Foggintor Quarry tramway - a photo on Flickriver

As I haven't posted a photograph to flickr for well over a week, I thought I'd upload one this morning to let you all know I'm still around. Life is a little busy right now with a house restoration project which will probably be ongoing for much of 2012. When I am able I will get out and about with my camera occasionaly this year! This photograph is from my last serious trek out with the camera in the company of David (Wiffsmiff) who has just walked out of the edge of the frame on the right side of this picture.

Work started at Foggintor around 1800. The Granite was extracted, and originally used in the construction of Dartmoor Prison constructed to house French prisoners of war. The materials were also used to construct much of Princetown, which grew up around the prison.

Foggintor Quarry has long been abandoned but it was not only a quarry but a thriving community. In it's hey day around 1840 hundreds of men were employed in the area. By 1850 Hill cottages had a total of 10 dwellings all with very productive gardens. On reaching the quarry it becomes immediately obvious that using the suffix Tor is no longer warranted, all that remains is a hollowed out shell.

Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt (1762-1833) had visions of Dartmoor being a thriving place to live and work. Dartmoor Prison was his project he laid the first stone and the Prison was completed in 1809. After the declaration of peace in 1815 the Prison lay empty. Sir Thomas had not given up on his Dartmoor ambitions and realised that what Princetown needed was a railway. To carry materials mainly Granite from the moor to the port of Plymouth. The railway was completed in 1823 originally a horse drawn tramway transporting granite to Plymouth. The old tracks laid the foundations of what was to become the Plymouth to Yelverton railway, which ceased operations in 1953.

The much improved transport links allowed Dartmoor Granite to be used much further away. Foggintor granite was used to construct the column of Nelsons column. The railway served the other quarries long after the closure of Foggintor in 1906. Sewell Quarry continued to provide Granite until the 1930's.

www.dartmoor20.co.uk/dartmoorlocations/foggintorquarry.php

This image is copyrighted to Michael John Stokes; Any users, found to replicate, reproduce, circulate, distribute, download, manipulate or otherwise use my images without my written consent will be in breach of copyright laws. Please contact me at mjs@opobs.co.uk for express permission to use any of my photographs. Sorry, but this photograph can only be viewed large if you are one of my contacts!

Please note: all comments which include any form of graphics or images will be removed. If you need to bring my attention to a particular photograph please use flickrmail!

Taken on: January 20, 2012

Tags:

Foggintor Quarry

Dartmoor

rocks

rugged

exposed

Devon

January

2012

Canon 5D

17-40mm f4 L

Gitzo

Michael J Stokes AWPF

opobs « less

Sets appears in: • 2012 Quarries

Groups appears in: • WelshFlickrCymru

Camera: Canon EOS 5D, f/11.3, 1/64 sec, 19mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D
Aperture:	f/11.3
Exposure Time:	0.016 sec (1/64)
Focal Length:	19mm
ISO:	100
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS Macintosh
Show full info

Stats: 3,923 views / 9 comments