Alluvial tin streamwork, Lydford Woods

Historic England's scheduling record (list entry 1017248) describes an alluvial tin streamwork at the foot of the steep-sided valley of the River Lyd. It holds a range of well-preserved earthworks that point to the tin deposits being worked in several phases. The River Lyd forms the southern limit, and most of the northern edge is a wide channel right beside the Bridestowe and Brentor parish boundary bank. It lies across the parishes of Brentor and Lydford, about 2.7 km north-east of North Brentor.

Between these two edges lie many parallel linear earthworks, the dumps of spoil from streamworking. Most run north-east to south-west, roughly at right angles to the river, but in three distinct areas they lie roughly parallel with it. A programme of survey, excavation and augering has worked out the general sequence of events and found areas where waste slimes from the dressing process were dumped. The forest tracks through the monument are not scheduled, though the ground below them is.

Sources: Historic England list entry 1017248, which cites Gerrard, Lydford Woods alluvial tin streamwork (1997). Sandy Gerrard has posted a link to his survey report on the Historic England page; I have not linked it.

• Period: Medieval
• Status: Scheduled monument (Historic England list entry 1017248)
• Grid reference: SX 4955 8374 (approximate, from the listing's coordinates)