Historic Dartmoor

Widecombe-in-the Moor Village Sign – It is fair to say that this village sign is the most photographed one on Dartmoor. The one that proudly sits on the green today is not the original one nor is it on the same site of the road as once located. The first …

Every now and again one comes across a place-name on a map which begs for an explanation. I came across such an example on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch map of 1888 which was ‘Wallon’. As always one part of research leads to another and then another and before long …

Sometimes today you can come across convoys of military vehicles moving men and equipment around Dartmoor during their training exercises. I think it would be fair to say that such a sighting is not one of the most memorable and exciting experiences. But just imagine witnessing a whole regiment along …

  “The old mail road from Exeter to Falmouth, having reached Okehampton, passes by ruins of the old grey castle that for centuries belonged to the Courtnays and the Baron Mohon of Okehampton, and then winds gradually up an ascent until it arrives at a table-land where the four cross …

Although this report, written by an officer attending the military camp on Whitchurch Down in 1909, is rather rambling and very much tongue in cheek it does give some good insights into camp life. There are several references to ‘myrrh and borax’ which at the time was an ingredient for …

Being incarcerated in any prison must instil a feeling of helplessness in any prisoner, but imagine what that emotion must feel like in times of a national crisis? Currently the world is fighting its way through the Covid 19 pandemic and any locked away must wish they could be with …

“In one of the most lovely spots in Devonshire, or for that matter, the whole of England, is a romantic little village, it lies distant, secluded, still in a fruitful valley, little known, and less troubled by the outer world. It is a veritable Eden, where peace and plenty seem …

As you drive along the A386 and pass through the small village of Sourton the chances are that your eyes will be immediately drawn to the ornate pub, ‘The Highwayman’ sitting on the righthand side. Originally this was once an old hostelry called the ‘New Inn’ which in the 1970s …

Opposite Wistman’s Wood and amidst the Bronze Age features scattered nearby are the remains of a late nineteen century rabbit warren Hemery explains how the warren was established in 1895 as a sporting warren which covered around 330 acres. James Saltroun rented the land from the Duchy and installed his …

Early in the August of 1883 there was a buzz of excitement in Princetown, the streets were being decorated and preparations were being made for a milestone event – the ‘Iron Horse was coming to town. It was expected that the first train would be arriving at the brand spanking …