Stone rail from the Hay Tor Tramway

Stone rail from the Hay Tor Tramway, Dartmoor, Devon, c. 1826.

The Hay Tor granite tramway on Dartmoor was originally built to transport high-quality granite from Haytor Down to large cities across the country, where it was needed for building projects as far afield as London.

Built by George Templer, the tramway stretched over eight miles of track to the port of Teignmouth where the granite was loaded onto ships for the next phase of its journey.

The Templer Way walk through Dartmoor still follows the tracks, with many of the stone rails still in situ as a testament to an unusual but highly effective undertaking.