MMO2328 - Post-medieval quarry on Great Buscombe (Monument)

A post-medieval quarry and associated spoil heap are visible on aerial photographs as earthworks on the southern edge of Great Buscombe, Exmoor and immediately north of Prayway Meads. Centred at approximately SS 7732 4133, the oval quarry measures approximately 22 metres across. The spoil heap is visible on the south and southwestern side of the pit, and measures approximately 20 metres at its widest point. The quarry has filled with water and is now a large pond, but the presence of the spoil heap and its depiction on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map indicates it was originally intended as a quarry. The quarry lies within an extensive area of 19th Century drainage, suggesting that it was converted to a pond around the same time the drains were constructed. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]