Foggintor Quarry
Foggintor Quarry is located on a desolate part of Dartmoor in the heart of a landscape scattered with granite boulders and old industrial ruins. There was once a rocky outcrop, known locally as Foggin Tor, now there is just a vast and rugged pit filled with clear cold water. Foggintor Quarry opened around 1820 as “Royal Oak Quarry”.
Closure of Foggintor Quarry came in 1906, however, the community of houses which developed around the Foggintor Quarry continued to house quarrymen and their families employed at the nearby Swell Tor Quarry which continued in operation until 1938. The final members of the Foggintor Community vacated their homes in 1951.
During the early 1840s Foggintor Quarry supplied the granite that was used to build famous London landmarks such as Nelson’s Column and stone from nearby Swell Tor Quarry was used to construct the old London Bridge which was moved to the USA. A number of unused corbels from the London Bridge project remain at Swell Tor.
Locally the stone from the Quarries was used for a vast number of buildings including the famous Dartmoor Prison and nearby village of Princetown. The stone being taken away by rail the remains of the track bed is a popular walking route. There exist quite extensive remains of the quarry sidings which initially served the horse worked Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway and latterly the Great Western Railway Princetown Branch which in many places followed the route of the earlier Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway.
For a detailed online account of the history of Foggintor please visit the excellent Legendary Dartmoor web site at: https://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/foggintor.htm
Read MoreClosure of Foggintor Quarry came in 1906, however, the community of houses which developed around the Foggintor Quarry continued to house quarrymen and their families employed at the nearby Swell Tor Quarry which continued in operation until 1938. The final members of the Foggintor Community vacated their homes in 1951.
During the early 1840s Foggintor Quarry supplied the granite that was used to build famous London landmarks such as Nelson’s Column and stone from nearby Swell Tor Quarry was used to construct the old London Bridge which was moved to the USA. A number of unused corbels from the London Bridge project remain at Swell Tor.
Locally the stone from the Quarries was used for a vast number of buildings including the famous Dartmoor Prison and nearby village of Princetown. The stone being taken away by rail the remains of the track bed is a popular walking route. There exist quite extensive remains of the quarry sidings which initially served the horse worked Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway and latterly the Great Western Railway Princetown Branch which in many places followed the route of the earlier Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway.
For a detailed online account of the history of Foggintor please visit the excellent Legendary Dartmoor web site at: https://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/foggintor.htm
