Dr Blackall's Drive

Last updated

50°31′54″N3°50′04″W / 50.531686°N 3.834580°W / 50.531686; -3.834580
Dr Blackall's Drive
Widecombe in the Moor, on Dr Blackall's Drive 2 - geograph.org.uk - 892762.jpg
Dr Blackall's drive looking down to the River Dart
Route information
Established by Dr Thomas Blackall
Length2 mi (3.2 km)
Time period Victorian
RestrictionsRecreational route
Location
Country United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Road network

Dr Blackall's Drive is a track built along the hill above the River Dart, near the hamlet of Poundsgate, in the parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon. It was built by and named after Dr Thomas Blackall, a notable physician in Exeter, who owned the nearby Spitchwick estate, which he bought with his considerable inheritance from his father, also a notable physician John Blackall.

Contents

History

Dr Thomas Blackall was a successful doctor who lived at Maryfield in Pennsylvania, Exeter. Following the death of his father in 1860, he used his inheritance to purchase the manor of Spitchwick in 1867, as a country retreat, whilst he continued to primarily live in Exeter. [1] [2]

He made a number of improvements to the estate and it's over 2,200 acres of land, [2] and during the 1880s he instructed a Gerald Warren to construct a scenic drive where he could take his carriage to best show off the beauty of the Dart valley for himself and his guests, [3] [4] making this amongst the earliest examples of a scenic drive. [5]

The track

The track was specifically designed for traversing by horse-drawn carriage, [6] [7] and is only about 8 feet (2.4 m) wide at the widest point. [1]

It was designed as a scenic route, [8] and runs from near Spitchwick manor house up to what is now the Bel Tor car park, shadowing the road to the North which passes through Poundsgate.

Guide books have described the route of being of "singular beauty", [9] and organised trips have been taken here since the 19th century, [10] and throughout the time since. [11] [12]

The track featured in the Great Western Railway guidebook to Devon in 1906 as "not to be missed", [13] and since then has featured in dozens of guidebooks, including Time Out, [14] the Good Britain Guide, [15] and Which?. [16]

It climbs from an elevation of 682 feet (208 m) near the manor to 1,141 feet (348 m) at the top. [1]

The track mostly falls within access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, except for a small section which is a designated bridleway where it leaves the access land. [17] The route is marked as a "recreational route" on Ordnance Survey maps.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Childe's Tomb</span> Granite cross on Dartmoor, Devon, England

Childe's Tomb is a granite cross on Dartmoor, Devon, England. Although not in its original form, it is more elaborate than most of the crosses on Dartmoor, being raised upon a constructed base, and it is known that a kistvaen is underneath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor</span> Area of moorland in south Devon, England

Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers 954 km2 (368 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dart</span> River in Devon, England

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the sea at Dartmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckfastleigh</span> Town and civil parish in Devon, England

Buckfastleigh is a market town and civil parish in Devon, England situated beside the Devon Expressway (A38) at the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. It is part of Teignbridge and, for ecclesiastical purposes, lies within the Totnes Deanery. It is 18 miles east-northeast of Plymouth, 20 miles southwest of Exeter and has a population of 3,661. It is a centre of tourism and is home to Buckfast Abbey, the South Devon Railway, the Buckfastleigh Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary, the Tomb of Squire Richard Cabell and The Valiant Soldier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moretonhampstead</span> Town in Devon, England

Moretonhampstead is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe, and it is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Drewsteignton, Dunsford, Bridford, Bovey Tracey, Lustleigh, North Bovey and Chagford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Teign</span> River in Devon, England

The River Teign is a river in the county of Devon, England. It is 31 mi (50 km) long and rises on Dartmoor, becomes an estuary just below Newton Abbot and reaches the English Channel at Teignmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Willhays</span>

High Willhays, or according to some authorities High Willes, is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 621 metres above sea level, and the highest point in Southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great Thunderstorm</span>

The Great Thunderstorm of Widecombe-in-the-Moor in Dartmoor, Kingdom of England, took place on Sunday, 21 October 1638, when the church of St Pancras was apparently struck by ball lightning during a severe thunderstorm. An afternoon service was taking place at the time, and the building was packed with approximately 300 worshippers. Four of them were killed, around 60 injured, and the building severely damaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holne</span> Village and civil parish in Devon, England

Holne is a village and civil parish on the southeastern slopes of Dartmoor in Devon, England. A community has existed here since at least the 11th century, and today a population of around 250 people is served by a church and a public house, the Church House Inn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor line</span> Railway line in Devon, England

The Dartmoor line is a 15+12-mile (24.9 km) railway line in Devon, England. From Crediton, the line runs alongside the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction where it diverges west to Okehampton. Previously a heritage line, it is owned by Network Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Moors Way</span> Long-distance trail in Devon, England

The Two Moors Way is a long-distance trail mostly in Devon, UK, first established in 1976. It links Dartmoor and Exmoor and has been extended to become a Devon Coast-to-Coast trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haytor</span> Granite tor on Dartmoor in Devon, England

Haytor, also known as Haytor Rocks, Hay Tor, or occasionally Hey Tor, is a granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haytor Granite Tramway</span> Horse-drawn tramway built to convey granite (1820-1858)

The Haytor Granite Tramway was a tramway built to convey granite from Haytor Down, Dartmoor, Devon to the Stover Canal. It was very unusual in that the track was formed of granite sections, shaped to guide the wheels of horse-drawn wagons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofspring Blackall</span>

Ofspring Blackall, Bishop of Exeter and religious controversialist, was born in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor crosses</span> Series of stone crosses found in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England

The Dartmoor crosses are a series of stone crosses found in Dartmoor National Park in the centre of Devon, England. Many of them are old navigational aids, needed because of the remoteness of the moorland and its typically bad weather. Some mark medieval routes between abbeys. Other crosses were erected as memorials, for prayer, as town or market crosses, in churchyards, and as boundary markers. The crosses were erected over a long period of time, some as recently as 100 years ago, the earliest probably almost 1,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway</span>

The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway (P&DR) was a 4 ft 6 in gauge railway built to improve the economy of moorland areas around Princetown in Devon, England. Independent carriers operated horse-drawn wagons and paid the company a toll. It opened in 1823, and a number of short branches were built in the next few years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spitchwick</span> Historic estate in Devon, England

Spitchwick is an historic estate situated within the parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon. The present 19th century mansion house known as Spitchwick Manor is situated four miles north-west of Ashburton, the gardens of which are open to the paying public.

Sandridge is an historic estate in the parish of Stoke Gabriel in Devon, situated on high ground at the head of the River Dart estuary. The estate was originally encompassed on three sides by the river, which meanders along its border, leaving it on the east side. The present grade II* listed Italianate style Regency mansion house known as Sandridge House was built in 1805 by Lady Ashburton, to the design of John Nash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aish Tor</span> Tor on Dartmoor in Devon, England

Aish Tor is a small tor above the northern side of the Dart Gorge in Dartmoor, Devon, England, that is accessed by Dr. Blackall's Drive from Newbridge Hill. It stands at 283 metres (928 ft) above sea level and is topped by a small cairn. The actual 'tor' is small and flat and generally hard to pin-point. Nearby tors include:

Dr Thomas Blackall M.A., M.D., FRCP was an English physician, son of another renowned physician John Blackall. Born in Devon, he attended Cambridge, before working as a physician in London, and then returning to Devon on the death of his father, where he used his inheritance to purchase the large Spitchwick estate.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dr Blackalls Drive". Legendary Dartmoor.
  2. 1 2 "Local Intelligence". Express and Echo. 30 September 1867.
  3. Hemery, Eric (1983). High Dartmoor. Robert Hale. ISBN   9780709188599.
  4. Davison, Steve (2023). Walking on Dartmoor. ISBN   9781783629664.
  5. Mattingly, Alan (1982). Walking in the National Parks. p. 23. ISBN   9780715381441.
  6. Linick, Anthony (2011). A Walker's Alphabet. ISBN   9781467894883.
  7. Channer, Nick. Untrodden Ways: A guide to some of Britain's lesser-known long-distance footpaths. p. 23.
  8. Viccats, Sue (2019). The Two Moors Way: Devon's Coast to Coast. p. 94. ISBN   9781783627417.
  9. Baring-Gould, Sabine (2016). A Book of the West.
  10. "The British Association at Dartmouth and Ashburton". Totnes Weekly Times. 24 September 1898.
  11. "University College Field Club Excursion To Holne". Western Times. 8 July 1938.
  12. "Moor Ramblers in Two Groups". Torbay Express. 17 December 1970.
  13. Devon: The Shire of the Sea Kings. Great Western Railway. 1906.
  14. Time Out Devon and Cornwall. Time Out. 2010. p. 90.
  15. The Good Britain Guide 2003. Ebury Press. 2002. p. 168.
  16. The Which? guide to weekend breaks in Britain. Which?. 1997. p. 38.
  17. "Rights of way definitive map". Devon County Council.