Hound Tor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hound Tor |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
View of Hound Tor
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 414 m (1,358 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 26 m |
| Geography | |
 Hound Tor
Location in Dartmoor
|
|
| Location | Dartmoor, England |
| OS grid | SX742789 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 191 |
Hound Tor is a famous rock formation, known as a tor, found in Dartmoor, Devon, England. It's a great example of how granite rocks can be shaped and worn down by weather over many years.
You can easily visit Hound Tor. It's just a short distance from the B3387 road, which connects Bovey Tracey and Widecombe-in-the-Moor.
Dartmoor National Park Authority looks after this special place for English Heritage. This is because Hound Tor isn't just rocks; it also has the remains of an old medieval village and other ancient stone structures nearby.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Hound Tor might come from the way some of its rocks look. A writer named Sabine Baring-Gould once said that the rocks at the top of the tor look like the heads of dogs peeking over natural walls. This is how they got their name, "Hound Tor."
Exploring the Medieval Village
Life in Hundatorra
To the south-east of Hound Tor, on a slope, you can find the ruins of Hundatorra. This was a deserted medieval village, meaning everyone left it long ago. People first farmed this land way back in the Bronze Age. It might have even been used for grazing animals during the Roman period.
Archaeologists dug up the village between 1961 and 1975. They found four Dartmoor longhouses. These were long buildings where people and their animals lived under one roof. Many of them had a channel down the middle to help with drainage. There were also smaller houses and barns. These buildings were built around the 13th century.
Farming and Climate Change
The villagers grew grain, and the barns they used for storage seem to have been changed to include corn dryers. This suggests that the weather was getting colder and wetter, making it harder to dry crops naturally.
Evidence from pollen shows that farming probably stopped by 1350. However, more recent studies of pottery found there suggest the village might have been lived in until the late 14th or early 15th century.
What Was Left Behind?
When the villagers left, they didn't leave much behind. The soil in this area is acidic, which means it would have destroyed many things over time. During the excavations, archaeologists found only one coin from the time of King Henry III. They also found some broken pottery that came from a place called Crockerton in Wiltshire.
.jpg)
Other Ancient Discoveries
Prehistoric Farms and Huts
Near Hound Tor, you can find even older signs of people living here. About 400 metres north-west of the medieval village, there are remains of a prehistoric farmstead. To the south, you can see several Bronze Age hut circles. These are the stone foundations of ancient round houses.
Medieval Fields
If you stand on top of Hound Tor, you can still see the outlines of the medieval fields. These fields were used by the villagers. They are marked by "corn ditches." These are granite walls with a ditch in front and earth piled up behind the wall.
Hound Tor in Stories and Shows
Legends and Inspiration
A local legend says that Hound Tor was formed when a group of hounds were turned into stone. This is similar to the story of Bowerman's Nose, another famous rock formation.
Hound Tor has also inspired many artists and writers. It's thought to have influenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles. This famous mystery story is part of the Sherlock Holmes series.
On Screen
Hound Tor has even appeared on television and in movies!
- The 1975 Doctor Who story The Sontaran Experiment was filmed right here at Hound Tor.
- Establishing shots for the episode The Hounds of Baskerville from the TV series Sherlock were also filmed here.
- The 2016 British horror film The Unfolding was shot at Hound Tor. The granite rocks are shown a lot in the movie.
Popular for Climbers
Hound Tor is also a popular spot for people who enjoy rock climbing.
