Meldon, Devon
Encyclopedia
Meldon is a village in West Devon
in the English
county of Devon
. Situated close to Okehampton
, its best known feature is the Meldon Quarry
, from which granite
is still extracted. The now disused Meldon Aplite Quarry has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
because of its exposures of aplite
and other rocks.
The Dartmoor Railway
terminates at Meldon Quarry, the former railway line to Tavistock continuing as a cycle path. The former railway line crosses the River Okement
on a spectacular viaduct
just before reaching the quarry.
In 1850, the civil parish
of Oakhampton, or Okehampton, consisted of 9552 acres (38.7 km²) of land, which encompassed several villages including Meldon. The village is now part of the civil parish of Okehampton Hamlets
.
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Situated close to Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
, its best known feature is the Meldon Quarry
Meldon Quarry
Meldon Quarry is a granite quarry in the parish of Meldon, West Devon, England. Meldon Quarry railway station is a railway station which serves the quarry.- History :...
, from which granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
is still extracted. The now disused Meldon Aplite Quarry has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
because of its exposures of aplite
Aplite
Aplite in petrology, the name given to intrusive rock in which quartz and feldspar are the dominant minerals. Aplites are usually very fine-grained, white, grey or pinkish, and their constituents are visible only with the help of a magnifying lens...
and other rocks.
The Dartmoor Railway
Dartmoor Railway
The Dartmoor Railway is a long railway line in Devon, England. From Crediton the line parallels the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction. Heading west it then serves Sampford Courtenay, Okehampton and Meldon Quarry. The route is owned from Coleford to Meldon by Aggregate...
terminates at Meldon Quarry, the former railway line to Tavistock continuing as a cycle path. The former railway line crosses the River Okement
River Okement
The River Okement is a tributary of the River Torridge in Devon, England. It was formerly known as the River Ock.It rises at two places in Dartmoor, as the West Okement and the East Okement. These meet with other minor streams and join together at Okehampton...
on a spectacular viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
just before reaching the quarry.
In 1850, the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Oakhampton, or Okehampton, consisted of 9552 acres (38.7 km²) of land, which encompassed several villages including Meldon. The village is now part of the civil parish of Okehampton Hamlets
Okehampton Hamlets
Okehampton Hamlets is a civil parish in the Borough of West Devon and the English county of Devon. It has a population of 400....
.