Shaugh Prior: Moorland and Industrial History

Shaugh Prior combines open moorland, china clay mining and historic buildings. In the parish, these range from visible remains of Bronze Age settlements to a church with several building phases and traces of the clay and brick industries. Several distinct aspects of the village are therefore at the heart of this page.

Landscape between moorland, woodland and china clay mines

The parish of Shaugh Prior includes open moorland crossed by streams between the tors of Dartmoor. Its central area is shaped by china clay mines above the villages of Lee Moor and Wotter. To the south lies a belt of farmland and woodland. This division brings together open moorland, an industrially shaped centre, and a southern landscape of farmland and woodland.

At Shaugh Bridge, near Shaugh Prior, walks follow the River Meavy through ancient oak woodland valleys; the upper Plym Valley can also be explored. The ancient oak woodland around Shaugh Bridge is part of the United Kingdom’s rare temperate rainforest habitat. The river, wooded valleys and upper Plym Valley give this part of the landscape a different character from the open moorland and china clay mines in the parish.

Archaeological remains and church architecture

The moorland of Shaugh Prior bears traces of human settlement dating back more than 2,000 years. Near Trowlesworthy Warren, remains of Bronze Age settlements are visible. High walls, pillow mounds and dog kennels can also be clearly seen there. Concrete structural remains add to the evidence of the area’s long history of settlement.

St Edward’s Church is the oldest surviving building in the parish. It was built largely in several phases between the 14th and 16th centuries. Its features include a distinctive west tower, a south porch with a vaulted roof, and a 15th-century font cover. The building phases span several centuries; the font cover is a precisely dated furnishing from the history of the church building.

Stone crosses near St Edward’s Church marked routes. Historically, a church house beside the church provided overnight accommodation for monks and other travellers. These historical connections complement the architecture with evidence of earlier routes and the former use of a building beside the church.

Industrial history and routes

The Lee Moor Tramway transported clay and finished goods to Plymouth; its old route is still clearly visible today. Bricks and sanitary ware were made at clay works near the pits. At Shaugh Bridge, there are remains of a 19th-century iron mine, a quarry tramway and a brick kiln. These details reveal different aspects of local industrial history, from transport routes to visible remains.

The “Plym Valley bricks, boulders and bronze” walking trail passes quarries, a 19th-century brickworks and a Bronze Age burial site. For travellers who want to encounter these themes along a specific route, the named trail links geological, industrial and archaeological points of interest.

For those arriving by bicycle, there is another useful distance to note: Shaugh Bridge is half a mile from Route 27 of the National Cycle Network (NCN27). Check route details before setting off. These landmarks can help you connect the landscape and historical features described here with practical points of reference when choosing Shaugh Prior as a destination.

Discover more destinations: Chudleigh, Salcombe, Clovelly, Yelverton, Copplestone, Plympton, Holbeton, North Tawton

For the wider travel overview: Devon.