Meldon, Devon

Meldon

Meldon Viaduct from the quarry road
Meldon
Meldon shown within Devon
OS grid reference SX5592
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town OKEHAMPTON
Postcode district EX20
Dialling code 01837
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament

Meldon is a hamlet in West Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England.[1] It is 4 km south-west of Okehampton. Its main features are the Meldon Quarry and Meldon Reservoir and the nearby Meldon Viaduct.

Quarries

Granite is still extracted from Meldon Quarry. 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 continuation of the line to Tavistock and Plymouth continues as a cycle path. The former railway line crosses the West Okement River on the Meldon Viaduct just before reaching the quarry from the west.

Reservoir

The reservoir was formed by damming the West Okement River. It is about 1.2 km long and 300 metres wide, and extends from the West Okement valley into a small side valley.

Firing range

Immediately to the south-east is the area of the Okehampton military firing range, which is sometimes closed to the public. At other times, a footpath along the west side of the reservoir can be used to access the open moor.

Civil parish

In 1850, the civil parish of Oakhampton, or Okehampton, consisted of 9,552 acres (38.66 km2) of land, which encompassed several villages including Meldon. The hamlet is now part of the civil parish of Okehampton Hamlets.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 191 Okehampton & North Dartmoor (Crediton & Bovey Tracey) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2013. ISBN 9780319231821.
  2. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Election Maps". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.


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