To the due north of Haytor Rocks , on the eastern border of Dartmoor inward the English linguistic communication county of Devon , are the disused remains of an one-time granite quarry together with a granite tramway built to movement stones from the quarry downwards to the Stover Canal , from where it was shipped to dissimilar parts of England. The tracks of the tramway were built out of the same textile it was designed to demeanour —granite.
The trackway was built inward 1820 together with remained operational until 1858. During those times , granite from the quarries virtually Haytor Rock was inward much demand for structure run inward cities across England. But the carry of this heavy together with bulky commodity was a pregnant problem. In the absence of railways together with reliable roads , the granite had to hold upward carried yesteryear Equus caballus drawn carts which was both costly together with fourth dimension consuming. George Templer , the possessor of the Haytor quarries , became impatient together with needed a to a greater extent than efficient method to movement the rocks because he had but won the contract to furnish stones for the edifice of the novel London Bridge.
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Photo credit: Brett Sutherland/Panoramio
Photo credit: Nilfanion/Wikimedia
Photo credit: Nilfanion/Wikimedia
Some one-time rails from the Haytor Tramway preserved at Buckfastleigh station on the South Devon Railway. Photo credit: Geof Sheppard/Wikimedia
A junction along Haytor Granite Tramway. Photo credit: Patrick GUEULLE/Wikimedia
A switch stone on Haytor Granite Tramway. Photo credit: Patrick GUEULLE/Wikimedia
A junction along Haytor Granite Tramway. Photo credit: Mike White/Wikimedia
Sources: Wikipedia / www.transportheritage.com / Legendary Dartmoor