Author: Stephen Holley

  • Walkham Valley Mines

    Walkham Valley Mines

    Geology The lodes worked occur in an area of clay-slates of Devonian age. Southwards towards Yelverton, these slates show signs of Metamorphism. Some 600-700 ft north of the workings is a large elvan dyke, which extends westwards to the Hingston Down-Gunnislake granite mass. General Information This article concerns four mines two of which were predominantly…

  • Tin Workings around Chagford

    Tin Workings around Chagford

    CHAGFORD jump to: Greet Week Map Chagford has long been associated with the tin-mining industry of Dartmoor, being one of the three original 1305 Stannary Towns. Chagford served the north east of Dartmoor and as a Stannary Town acted as a centre for the taxing and marketing of tin in this district of Dartmoor. During…

  • Westdown and Anderton mines

    Westdown and Anderton mines

    Westdown Mine West Down is situated north of the River Walkham and attempts to realise paying lodes between Lower Grenofen and the River Tavy were made around the 1840’s and 1850’s. The earliest documentation relating to this area dates to 1847 when some mining was being undertaken on the easterly extension of one of the…

  • Steeperton Mine

    Steeperton Mine

    According to Dines Steeperton Mine (aka Knack Mine) was an unsuccessful trial on the western slopes of Steeperton Tor.Helen Harris in her book the Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor gives a little more information as follows:At the foot of the western slopes of Steeperton Tor are the remains of Steeperton Tor or Knack Mine which was…

  • Stormsdown Mine

    Stormsdown Mine

    Stormsdown is at the head of Owlacombe a tributary valley of the the Langworthy Brook, which itself is a tributary of the River Lemon. The geology consists of shales, grits and chert otherwise known as killas by the miners. The mines are in the metamorphic aurole zone that surrounds the igneous mass and the lodes…