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Meldon, Devon
Meldon is a hamlet in West Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. It is 4 km south-west of Okehampton. Its main features are the Meldon Quarry and Meldon Reservoir and the nearby Meldon Viaduct. Quarries Granite is still extracted from Meldon Quarry. The now disused Meldon Aplite Quarry has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its exposures of aplite and other rocks. The Dartmoor Railway terminates at Meldon Quarry; the former continuation of the line to Tavistock, Devon, Tavistock and Plymouth continues as a cycle path. The former railway line crosses the West Okement River on the Meldon Viaduct just before reaching the quarry from the west. Reservoir The Meldon Reservoir was formed by damming the West Okement River. It is about 1.2 km long and 300 metres wide, and extends from the West Okement valley into a small side valley. Firing range Immediately to the south-east is the area of the Okehampton military firing range, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meldon Viaduct
Meldon Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct crossing the West Okement River at Meldon, Devon, Meldon, south-west of Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, South West England. This truss bridge was constructed from wrought iron, instead of stone or brick arches. It opened in 1874 for a single track; in 1879 its width was doubled for a second track. Although regular services were withdrawn in 1968, the bridge was used for shunting by a local quarry. In the 1990s the remaining single track was removed. The crossing is now used by the Granite Way, a Cycling infrastructure, cycle track skirting Dartmoor. It is a scheduled monument, and is one of only two surviving railway bridges in the United Kingdom that use wrought iron lattice piers to support wrought iron trusses. History In the 19th century, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was in competition with the Great Western Railway (GWR) to provide passenger trains from London Waterloo station, London to Devon and Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies underground. It is common in the continental crust of Earth, where it is found in igneous intrusions. These range in size from dike (geology), dikes only a few centimeters across to batholiths exposed over hundreds of square kilometers. Granite is typical of a larger family of ''granitic rocks'', or ''granitoids'', that are composed mostly of coarse-grained quartz and feldspars in varying proportions. These rocks are classified by the relative percentages of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase (the QAPF diagram, QAPF classification), with true granite representing granitic rocks rich in quartz and alkali feldspar. Most granitic rocks also contain mica or amphibole minerals, though a few (known as leucogranites) conta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rail Trail
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corridor with active railways, light rail, or tram, streetcars (rails with trails), or with disused track. As shared-use paths, rail trails are primarily for non-motorized traffic including pedestrians, bicycles, horseback riders, skaters, and cross-country skiers, although snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicle, ATVs may be allowed. The characteristics of abandoned railways—gentle grades, well-engineered rights of way and structures (bridges and tunnels), and passage through historical areas—lend themselves to rail trails and account for their popularity. Many rail trails are long-distance trails, while some shorter rail trails are known as Greenway (landscape), greenways or linear parks. Rail trails around the world Americas Bermuda The B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Civil Parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, which for centuries were the principal unit of secular and religious administration in most of England and Wales. Civil and religious parishes were formally split into two types in the 19th century and are now entirely separate. Civil parishes in their modern form came into being through the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73), which established elected parish councils to take on the secular functions of the parish vestry. A civil parish can range in size from a sparsely populated rural area with fewer than a hundred inhabitants, to a large town with a population in excess of 100,000. This scope is similar to that of municipalities in continental Europe, such as the communes of France. However, unlike their continental Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Okement River
The West Okement is a river in north Dartmoor in Devon in south-west England. It rises at West Okement Head near Cranmere Pool and flows in a generally NW direction past Black-a-Tor Copse and into Meldon Reservoir. After exiting the reservoir it flows in a generally northeast direction towards Okehampton, where it joins the East Okement River to form the River Okement. Its total length is roughly . It is crossed by Meldon Viaduct Meldon Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct crossing the West Okement River at Meldon, Devon, Meldon, south-west of Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, South West England. This truss bridge was constructed from wrought iron, instead o .... References Okement Okement 2WestOkement {{England-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tavistock, Devon
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. At the United Kingdom 2011 Census, 2011 census, the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028. The town traces its recorded history back to at least 961 when Tavistock Abbey, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son is Francis Drake, Sir Francis Drake. History Middle Ages The area around Tavistock (formerly Tavistoke), where the River Tavy runs wide and shallow allowing it to be easily crossed, and near the secure high ground of Dartmoor, was inhabited long before historical records. The surrounding area is littered with archaeological remains from the Bronze Age, Bronze and Iron Ages. The abbey of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Saint Mary and Saint Rumon was founded in 961 by Ordgar, Earl of Devon. After destruction b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dartmoor Railway
The Dartmoor line is a railway line in Devon, England. From , the line runs alongside the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction where it diverges west to . Previously a heritage line, it is owned by Network Rail. The route was originally part of the London and South Western Railway's route from Exeter to Plymouth, which was opened between 1865 and 1879. In 1968, British Rail closed the line beyond Meldon ( beyond Okehampton) as part of the Beeching cuts. The Exeter to Okehampton passenger service was withdrawn by British Rail in 1972. The line itself remained open for freight services from the railway ballast quarry at Meldon. From 1997 to 2019, the line was operated as a heritage railway by the Dartmoor Railway community interest company. During this time, Great Western Railway ran a public service between Exeter and Okehampton on summer Sundays. Meldon quarry was mothballed in 2011, ceasing the use of the line for freight. In July 2021, as part of the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aplite
Aplite () is an intrusive igneous rock that has a granitic composition. Aplites are fine-grained to aphanitic Aphanites (adj. ''aphanitic''; ) are igneous rocks that are so fine-grained that their component mineral crystals are not visible to the naked eye (in contrast to phanerites, in which the crystals are visible to the unaided eye). This geo ... (without grains visible to the naked eye) and may consist of only quartz and feldspar or the term may refer to any leucocratic (pale-coloured) minor intrusion of that grain size. They are associated with the later stages of many larger intermediate to felsic intrusions. Occurrence Aplites have a global distribution and have been described from most areas where there are significant granitic intrusions. They occur in the form of intrusive sheets, both within the associated granitic bodies and in the surrounding Country rock (geology), country rock. Trace element analysis shows that there are no volcanic equivalents to a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Site Of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserve (United Kingdom), national nature reserves, Ramsar Convention, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Area of Conservation, Special Areas of Conservation. The acronym "SSSI" is often pronounced "triple-S I". Selection and conservation Sites notified for their Biology, biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs (or ASSIs), and those notified for geological or Physical geography, physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs (or ASSIs). Sites may be divided into management units, with some a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meldon Reservoir
Meldon Reservoir is a man-made fresh water reservoir near Okehampton, Devon. The reservoir is the last of eight reservoirs to be constructed within the Dartmoor National Park. The reservoir was built to dam the Meldon Gorge, through which the West Okement River flows, and supplies water to North Devon. History Meldon Gorge The Meldon Gorge is one of the most deeply incised glacial U-shaped valleys in North Dartmoor. The gorge was noted as having exceptional scenery and being a haven away from the military training areas of Dartmoor. Early exploration The North Devon Water Board was suffering from ongoing shortages of water, and was faced with rationing of supply. In the year prior to the completion of the reservoir, the board was considering emergency plans for extreme rationing. The exploration of the Meldon Gorge started in the early 1960s, and in 1962 an application was made to sink trial boreholes. This was objected to and a public inquiry was held. Objections The plan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okehampton Hamlets
Okehampton Hamlets is a civil parish in the Borough of West Devon and the English county of Devon, it runs independently from the Okehampton Town Council, meetings are held at the Meldon Village Hall. The Parish of Okehampton Hamlets is a rural parish situated in West Devon. It is made up of the hamlets of Brightley, Southcott, Meldon and Stockley. The parish occupies 15.48 square miles and it has an estimated population of 1,765. The hamlet of Southcott, which is predominantly agricultural with a number of small agricultural enterprises, having merged into one larger agricultural unit to secure the fragile agricultural community which has struggled in the past. The hamlet of Brightley lies north of Okehampton. The River Okement runs through the hamlet dividing Abbeyford Woods from the flat farmland. Farming is the main commercial activity due to the decline of forestry activity in Abbeyford Woods. The leat which once powered Brightley Mill can still be seen and just insid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meldon Quarry
Meldon Quarry is a granite quarry in Devon, England. It is at the northern edge of Dartmoor, about 2 miles SW of Okehampton. It was developed from 1897 to supply track ballast and other stone products for the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). It was privatised in 1994. Track ballast A small quarry was started to supply local railway requirements in 1874, concurrent with the opening of the LSWR's railway extension from Okehampton to Lydford, on which the quarry lies. The railway is described in Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR. The quarry was considerably developed in 1897 to provide the majority of the track ballast requirements of the LSWR, which at the time amounted to about 100,000 tons per annum. The geology is such that the ballast is harder, and therefore more long-lasting, than stone available in the more easterly parts of the system. The quarry was further extended in 1902, eventually reaching 200 acres (80 hectares). Further developed over the years, by 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
