The Oxenham Arms at South Zeal is a fascinating place full of history and archaeology along with some notable literary connections. Today the establishment is rated as an AA 4 Star Gold Premier Collection Hotel with AA Rosette Culinary Excellence which is a far cry from its humble beginnings. The …

Just south-east of Princetown is the eminence of Royal Hill which at its height reaches 402 metres. Dotted all around the hill are various Bronze Age cairns and kistvaens. Clearly at this time the hill was regarded as a special ritual centre. Some 360 metres north-north-west of the head of …

Without question there are numerous picturesque and magical places on Dartmoor. Over the years such places have come and gone out of vogue. Tavy Cleave has always been a favourite as has the Fingle Gorge. One that seems to have slipped down the league table is the West Okement Valley. …

What follows is the account of a 16 mile walk taken in the October of 1887. Today parts of this trail would be impossible as it would mean strolling beneath the Meldon Reservoir and therefore unique in its content. Nevertheless it is a fascinating account of the sights and experiences …

The arrival of the railway to Lustleigh heralded a new dawn for the little village and one that would eventually put the place well and truly of the tourist map. People began making their ‘pilgrimage to the picturesque ‘Lustleigh Cleave’ to enjoy its beauty and tranquillity. Initially it was quite …

“Squire Forth he purchased Cator Court, And hath remodelled all the place, With building of such splendid sort , Which all the neighbourhood doth grace.” Jonas Coaker – The Dartmoor Poet Firstly it is always interesting to find the etymology of the place-name one is writing about – in this …

  Over the centuries numerous adventurers had set up companies to exploit Dartmoor’s natural resources, none more so than its ‘Black Gold’ – namely the huge peat deposits on the northern moor.  Some of these enterprises aimed at selling dry peat, others converting it into peat charcoal, peat litter, peat …

“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.” – Genesis 6:17 On the 17th of July 1890 I would have imagined that that the above biblical prophecy …

Here is another nostalgic account of a man’s pilgrimage to Holne and the nearby Dart Valley taken sometime in the late 1880s. As with all such accounts of the period he experienced many things which would not be possible today. What makes this reading more interesting are the various ideas …

“The parish church of Holne is situated in the centre of the village, and is perfectly plain and unpretending in its structure of early English date. Dr. Oliver in his list of the Devonshire churches makes it dedicated to St. Mary. It comprises of a chancel, nave, north and south …