In the 19th century, granite was quarried at Haytor on Dartmoor and was taken along a tramway to the Stover Canal. From there it went by barge to Teignmouth, then by sea around Great Britain and further. The tramway was opened on 1820, by George Templar of Stover, a long distance footpath , the Templar Way is named after him.
Granite from Haytor was used in the building of London Bridge, the British Museum and the National Gallery.
Trains of up to twelve trucks descended from Haytor, with a horse behind to slow them down. Remains of the tramway can still be seen on Haytor Down. The ‘Relic’ of a truck below is similar to the ones used on the tramway. This post is for the Weekly Photo Challenge of Relic.
Visit http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/relic/
to join in.
Lucid Gypsy 
Relic indeed. Overworked, beaten down and dumped is what I see. Kind of sad. Are these on special display?
Wonderful photograph. 😀
No it’s tucked under a barn in a courtyard, mostly un-noticed!
Aah. ❤
Where did you find this treasure?
At Parke, Bovey Tracey, Devon!
Wonderful capture of the passage of time Gilly….it’s amazing what was possible before the motor engine….
Absolutely, people created incredible things!
That truck looks so well used, and now it’s just abandoned. 😦 That tramway must once have been such a hive of activity. Great image for the challenge.
Thank Sylvia, I loved it.
Good relic Gilly. Did such a trolley have a local name?
I don’t know what it would have been called I’m afraid.
Oh well thanks for your reply. It’s probably called a ‘Dolly’ of some sort. Wonder where dolly came from? No answer expected!
A great post. I have such admiration for this tough little trolley. Does it show a stone railway line? They must have been Hugh single pieces of granite since there are no ‘sides’ to the bed. Excellent post.
Parts of the granite tracks can still be seen on the moors!
I love that you gave us the history with the photo. Very interesting about the horse on the end to slow the wagons down.
Yes, I thought so too, must have been a powerful horse!
Great choice indeed Gilly, and thanks for the back story.
Thanks Madhu!