The 'Take Off Stone' was a small stone that stands beside the A386 Tavistock to Okehampton road. During the late 1990's the stone was stolen, what stands there today is a replacement stone. In the 1760's and the days of mail coaches, wagons and horsepower, there was an increase in road building and improvement. The 'new' roads were turned into turnpike roads by official acts of parliament which allowed tolls to be collected. Many of these roads had new surfaces to cope with the continual use of hooves. An extra horse had to be used to pull heavy loads up hills. The takeoff stone marked where the extra horse could be taken off the cart.

Boddy Collection