River Meavy

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River Meavy
View to Sharpitor from Meavy.JPG
View down the River Meavy towards Sharpitor and Leather Tor
River Meavy map.png
Catchment and course of the River Meavy
Devon UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location within Devon
Location
Country England
Counties Devon
Physical characteristics
SourceMeavy Head
Mouth River Plym
  location
Devon
  coordinates
50°27′17″N4°04′05″W / 50.4546°N 4.0681°W / 50.4546; -4.0681 Coordinates: 50°27′17″N4°04′05″W / 50.4546°N 4.0681°W / 50.4546; -4.0681
Length15.9 km (9.9 mi)
Basin size42.2 km2 (16.3 sq mi)

The River Meavy is a river in the southwest part of Dartmoor in Devon in south-west England. It runs entirely in the national park and connects Burrator Reservoir to the River Plym.

Contents

Course

The river is 15.9 kilometres (9.9 mi) long, and flows in a generally south-westerly direction throughout its course. [1] It rises at Meavy Head, close to Princetown, and flows across Walkhampton Common, through Norsworthy and adjacent plantations, and into Burrator Reservoir. It leaves the reservoir at the main dam, and flows past the village of Meavy before joining the River Plym at the upper end of Bickleigh Vale. The entirety of the river is inside Dartmoor National Park. [2]

Most of the valley surrounding the river's southern section is wooded, and has been described as a semi-neutral ancient woodland. [3] The north section, beyond Burrator Reservoir, is less covered as it is towards the centre of Dartmoor and features several rock tors near the river. [4]

History

The river is believed to named after an Old English word, meaning "lively stream". The village of Meavy is in turn named after the river. [5]

Drake's Leat was a watercourse constructed in the 16th century to transport drinking water from the River Meavy towards Plymouth. Burrator Lodge was built in 1896 for the reservoir owner. It is now a Grade II listed building. In 2015, the property was put on the market. [6]

Leisure

The river is popular for canoeing south of Burrator Reservoir, and is considered an easier course than the upper sections of the River Plym, which are some of the most challenging in Dartmoor. Despite the presence of the dam at Burrator, there is generally a sufficient flow of water. [7]

Related Research Articles

Dartmoor 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).

Plymouth City and unitary authority in England

Plymouth is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Exeter and 190 miles (310 km) south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.

Leat Artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground

A leat is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Other common uses for leats include delivery of water for hydraulic mining and mineral concentration, for irrigation, to serve a dye works or other industrial plant, and provision of drinking water to a farm or household or as a catchment cut-off to improve the yield of a reservoir.

Devonport Leat

The Devonport Leat is a leat in Devon constructed in the 1790s to carry fresh drinking water from the high ground of Dartmoor to the expanding dockyards at Plymouth Dock.

River Plym River in Devon, England

The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the Plym Valley Railway runs alongside a section of the river.

River Tamar River in southwest England

The Tamar is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall. A part of the Tamar valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities.

River Dart 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.

River Erme River in south Devon, England

The Erme is a river in south Devon, England. From its source on Dartmoor it flows in a generally southerly direction past some of the best-preserved archaeological remains on the moor. It leaves the moor at the town of Ivybridge and continues southward, passing the settlements of Ermington, Modbury and Holbeton. Near Holbeton it becomes a ria and empties into the English Channel in Bigbury Bay, between the rivers Yealm and Avon.

Drakes Leat

Drake's Leat, also known as Plymouth Leat, was a watercourse constructed in the late 16th century to tap the River Meavy on Dartmoor, England, from which it ran 17.5 miles (28.2 km) in order to supply Plymouth with water. It began at a point now under water at Burrator Reservoir, from which its path now emerges some 10m lower than the typical reservoir water level. It was one of the first municipal water supplies in the country.

Burrator Reservoir reservoir in Devon, England

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.

South Devon and Tavistock Railway

The South Devon and Tavistock Railway linked Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon; it opened in 1859. It was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, in Cornwall in 1865. It was a broad gauge line but from 1876 also carried the standard gauge trains of the London and South Western Railway between Lydford and Plymouth: a third rail was provided, making a mixed gauge. In 1892 the whole line was converted to standard gauge only.

Cann Quarry Canal Former canal in Devon, England

The Cann Quarry canal was a canal in Devon, England which ran for just under 2 miles (3.2 km) from Cann Quarry to the River Plym at Marsh Mills. It opened in 1829, and a short tramway connected it to the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway at Crabtree Junction. It had been replaced by a tramway within ten years, but continued to be used as a mill leat to supply Marsh Mills corn mill, and most of it is still visible.

Burrator is a grouped parish council in the English county of Devon. It is entirely within the boundaries of the Dartmoor National Park and was formed from the older councils of Meavy, Sheepstor and Walkhampton.

Clearbrook Halt was a railway station on the South Devon and Tavistock Railway serving the villages of Clearbrook and Meavy in South Devon, nine miles to the North of Plymouth, and a mile and a half from Yelverton.

Dartmoor reservoirs

Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, several reservoirs and dams were built in the area now covered by Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England to supply drinking water to the rapidly growing towns in the surrounding lowlands. With its deep valleys and high rainfall, Dartmoor was an inevitable location. New reservoirs continued construction even after the establishment of the National Park in 1951.

Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway

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.

Walkhampton Human settlement in England

Walkhampton is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. The village lies on the Black Brook, a tributary of the River Walkham, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south-east of Tavistock, near the villages of Horrabridge, Yelverton and Dousland. Burrator Reservoir, constructed in 1898, is to the south-east.

Turnchapel Branch

The Turnchapel Branch was a London and South Western Railway (LSWR) single track branch railway line in Devon, England, that ran from Plymouth Friary station to Turnchapel. It crossed the River Plym and opened up the east side of the river to rail connections. The short line opened in 1892 and 1897 (throughout). It closed in 1951 to passengers, and in 1961 completely.

Princetown Railway

The Princetown Railway was a 10¼ mile single track branch railway line in Devon, England, that ran from Yelverton on the Plymouth to Tavistock line, to Princetown via four intermediate stations, Dousland, Burrator and Sheepstor Halt, Ingra Tor Halt and King Tor Halt. The line closed in 1956 and today forms part of a popular cycling and walking route.

Burrator and Sheepstor Halt railway station

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.

References

  1. "Meavy". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. Plymouth and Launceston (Landranger Maps) (D1 ed.), Ordnance Survey, 2009, ISBN   978-0-319-23146-3
  3. Buckland Monachorum (PDF) (Report). Devon County Council. February 2010. p. 6. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  4. "Walk No. 68. Yelverton and Clearbrook" (PDF). Devon County Council. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  5. Mills, David (2010). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. p. 322. ISBN   978-0-199-60908-6.
  6. "Iconic Plymouth house sits on the banks of Burrator Reservoir". Plymouth Herald. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  7. British Canoe Union (2003). English White Water: The British Canoe Union Guidebook. Pesda Press. p. 79. ISBN   978-0-953-19567-1.