Achievements

Our achievements (often in partnership with others) include:

• Restoration of the William Crossing Memorial at Ducks Pool
• Compilation of annual records of animal deaths on Dartmoor's roads
• Stimulation of a renewable energy survey in the Chagford area
• Ensuring that features relating to Burrator reservoir (1893–1898) have been listed as architecturally and historically important
• Influencing the content of the planning ‘bible’ – the Dartmoor National Park Authority Local Plan 1995-2011
• Re-erection of the Two Miles Stone on the Zeal Tor Tramway
• Sponsorship of the Dartmoor Folk Festival
• Resisting the commercialisation of Burrator reservoir
• Questioning the wisdom and effect of the 40 mph speed limit on Dartmoor's roads
• Establishment of a Research Fund
• Stressing the concept that 19th and 20th century buildings have historic and architectural importance
• Correction of exaggerated visitor numbers to Dartmoor
• Sponsorship of books of documentary photographs and historical research
• Raising awareness of the significance of corrugated iron as an historic building material for chapels and functional buildings more than 100 years ago

40mph Speed Limit

The Dartmoor Society has been consistently opposed to the current 40mph speed limit on Dartmoor. We published a brochure in 1999 (see pictures) which set out our views then, which are still valid. An additional stretch of road in the vicinity of Wotter on south-west Dartmoor has been added to the network since then. For many years the Society collected statistics from farmers about accidents involving animals on, particularly, the Yelverton–Princetown road and the Tavistock–Princetown road and these have been published in our Newsletter. We have also had meetings with the County Environment Director and others to try to persuade them to think differently, but with only minimal success. We still feel the scheme as it is at present should be scrapped and that focus should be entirely on reducing accidents involving animals on the open moorland stretches. The present emphasis on speed is a distraction from the real issue of how to encourage careful driving in the often difficult weather conditions experienced on the moor.

Back to top