Burrator

Sheepstor is a village, civil parish and former manor on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. In 2001, its population was 53, down from 95 in 1901. For administrative purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of Meavy and Walkhampton to form Burrator Parish Council, and for electoral purposes it is grouped with the same two parishes to form Burrator Ward. Burrator Reservoir, constructed in 1898, is to the north of the village and forms part of the northern boundary of the parish.The name Sheepstor has evolved considerably since the first reference to a settlement here which was recorded in a pipe roll of 1168 as Sitelestorra. In a document of 1262, it was Skytelestor, Shittestorre in 1474, Shistor in 1547 and in c. 1620 Tristram Risdon called it Shetelstor now Shepstor. The name probably derives from the Old English scyttel(s) meaning a bar or bolt, reflecting the shape of the nearby Sheeps Tor.

Ringmoor stone row and cairn circle (grid reference SX563658) is a prehistoric stone row and cairn circle on Ringmoor Down in Devon. It is located three miles east of the A386, northeast of the village of Shaugh Prior. It is three hundred metres north from Brisworthy stone circle, and is one of the archaeological sites found in the Upper Plym Valley.

Brisworthy stone circle (grid reference SX564654) is a stone circle on Dartmoor, Devon. It is located three miles east of the A386, northeast of the village of Shaugh Prior. It is three hundred metres from Ringmoor stone row and cairn circle, and is one of the archaeological sites found in the Upper Plym Valley.

Burrator and Sheepstor Halt railway station was located on the 10.5 mile long single track branch railway line in Devon, England, running from Yelverton to Princetown with eventually four intermediate stations. The station was opened as Burrator Platform and became Burrator Halt when it was opened to the public, the name being changed again in 1929 to Burrator and Sheepstor Halt.Opened as Burrator Platform on Monday 4 February 1924 the station at first only catered for workmen employed on the raising of the Burrator and Sheepstor Dams when Burrator Reservoir was enlarged. This service consisted of a morning train that left Princetown at 6:27 am for Dousland and Yelverton and then, after collecting workmen off the 6:20 am from Millbay Station, left Yelverton Station at 6:58 am, stopping at Burrator and Sheepstor Platform at 7:05 am to set them down. On Mondays to Fridays the 4:05 pm from Princetown called at Burrator at 4:30 pm to pick up workmen for the homeward journey. On Saturday mornings the 12:25 pm from Princetown called at 12:50 pm to collect workers and the later train would then not stop.From Thursday 6 November 1924 the early morning trains ran only on Monday mornings. The 4:05 pm from Princetown no longer called, but the return journey, the 4:55 pm from Yelverton did. For the remainder of the week the 7:38 am from Princetown conveyed the workmen to Burrator. Burrator and Sheepstor Platform was opened to the general public as from Monday 18 May 1925 and was served by trains during daylight hours only.Its later traffic was almost entirely walkers and like Ingra Tor Halt it was retained in an attempt to counter competition from local bus services and encourage tourist traffic.

Burrator Reservoir is a reservoir on the south side of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. It is one of a number of reservoirs and dams that were built over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries in the area now covered by Dartmoor National Park to supply drinking water to the city of Plymouth and other rapidly growing towns in the surrounding lowlands. Burrator Reservoir was completed in 1898, and the reservoir was expanded in 1929. The reservoir was built under the supervision of Edward Sandeman (1862-1959), the Water Engineer for Plymouth. The reservoir has two dams, the Burrator Dam, which is built across the River Meavy at Burrator Gorge at the south-western end, and the Sheepstor Dam built on a dividing ridge between the Meavy and Sheepstor Brook at the south-eastern end. The Burrator Dam was the first of the two to be built, with construction starting on 9 August 1893. It is the more massive of the two dams, constructed of concrete faced with granite blocks. The Sheepstor Dam was built in 1894 and is an earth embankment with a core wall of puddled clay above the original ground level, with a concrete section below ground. The reservoir was officially opened on 21 September 1898.In 1923 it was decided to enlarge the capacity from 668 million gallons to 1,026 million. This was achieved by raising the height of both dams by 10 feet. Work began in December 1923, and a temporary suspension bridge was built near Burrator Dam to carry traffic while the work proceeded. The reservoir was officially re-opened on 12 September 1928. In the 1930s the watershed on Dartmoor for the reservoir was stated to be 5,360 acres. The present-day area of the reservoir at overflow level is about 150 acres. The edges of the reservoir are planted with commercial forests.The reservoir is now managed by the South West Lakes Trust, and is a popular spot for leisure activities including walking, cycling and fishing.

Meavy is a small village, civil parish and former manor in the English county of Devon. Meavy forms part of the district of West Devon. It lies a mile or so east of Yelverton. The River Meavy runs near the village. For administrative purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of Sheepstor and Walkhampton to form Burrator Parish Council, and for electoral purposes it is grouped with the same two parishes to form Burrator Ward.In 2010, Meavy was one of the filming locations for the Steven Spielberg film War Horse.

Yellowmead stone circle near Sheepstor in Devon, England, is a Bronze Age concentric stone circle consisting of four rings of stones set within one another. The largest is 20 metres wide and the smallest, 6 metres. It is located on Yellowmead Down. The circles once encircled a burial cairn although this is now barely visible. To the south west, several possible stone rows lead away, crossed by a post-medieval leat that once served a nearby tinworks. The site was excavated and restored by Rev. H Breton in 1921. In 2008 geophysical surveys and a small excavation were carried out to determine whether the restoration of 1921 had been performed accurately (it had), and to discover whether additional features remain buried in the peat. Fallen stones were found in line with some of the stone rows, suggesting that further features may lie downslope below the leat.

Dewerstone is the site of an Iron Age Hill fort on a rocky promontory overlooking the River Plym on the South West edge of Dartmoor to the North of Plympton in Devon. The fort consists of ramparts to the Northern side of the promontory at approx 210 Metres above Sea Level."Dewer" is an ancient Celtic word for the Devil, and Dartmoor tradition has it that the Devil, riding a gigantic black horse, gallops across the Moor each night and leads a phantom pack of black hounds to chase weary or foolish humans over the Dewerstone to their deaths. Another legend has it that a shepherd actually saw the black hounds devouring an unfortunate man on his way home from the fields one night. The area is also popular with climbers, with over 100 climbs listed.

Dousland railway station, originally opened at Dousland Barn in 1883 was located on the 10.5 mile long single track branch railway line in Devon, England, running from Yelverton to Princetown with eventually four intermediate stops, three being halts and one at Dousland as a fully fledged station.

Ditsworthy Warren House is a Grade II listed building near Sheepstor in Devon, England. It is an isolated building on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, and was built for the keeper of the rabbit warren near the house. It was used in 2010 as a filming location for the Steven Spielberg film, War Horse.

Dousland is a small settlement in Devon, England. It is near the A386 road and is 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of the city of Plymouth - 10 kilometres (6 mi) by road. Dousland is within the boundary of Dartmoor National Park.Dousland had a railway station on the branch line to Princetown that opened in 1883 and closed in 1956. It was operated by the Great Western Railway until nationalisation took place. The station building is now a private dwelling and the platform still survives. Dousland has a pub. The “Edwardian Lady” Edith Holden stayed regularly at Dousland between 1902 and 1910. Edith became friendly with the Trathern family who lived in Belbert Cottage. She frequently spent time on Yennadown with Berta and Bella Trathern. Edith noted “ Up on the moor the world seemed to be made of sky and Gorse-such acres of fragrant Golden Blossom under a sky of cloudless blue”.

Great Trowlesworthy Tor is a granite tor on the southwestern edge of Dartmoor. It is located near the popular Cadover Bridge and is a popular walking destination. It is common for the Dartmoor Pony and other cattle to be roaming around the tor. Little Trowlesworthy Tor, height 330m, is on its western slope and is known to hold a disused flagpole that was used to celebrate Devonport's independence from Plymouth in the 1920s.