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28 October 2014

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Many visiting Houndtor won't even realise the settlement is just over the brow of the hill

The people and their stock lived in the same building, all under the same roof.

There would have been a doorway, halfway down each of the long walls, used by both cattle and humans.

SEE ALSO

If you enjoy Tony's Dartmoor Diary, you may also like to take a look at Anton Coaker's Farming Diary, Grass Roots - an informative and entertaining look at life down on the farm.

And if you want to see more of this beautiful part of the county, check out our Dartmoor Photo Gallery

WEB LINKS

Dartmoor National Park Authority

Widecombe Parish Website
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There are four Longhouses (farmhouses), four smaller houses, three barns, possibly for storing cereals or fodder, the surrounding paddocks, lanes and field system.

The longhouses were the traditional farmhouses of that period.

Close up you'll see the old drainage system that would carry the cattle waste out of the huts

The people and their stock lived in the same building, all under the same roof. There would have been a doorway, halfway down each of the long walls, used by both cattle and humans.

The humans living in the higher side of the building and the livestock in the lower end with their drains running downhill away from the living quarters.

Very few artefacts are found during excavations of this kind on Dartmoor as the acidic soil tends to destroy bone, metal and wood. However, there were some fragments of pottery from cooking vessels found.

Respect the moors and take heed of the request to use other pathways

Keep to the tracks and avoid the heavily eroded area marked, stick to the diversion paths.

The site is protected by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act of 1979. It is an offence to damage such a site so please strictly observe this rule by NOT climbing over the walls, moving any stone, camping or lighting picnic fires.

I would like to commend a booklet to would-be visitors, "Houndtor - Deserted Medieval Settlement" which is obtainable at Dartmoor National Park Information Centres priced at £3.50.

Those that don't get out of their cars, miss a wealth of treasures

This is a good read and I particularly like the centre-spread in fold-out pages that shows a plan of the site and an artist’s reconstruction picture.

Hope you enjoy your visit to the moors and I look forward to meeting up with you again next month.