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Somerset Historic Environment Record
| Site Name: | Record transferred to Exmoor National Park | ||
| SCHEDULED MONUMENT: | The Incline, lying between Brendon Hill and Comberow, and the remains of Combe Row Station [No:33072] | ||
| Carnarvon New Pit iron mine and section of mineral railway trackbed, 300m south west of Heather House [No:33074] | |||
| Burrow Farm iron mine and section of mineral railway trackbed, 350m north east of Burrow Farm [No:33075] | |||
| Civil Parish: | Brompton Regis, Old Cleeve | ||
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| Grid Ref: | ST 027 350 (ST 03 NW) ST 0000 3486 (ST 03 SW) SS 0000 3486 (SS 03 SW) SS 9879 3500 (SS 93 NE) SS 9628 3555 (SS 93 NE) SS 995 349 (SS 93 SE) ST 0380 3911 (ST 03 NW) | ||
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The public accessibility of this site is unknown or has not been checked. Please ask locally and do not visit without permission. [Information last updated on 21 May 2003]
This site, formerly West Somerset Mineral railway, Roadwater to Gupworthy has been transferred to the Exmoor National Park HER {0}
Mineral railway running from the port at Watchet to the iron mines of the Brendon Hills (PRNs 33378 33379 33380 ) and Raleigh's Cross (PRN 33414). Parliamentary assent granted in July 1855. The terminus was to be at Heath Poult Cross (SS941369), with a probable continuation to the Ison mines (PRN 34163). The line reached Comberow (SS029353) by December 1857 and the incline that took it to Raleigh's Cross (1 in 4 gradient) opened in 1858 with a winding house (PRN 34380). The cost so far was £82,000 as compared to the £65,000 planned for the whole line. The W terminus was finally Gupworthy (PRN 33417). Some passengers were also carried. Declined from 1883 when most of the mines closed. Tonnage dropped from 36,800 in 1882 to 2,000 in 1884. Finally closed 1897. Brief reopening in the 1900s. Stations on the line were Watchet (PRN 34375), Washford (PRN 34376), Roadwater (PRN 34378), Comberow (PRN 34379), Raleigh's Cross (PRN 33414), Luxborough (PRN 33421) and Gupworthy (PRN 33417) with many of the mines having their own sidings. {1}
Much of the railway and its buildings are shown on the OS 25" maps. {2}
Several ideas and projects were mooted before the actual line was sanctioned. {3}
It was also planned to extend the line to Eisen Hill in 1864 but this was never built. {4}
Parts of the trackbed to the N of Burrow Farm mine (PRN 33376) and the incline (PRN 34380) were Scheduled on 3/9/2004. {6}
Part of the line to the S of Carnarvon New Pit (PRN 33375) was Scheduled on 14/1/2005. {7}
The majority of the line lies within the Exmoor National Park, see PRN 28620 for the part outside. {8}
| 0 | Compiler comment - Webster, CJ [Chris]. Somerset County Council, Historic Environment Record (4/1/2010). Location: Verbal, electronic or direct entry, no source retained |
| 1 | Description - Sellick, R 1970 "The West Somerset Mineral Railway" |
| 2 | Map - Ordnance Survey 1903-04 25" sheets 36(9), 36(13), 47(4), 58(3), 58(2) and 58(1) |
| 3 | Description - Jones, MH "The Prehistory of the West Somerset Railway" Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society 2 (1977), 4-14 |
| 4 | Description - Bye, RA and Lovell, TH. "A propsed extension of the West Somerset Mineral Line to Eisen Hill" Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society 2 (1977), 24-26 |
| 5 | Aerial photographs - DAP VT20, 24-36, VU00-2, 4-30, Mar 93; WD20-36a, WE00-9 Mar94 in HER |
| 6 | Correspondence - English Heritage to Somerset County Council (23/9/2004) |
| 7 | Correspondence - English Heritage to Somerset County Council (7/2/2005) |
| 8 | Compiler comment - Chris Webster, Somerset Historic Environment Record (14/1/2009) |
Record created in June 1984
© Copyright Somerset County Council 2010