Shaugh Prior is a parish on the southwestern edge of Dartmoor, around eight miles northeast of Plymouth, taking in the village of Shaugh Prior itself along with the smaller settlements of Wotter and Lee Moor. The northern part of the parish is open moorland, while the centre is dominated by large-scale china clay extraction around Lee Moor, one of the most significant clay-producing areas in the country. To the south, farmland and woodland form a green buffer against Plymouth's expanding suburbs.
The parish's best-known natural landmark is the Dewerstone, a dramatic rocky outcrop above the River Plym near Shaugh Bridge, popular with walkers and climbers. Shaugh Prior Parish Council is the elected authority for the whole parish, covering local services, planning consultation and community facilities, and works with South Hams District Council and Devon County Council on wider matters affecting residents across all three settlements.
Cover photograph: photo by Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Website link checked 22 October 2026