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Destruction of Dartmoor’s Mining Past

 

National Cycle Network Route No.27 - Roborough Down:

 

A new cycle way is in the process of being constructed across Devon, and a section on the south-western peripheries of Dartmoor has been brought to our club’s attention. This new section appears under the banner of “Drake’s Trail Project.” The National Cycle Network route No.27 which forms the “spine” of this new coast to coast trail extending across Devon. This project has acquired £80,000 of funding from the following – Devon County Council, Devon Rural Renaissance and the West Devon Borough Council.

 

Drake’s Trail in our opinion is a misnomer, as Sir Francis Drake was a seafarer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Admittedly Drake oversaw the construction of the Drake’s leat, or otherwise known as the Plymouth leat. Completion came on the 24th April 1591 which saw the first supply of water reach the city of Plymouth. Drake’s leat is situated along the eastern flank of Roborough Down along with the village of Clearbrook. A short part of the trail passes along this way, and we suppose this is how the trail was given its misnomer.

 

If whoever selected the name for this section of the trail had thought it out a little better, I’m sure a much better name could have been chosen. Considering this new trail crosses many kilometres of old mining remains, you would have thought that a more appropriate name would have been chosen.

 

Lets us take a look at the number of old tin, copper, lead and iron mines that this route passes close or through. For this report I’ll start at Plym Bridge. Here the route follows the course of the old railway passing Boringdon Consols, Cann Mine, Wheal Lopes, Bickleigh Vale Phoenix, Tunnel Mine, Shaugh Iron Mine, and South Wheal Yeoland. Now the route takes a different track following the leat to Yelverton passing through parts of Yeoland Consols. Also a number of medieval mine workings have been, or are very close to this new route. From here the route crosses Roborough Down on a new section of track passing through ancient tinworks on the northern edges of the Down. This is where the Devon Mining Club feels that either no consultation or consideration was given to the proposed route. Also was a programme of archaeological monitoring and recording undertaken?

 

Report:

 

The DMC do not at present have to hand all the basic facts on this section of new track, because we are unable to get a response from the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) from our request for information. We understand from hearsay the DNPA gave planning consent for this new section of track. Our questions are as follows: - Was a survey undertaken of the ancient mine working at National Grid Reference (NGR) SX51038 69041. If not we would very much like to know why, or did the DNPA not consider the importance of such mine workings? 

 

Note felled tree and brash left everywhere - Cycle track runs along the light coloured embankment. Scale: 2 metres (Red & White ranging pole)

 

An ancient mine working on the north-eastern flank of Roborough Down has been destroyed by this new cycle track. The section destroyed is an ancient open work that probably dates from medieval times. It is also quite possible that this open work could have been what is known as a “Beam” or “Gert.” This gulley as we will call it for the sake of this report runs due east – west, which is the course of the majority of tin (Cassiterite) lodes. The ancient miners’ would work the veins of ore following them down in depth to they were hampered by impeding water. Admittedly the club have not located any documentation or records to support this statement. Our theory is based on the fact that the tin lode is a continuation of one of the Furze Hill Wood Mine lodes. This mine is well documented, and is known to have been working during the 15th and 16th centuries. Miners’ would search for new or continuing lodes for some considerable distance depending on the mineralisation of the Country (Geological term for rock). First they would sink shallow trial pits known as “Costean Pits” until a lode was discovered, before they took out a grant or lease to work an enclosed area known as a “Sett.”  The club have located records of late 17th and 18th century mine workings of this particular section of new track.

 

Newly laid cycle track through ancient mine workings: Note the damaged spoil tips: Scale: 2 metres (Red & White ranging pole)

 

The club have major concerns regarding the size and finished surface of this new cycle track running across the north-eastern flank of Roborough Down. Since when does a newly-laid cycle track have to be between 3.3 and 3.5 metres wide with a hardcore base and tarmac surface finished off with chippings? This is absolutely beyond belief as the surface is much better than probably 95% of Devon’s main-road surfaces. We do understand that this new track has to be wheel-chair and walker friendly as well, but why so over-kill? Is this all to do with the “Health and Safety” laws?

 

Destroyed Gulley:

 

The gulley starts beside the road just over the cattle-grid off the A386 at NGR SX 51075 69041. As previously stated it runs west tapering to a number of costean (trial) pits higher up the Down. In the close vicinity of the new cycle track are a number of old costean pits, and one filled-in trial shaft. The club doubt that the local authorities even knew about this filled-in shaft.

 

Destroyed ancient spoil tips that have been cut through by Bull-dozers: 24.6 metres:  Scale: 1 metre (Red & White ranging poles)

 

The contractors of this newly laid cycle track have obliterated a large section of this ancient gulley by bull-dozing in a lot of material to form a level track running around the top section. Over 45 metres of ancient spoil tips has been interfered with to form part of an embankment. This breaks down as follows: - On the north-western side of the gully 24.6 metres disturbed, and the south-western side 21.5 metres have been disturbed. At the point where the new cycle track crosses the centre of the gulley there is 13.5 metres in width of disturbance. You would have thought that all disturbances would have been kept to a minimum, but no. The span of the gulley and this is not its widest point is 24.5 metres. This measurement was taken at that particular point because we couldn’t measure it further down due to trees interfering with the tape measure.

 

Measured section across the gullies width - 24.5 metres at this point - Scale: 2 metres (Red & White ranging pole)

 

Anderton Tin Mine – Dressing Floors:

 

The DMC have major concerns regarding the same kind of construction of another section of cycle track passing through the Anderton Tin Mine dressing-floors. This section of proposed cycle track will start from Anderton Lane NGR SX 4877 7246 to a stream crossing at the south end of Anderton Mine NGR SX 4889 7233. The Devon County Council “Brief for Staged Programme of Archaeological Monitoring and Recording” specifically states a number of precautions and environmental proposals that have to be adhered to. The club understand that a similar one would have been drawn up with very similar precautions and environmental proposals for the section crossing the north-eastern flank of Roborough Down. If that was the case then why was an ancient open cast tin mining gulley destroyed in the name of “Drake’s Trail”?

 

Conclusion:

 

It beggars belief that these so-called authorities can at their own leisure destroy our mining past and heritage with no concerns at all. The club also understands that planning permission was passed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) for the Roborough section. If this was the case then how can a bunch of un-elected representatives of the DNPA are allowed to pass planning permission? You might as well let the lunatics take over the asylum.