MMO2973 - Post-medieval quarry on Red Stone Hill (Monument)

A linear quarry of possible post-medieval date can be seen as an earthwork on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards, on the east facing slope of Red Stone Hill at circa SS 8176 3954. The earthwork is roughly linear, measuring circa 300 metres long and between 4 and 12 metres wide. Spoil appears to be dumped along the north facing side of the pit at its western end. The precise function of the pit is unclear. It is annotated as a gravel pit on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1889, but is the longest of several pits on a similar orientation on Red Stone Hill, which may support the interpretation that they area all following and exploiting a seam of the same resource, perhaps iron ore. However, although the 1st Edition map gives this feature a terminus ante quem of 1889, the length of the quarry depicted has almost doubled by the publication of the 2nd Edition map of 1903, and the annotation remains as Gravel Pit. [1-5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]