dave Brewer's 'Dartmoor Boundary Markers', pages 192-3).

4) Walkhampton War Memorial Cross - (SX53319/69673)

Information about the Walkhampton War Memorial Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

1) Hunters' Stone - (SX68148/63182)

A short way up the track from the car park at Shipley Bridge and in the fork of the road that leads to the Filtration Plant can be seen a large engraved stone.  This is known as the Hunters' Stone.  The stone was cut in 1948, on behalf of Mr C. A. Mohun-Harris, the resident of Brent Moor House (SX683/634), which was situated a little further up the track from the stone.  This was during the period when the South Devon Water Board were purchasing all the property in the area prior to the start of building the Avon Reservoir (1950 - 1957).  Many of the local Hunt Masters lived at Brent Moor House and this was thought to be a fitting and lasting tribute to them all.  Although some of the inscriptions have worn thin over the intervening years, some of these read as follows:

The one name that appears to be missing is that of Francis Meynell (1821-1870), who was born in Derbyshire, served in the Royal Navy and later retired to Devon.  Francis used to like his horse riding, along with his young daughter, Mary ('Little Lily'), and later became Master of the local Hunt.  Unfortunately, Mary died very young with many Dartmoor references claiming that she died of injuries resulting from a fall from her horse.  In actual fact she died in 1863, aged 4 years old, after suffering for a period from Tonsillitis and Laryngitis.  More details of the Meynell family and Little Lily, in particular, can be found on our 2014 Research Webpage, as a result of our February walk from that year.  (Source: Eric Hemery's High Dartmoor, page 329).

2) River Avon Bridge Supports (possible) - (SX68197/64326)

In doing some research for items of interest when planning the walk, I came across a reference, on the Dartefacts Website (www.dartefacts.co.uk), to a 'Ruined Building' at Long-a-Traw on the banks of the River Avon.  I made a note of the Grid Reference and decided to check it out on the walk.  Although at first glance it does look like a small section of the corner of a building, I'm now certain that it wasn't a building at all.  Although we were not able to cross the river at this point to get a better look, a similar structure could be seen on the opposite bank of the river and adjacent to the structure on our bank.  It then became clear that the two were supports for either a bridge or pipeline across the river at this point.

I haven't been able to find any other sources of information on the structures and so have had to form my own theory.  The building of the Avon Dam and Reservoir took place during the 1950's and was completed in 1957.  In order for all the construction material to be delivered to site, it was necessary for a service road to be built.  The obvious route, and the one used, more or less followed the ancient bridleway up the valley beside the River Avon from Shipley Bridge.  The bridleway starts on the western bank of the river and has to cross the river at some point as it is on the eastern bank when it approaches the dam.  My theory is based on the original bridleway crossing the river by a bridge using these supports at SX6819/6432 and that the bridleway has since been rerouted.  Looking at the current version of the Ordnance Survey Map, a bridleway continues for a short distance on the western bank of the river, from beside the current road bridge (SX6807/6369), before going up over the hill to Buckland Ford.  I think there would have been a junction on this bridleway at around SX6792/6378, with the eastern fork continuing beside the river to cross at our bridge supports.  My thoughts are that in surveying the bridleway in preparation for its conversion to the road up to the dam site, the engineers decided that either the ground on western side of the river was not stable on this stretch but, more likely, the angle of the turn from the bridleway onto the bridge and off again on the other side was too tight for the heavy traffic that would be using the road.  It was more than likely that the bridge was too narrow and insubstantial to take heavy traffic and would have had to have been rebuilt anyway.  It was therefore decided to ignore that relatively short section of track and build a new bridge further to the south (SX6807/6369) where there was more room to accommodate the turns and for the road to be built on the eastern bank to rejoin the original bridleway further upstream.  Now that construction of the dam has long been completed, the new section of road has been adapted into the bridleway on the maps.  (Source: Maurice).

3) Avon Reservoir - (SX6789/6520)

The Avon Dam was built by Tarmac Civil Engineering Ltd during the 1950's, and completed in 1957, on behalf of the South Devon Water Company.  In conjunction with the Venford, Fernworthy, Trenchford, Tottiford and Kennick Reservoirs, the water supplies the population of Torbay and surrounding areas.  The dam is constructed entirely of cement and is around 300 yards in length and the spillway is 94 feet above the stream level below..  A special low heat cement was used, made from a mixture of Portland Cement and granulated wet slag, ground by the 'Trief' process.  The surface area of the reservoir covers 110 acres of Dean and Brent Moors and it has a capacity of 305 million gallons of water.  I've not been able to find out the depth of the water, except to say that it is relatively shallow.  In designing the dam, the engineers allowed for the height to be raised, using the method of stressed cables, to increase the capacity by up to a further 50%, but this option has not been used to date. 

A short distance below the eastern end of the dam, a pair of small railway tracks, set into a rectangular concrete base, can still be seen although one rail has now been lifted from its base and twisted out of shape.  This was a short length of small gauge railway track built to accommodate the crane system for blocks to be moved from the preparation area and put into position on the dam.  When built, the reservoir covered over a medieval settlement, several hut circles and a farmstead.  The settlement can occasionally still be seen close to the point where the Brock Hill Stream enters the reservoir in times of extreme drought, when the water level is very low.  (Source: www.icevirtuallibrary.com and various other websites).