Taw Marsh is a good example of a Dartmoor marsh. It lies to the south of Belstone village and consists of a natural amphitheatre through which the river Taw slowly meanders before escaping down the valley past Belstone towards Sticklepath. The marsh is surrounded by the impressive hills of Cosdon, Metheral and Belstone while Steeperton Tor (532m) marks where the Taw stream hurtles down the valley to get to the marsh plain. The whole area of Taw Marsh has been worked for alluvial tin since medieval times and then re-exploited in later times which lead to the use of adits and shafts in the 19th century. This shows a sketch map of Belstone water treatment works, showing the location of 9 wells, being 35-55 feet deep and 6ft in diameter. These are located south of Belstone tor and the Irishmans wall.

Boddy Collection