Merrivale, Dartmoor

This little area of Dartmoor is full of history dating from the Bronze age to the present day. The two Tors dominating the skyline are Great Staple Tor(455m) on the right and Middle Staple Tor on the left. The roads shown here was not built until 1765 and a lot of the local moor stone would have gone into the making of the bed of the road,

The Quarry above the pub was opened in 1876 and closed on 1997, In 1982 it provided the granite to build the Falkland Island War Memorial

The Merrivale Inn was originally build in the 17th Century when an ancient track from Tavistock to Ashbourton ran past its door. The little triangle of land in front of the pub is the pound is where the ponies are kept during the Drift (round up)

On the sides of Gt Staple Tor you can fine small granite benches at which men work in the open air making small granite setts (cobbles) at a 1 old penny each.

In 1625 the people of Tavistock were suffering from the plague and were in quarantine, Their food was left near here for them to come and collect.

Today it is a nice spot to sit in the sun and drink your pint outside the pub while watching the world go by. Good in Large