Drizzlecombe valley is the site of one of the
most important Bronze Age complexes found on Dartmoor. The complex sits
between the stream of Drizzlecombe and the River Plym in the southwest of
Dartmoor, some two miles from the village of Sheepstor. It consists of three
stone rows, five enclosed settlement sites and huts as well as many cairns
and a cist. Each of the three stone rows have a terminal menhir at their
southern ends and a cairn marking their northern limit. The tallest menhir
found on Dartmoor marks the southern end of the most eastern row. It stands
14 ft (4.3 metres) high and is known as the 'Bone Stone' due to its peculiar
shaped top. To the south-east of the stone rows lies the ‘Giant’s
Basin’; one of the largest cairns on Dartmoor measuring 70ft across
and 10ft high (22 x 3 metres).
Other sites of interest nearby include the extensive remains of Eylesbarrow
tin mine to the north-east and the now derelict Ditsworthy
Warren House to the south-west. This was once the home of the keeper
of Ditsworthy Warren, which was the largest rabbit warren in England consisting
of 53 pillow mounds. The farming of rabbits in this area of Dartmoor took
place for at least three hundred years. The house was abandoned in 1947
and since then has been leased by the Admiralty from the Maristow estate
the owner of the house and property. It is used as part of the Dartmoor
Training Area, as a "stone tent", a farm building used to provide
basic shelter for troops. In 2010 Ditsworthy Warren House was used as
one of the filming locations for the Steven Spielberg film, War Horse.
To the north-west is the concentric stone circle of Yellowmead
Down.
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