Belstone
Belstone is a village and civil parish on the northern edge of Dartmoor, about 1,000 feet up, with some 250 residents according to the village website. The parish is bounded by the East Okement on the west and the Taw on the east. The church of St Mary the Virgin has priests recorded from 1260; the village website says it shows signs of Norman origins and possibly Saxon ones, though most of the building is 14th and 15th century.
Around the central Great Green are the Tors Inn, the old stocks and a memorial stone for the coronation of George V in 1911. The Zion Chapel was built in 1841 and was the post office from 1937 to 2002, and the pound was turned into a garden in 1988 after standing derelict following the death of the poundkeeper William Brock in 1913. Between 1890 and 1905 about 21 new houses were added to the original 9 farms and a similar number of cottages. The village still beats its bounds every seven years.
Above the village the Nine Maidens is a Bronze Age cairn circle of about 16 stones with an internal diameter of 7 metres, the stones 0.5 to 0.8 metres high, around a robbed kistvaen. Samuel Rowe counted 17 in 1848. Legend says the maidens were turned to stone for dancing on a Sunday, and the circle is also called the Seventeen Brothers. A broken stone nearby is said to be the piper. The count never comes out the same twice. Copper was mined at Belstone Consols, which took in Taw River and Copper Hill mines, with output recorded from 1867 to 1891.
Belstone on the map
In Belstone
Andrews Corner
Belstone, Okehampton
Situated on the northern edge of Dartmoor at approximately one thousand feet above sea level, Andrews Corner derives its unique character from the contrast between the rugged grandeur of the open moor and the verdant serenity of a cultivated garden.
Belstone and Okehampton boundary stones
Belstone
Three parish boundary stones close together on Belstone Common near Lower Tor: two Belstone stones (BB and a smaller, older BB/P) and an OPB Okehampton stone.
Belstone Village
Belstone
The community website for the village of Belstone on North Dartmoor. Get the latest news, visiting information and business links.
Belstone Village Hall
Belstone, Okehampton
Belstone Village Hall - Details of the village hall which is at the heart of the Belstone community on the edge of Dartmoor.
Belstone Village Stocks
Belstone
A sturdy stone stocks stand in Belstone village, a sobering reminder of medieval justice on the edge of Dartmoor.
Cullever Steps
Belstone
The stepping-stone and ford crossing of the East Okement River below Belstone Tor, a named point on the old Forest boundary, now crossed by army bridges.
Cullever Steps Pool
Belstone
A pool on the East Okement River just below Cullever Steps, a remote wild swimming spot below Belstone Tor.
Fallen Brother Dolmen
Belstone
Collapsed dolmen near Irishman's Wall above Belstone, found by Alan Endacott and named in tribute to Dartmoor people who died in the world wars.
Fice's Well and stone cross, East Hill
Belstone, Okehampton
A stone-roofed holy well and a small granite cross beside it on East Hill above the West Okement, both listed Grade II.
Fitz's Well and Cross
Belstone, Okehampton
A spring and small granite cross on Okehampton Park, tied to a legend of pixie-led walkers who drank here and saw the mist lift. Not Fice's Well.
Henry's Ford
Belstone
A ford across the East Okement River on the north-east moor, passable by stone-hopping in low water but requiring a wade or diversion in spate.
Irishman's Wall Circle
Belstone
Remains of a cairn circle near Irishman's Wall above Belstone, picked up by Alan Endacott's geophysical survey. Six stones are visible and more are indicated below ground.
Lower Tor (Okehampton)
Belstone
A granite stack lower down the hill from Higher Tor on the Okehampton Common side of Belstone, with wide views over the northern moor and the firing range beside it.
Metheral Stone Circle
Belstone
Oval stone circle on Taw Marsh below Metheral Hill, near Belstone. Alan Endacott found it during his PhD fieldwork and it was announced in November 2024. About 20 stones survive, most of them fallen.
Nine Maidens Stone Circle
Belstone, Okehampton
A Bronze Age cairn circle of at least sixteen low granite stones on the western slope below Belstone Tor, known as the Nine Maidens or the Nine Stones.
No. 2 Generator (disused)
Belstone, Okehampton
A stark concrete generator building from Dartmoor's industrial past, now silent among the moorland.
Okehampton parish boundary stones at Cullever Steps
Belstone
Two OPB (Okehampton Parish Bounds) stones at Cullever Steps, the larger a 19th-century replacement for the smaller: Dartefacts BS No.14 and BS No.15.
Spring head, Belstone
Belstone, Okehampton
A Grade II spring head at Belstone of undressed granite blocks, terraced into the hillside, walled on three sides, roofed with a big slab and open to the north-east, where a natural spring still rises; perhaps medieval or earlier.
St Mary’s Church
Belstone, Okehampton
Nestled at the west end of the village, St Mary’s Church is well worth a visit.
Sticklepath to Belstone Circular
Belstone
Sticklepath to Belstone Circular is a circular walking route of about 6.8 km on and around Dartmoor.
Taikoo
Belstone, Okehampton
Tucked away beneath the tors above Belstone sits Taikoo - a fascinating 1920s English country house, with a distinctly Oriental flavour.
Taw Marsh Waterworks
Belstone
The underground water works built in the late 1950s to take radon out of Taw Marsh water: a concrete building with skylights, sold or offered for sale in 2014, 2018 and 2023.
The Dartmoor Soap Company Ltd
Belstone, Okehampton
Award-winning natural soap and natural skincare. The original handmade soap from Dartmoor, using local ingredients and traditional methods.
The Tors Inn
Belstone, Okehampton
The Tors is a proper pub, with food and rooms, situated 1000ft above sea level in the Dartmoor village of Belstone near Okehampton
Watchet Hill Cottage
Belstone, Okehampton
Ruined cottage on open moorland, a poignant trace of the families who once eked out life on Dartmoor's high ground.
Whit Hill Settlements
Belstone
Prehistoric moorland settlement at the foot of White Hill near Belstone, remarkably remote even for Dartmoor.
White Hill
Belstone, Okehampton
Prehistoric settlement site near Taw Marsh with enclosures and hut circles, on the western side of Cosdon Hill about 1 km from the White Moor stone circle.
