Principal Archaeological Landscape: Brockwell Pits (35)

Location Brockwell Pits is situated on the east end of Dunkery, west of the village of Wootton Courteney. The PAL lies within an area of woodland and scrub on the edge of the Dunkery moorland. Description of Archaeology Brockwell Pits is an area of open cast iron mining, dating from the early 19th century. It comprises an irregular area of surface pits, some in excess of 4m deep. Some of the area was field system in the early 19th century, shown by an estate map, but had been abandoned by 1840 as shown on the Tithe map when the mines are depicted cutting through the field system. Principal significance This PAL is significant as a result of its tightly dated span of activity, which is highly unusual for an area of mining on Exmoor. The area of open cast mining can be identified to represent a phase of activity in the early 19th century. This PAL contributes to understanding the development of mining on Exmoor in the 19th century, and the way in which this has shaped the moorland landscape today.