Meldon, Devon
{{Short description|Hamlet in Devon, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
|static_image_name= MeldonViaduct.jpg
|static_image_width= 240
|static_image_caption= Meldon Viaduct from the quarry road
|coordinates = {{coord|50.7|-4.05|display=inline,title}}
|country = England
|official_name= Meldon
|population =
|population_ref =
|civil_parish= Okehampton Hamlets
|shire_district= West Devon
|shire_county = Devon
|region= South West England
|os_grid_reference = SX5592
|dial_code= 01837
|post_town= OKEHAMPTON
|postcode_district= EX20
|postcode_area= EX
|constituency_westminster= Torridge and West Devon
}}
Meldon is a hamlet in West Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England.{{cite map |title=Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 191 Okehampton & North Dartmoor (Crediton & Bovey Tracey) |ISBN=9780319231821 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |date=2013 }} It is 4 km south-west of Okehampton. Its main features are the Meldon Quarry and Meldon Reservoir and the nearby Meldon Viaduct.
Quarries
Granite is still extracted from Meldon Quarry. The now disused Meldon Aplite Quarry has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its exposures of aplite and other rocks.
The Dartmoor Railway terminates at Meldon Quarry; the former continuation of the line to Tavistock and Plymouth continues as a cycle path. The former railway line crosses the West Okement River on the Meldon Viaduct just before reaching the quarry from the west.
Reservoir
{{main|Meldon Reservoir}}
The Meldon Reservoir was formed by damming the West Okement River. It is about 1.2 km long and 300 metres wide, and extends from the West Okement valley into a small side valley.
Firing range
Immediately to the south-east is the area of the Okehampton military firing range, which is sometimes closed to the public. At other times, a footpath along the west side of the reservoir can be used to access the open moor.
Civil parish
In 1850, the civil parish of Oakhampton, or Okehampton, consisted of {{convert|9552|acre|km2}} of land, which encompassed several villages including Meldon. The hamlet is now part of the civil parish of Okehampton Hamlets.{{cite web|url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/# |title=Ordnance Survey Election Maps |website=www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk |publisher=Ordnance Survey |accessdate=3 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220103943/https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |archivedate=20 February 2016 }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Meldon, Devon}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070510024326/http://www.devon.gov.uk/etched?url=etched%2Fixbin%2Fhixclient.exe&_IXP_=1&_IXR=110598 Meldon Community Page]
- [http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Okehampton/Okehampton1850.html GENUKI/Devon: Okehampton 1850]
- [http://www.stepping-stones.co.uk/htdocs/SendFile.cfm?File=1841-Devonshire/index.htm Devonshire 1841]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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