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Achievements

Some of our many achievements (sometimes in partnership with others) include:

• Hosting the Gidleigh Common Day and producing a report from it (2018).

• Hosting the Dartmoor Resonance Music Festival (2018).
• Completion of the PCWW Stones Project (2017).
• Commissioning of a vegetation survey of Gidleigh Common and part of Chagford Common (2016).
• Instrumental in the saving of the Iron Store (1901) at Burrator which is now a flagship Discovery Centre.
• Hosting the first Festival of Dartmoor Literature (2008).
• Hosting one day events on Dartmoor artists.
• Restoration of William Crossing (1847–1928) memorial at Ducks Pool.
• Re-erection of Two Miles Stone (1846) on Zeal Tor Tramway.
• Stimulation of renewable energy survey in the Chagford area.
• Provision of historic data that ensured that both Burrator Dam and Lodge (1893–1898) have been ‘listed’ as architecturally and historically important.
• Correction of exaggerated annual visitor numbers on Dartmoor (10m were claimed; the official figure is now 2.4m).
• Establishment of a Research Fund.
• Sponsorship of books of documentary photographs and historical research.
• Sponsorship of cartographic element of Dr Tim Harrod’s Soil Survey.
• Annual sponsorship of the Dartmoor Folk Festival.
• Questioning the wisdom and effect of the 40mph speed limit on Dartmoor’s roads.
• Compilation of records of animal deaths on Dartmoor’s roads.
• Funding research on 19^th and 20^th century buildings.
• Raising awareness of the significance of corrugated iron as an historic building material.
• Questioning the justification and management of the Dartmoor Mires Project and ensuring relevant data is in the public domain.
• Making annual Awards to a wide range of amazing Dartmoor people.
• Promoting annual public debates on Dartmoor issues.
• Promoting public lectures by leading researchers.
• Raised awareness of the democratic deficit due to members of the Dartmoor National Park Authority being unelected.

Completion of PCWW Stones Project

In 2017 it was the 100^th Anniversary year of the original erection of the PCWW (Plymouth Corporation Water Works ) stones that mark the watershed of Burrator Reservoir. The Dartmoor Society felt that it was important to restore them to their former glory prior to their Anniversary ensuring that they are all standing upright and not waterlogged, etc.

So, in November 2012 the Dartmoor Society initiated a project with South West Water, Maristow Estate, the Duchy of Cornwall and the Commoners to assess the condition of all PCWW Boundstones between South Hessary Tor and the Scout Hut at Drizzlecombe (which follows the Cramber Tor Training Area boundary).

The project stemmed from a condition survey, for the Ministry of Defence, of archaeological features within the Cramber Tor Training Area, which was completed in February 2012.

27 stones (6 of them not marked PCWW) were identified as being in need of attention, ranging from cutting rushes around the base to full re-erection.

Following a photographic survey and site visits, the first practical work was undertaken on the 2nd of October 2014 with vehicles (tractor, trailer and Matbro) provided by grazier Graham Colton, as well as Mark Cole and a group of volunteers from the Dartmoor Society (Simon and Alex Booty who also supplied a Land Rover and tools, Tom & Elisabeth Greeves, Barry & Tanya Welch, and Barrie Quilliam).

Subsequent visits took place on Sunday 15^th February 2015, Tuesday 27^th October 2015 and Tuesday 18^th October 2016.

In order to celebrate the completion of this major project in their centenary year the Dartmoor Society also completed a walk and picnic from South Hessary Tor and the Scout Hut which included Ailsborough Mine on Saturday 10th June 2017.

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.

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