TORS OF DARTMOOR

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Holwell Rocks

Big Rock, Phoebe Tor

Travelling along the minor road between the car park at Hound Tor (Swallerton Gate) and Hare(s)foot Cross, one cannot fail to notice a prominent tor of two main piles set on the hill, clearly visible to the left where the road drops down into a dip at Frenchangers Corner by a cattle grid. These twin outcrops are collectively called Holwell Rocks, a name first given by William Crossing (WC) in the early 20th Century where he writes about Hound Tor Combe: "...to the west is a tor above Holwell Farm, sometimes known as Holwell Rocks, from which a good view of the further side of the combe is gained, the beautiful Grea Tor, in whose clefts the mountain ash finds a home, and Hound Tor, the latter ranking among the finest on the Moor." He further described it in his Guide as: "On the L., or W., side of the Combe is Holwell, with Haresfoot Mires below it, and beyond it, on Holwell Down, the little pile sometimes known as Holwell Rocks." Holwell Down is a name that has appeared on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps since at least 1888.

Mentioned again by Eric Hemery (EH) in 1983 he advises that the eastern pile is also known as 'Big Rock' and that: "The route of the path from Beltor Bog to a point west of Grea Tor, from where it drops north-eastward into the border-country, is visible from Holwell Rocks (approx. 1,275 feet), a small though interesting tor of two piles on Holwell Down. My attention was drawn to an unrecorded logan-stone on the west pile by the vigorous rubbing of a large ram, an effect at first startling, for the animal was below the edge of the logan and invisible to me until I moved closer to investigate." EH was also the first to supply a photograph of the Rocks, showing the separated piles with an outlook towards Hound Tor Combe, above which the slopes are adorned by granite strewn from Leighon Tor and Smallacombe Rocks.

In 1986 the well-known local South Devon writer Brian Carter (BC), himself an enthusiastic tor bagger, visited the Rocks and commented at that time on the lack of representation by the OS and depicted them on a hand-drawn map that appeared in the Herald Express. A mere 5 years later with the publication of Terry Bound's (TB) The A to Z of Dartmoor Tors, the Rocks whilst being described correctly were strangely accompanied by a rogue National Grid Reference (NGR) of SX 742 783 that placed the tor on Holwell Lawn, some 650m to the north-east. Thankfully in his Gazetteer of Dartmoor Names Mike Brown in 1995 supplied the accurate NGR of SX 739 776 that cemented the location.

One might think that, after all of this - with the Rocks clearly being described by the titans of Dartmoor literature, Messrs WC and EH, and the equally eloquent BC - that there would have been no confusion as to the whereabouts of the tor - but that simply wasn't the case. It is perhaps in part due to the prominence of the name 'Holwell' in the locality - with Holwell Farm, Holwell Tor, Holwell Down and Holwell Lawn - all leading to some ambiguity. The confusion over the whereabouts was intensified in the 2013 book Dartmoor's Tors and Rocks by Ken Ringwood, who cited Holwell Rocks at SX 7444 7841, that is not too dissimilar from TB's estimate. However, here is a diminutive pile by a wall which is known locally as 'Hound Tor Down Outcrop' - and has no affiliation whatsoever with Holwell Rocks neither fitting the description nor location of previous commentators.

Sadly, this erroneous 2013 location for the Rocks was repeated for 2021 in an issue of the Dartmoor Magazine which prompted a swift response by Max Piper (MP) to remedy the mistake. However, if matters couldn't get worse for the rockpile the name of 'Phoebe Tor' was then adopted by the new custodians of this land the Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) in the very same year. Obviously done with good faith in light of there having been no apparent documented name for the Rocks on maps it was designed to honour Phoebe Wortley-Talbot (1926-2009), who left a legacy to DWT, at what is a stunning viewpoint. This name now appears on at least one information board at the entrances to the Reserve. So as not to lose the historic name forever, MP included the Rocks in East Dartmoor's Lesser-Known Tors and Rocks, together with a colour photograph and the NGR of SX 7391 7769. He also went a step further and contacted the OS in a plea for them to finally, after 120 years since being first mentioned, show Holwell Rocks by name on their maps. This endeavour was fulfilled in March 2024, and we hope that this put an end to any future misidentification.

Holwell Rocks itself is a pleasant tor of essentially two granite masses, the western of which is on the summit of the gentle hill reaching 399m and contains a distinctive stack. Views from here are tremendous - embracing countless rugged tors and eminences that fold into one another - and the glorious Hound Tor Combe. Big Rock, to the east mentioned by Hemery, is a large flat- and grass-topped outcrop that is bisected by an enclosure wall. A visit to the Rocks is thoroughly recommended and it is hoped that the complicated history has now been settled after a comprehensive article by Tim Jenkinson was published in Dartmoor Magazine for the end of 2023.

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Holwell Rocks
The map above is not a navigation tool and we recommend that the grid reference shown below is used in conjunction with an Ordnance Survey map and that training in its use with a compass is advised.
Grid Ref:
SX 7391 7769
Height:
399m
Parish:
Manaton
Tor Classification:
Summit
Access:
Public
Rock Type:
Granite
Credit:
Brian Carter
Eric Hemery
William Crossing
Reference / Further Reading:
Bound, T. (1991): The A to Z of Dartmoor Tors
Brown, M. (1995): The Gazetteer of Dartmoor Names
Carter, B. (1986): Herald Express: As Peaceful as Paradise Wilderness Walks No.3, 16th August
Crossing. W. (1905): Gems in a Granite Setting
Crossing, W. (1909): Guide to Dartmoor
Hemery, E. (1983): High Dartmoor - Land and People
Jenkinson, T. (2023): Dartmoor Magazine, Issue 152, Winter: Dartmoor Discovered: The Tale of Holwell Rocks
Ordnance Survey Maps
Piper, M. (2021): Dartmoor Magazine, Issue 144, Winter: Letters to the Editor
Piper, M. (2024): Dartmoor Magazine, Issue 153, Spring: New Features Named on Ordnance Survey Maps
Piper, M. (2022): East Dartmoor's Lesser-Known Tors and Rocks
Taylor, A. (2021): Dartmoor News, Issue 181, November/December: Phoebe Tor

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