To the north of Haytor Rocks, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon, are the disused remains of an old granite quarry and a granite tramway built to move stones from the quarry down to the Stover Canal, from where it was shipped to different parts of England. The tracks of the tramway were built out of the same material it was designed to carry —granite.

The trackway was built in 1820 and remained operational until 1858. During those times, granite from the quarries near Haytor Rock was in much demand for construction work in cities across England. But the transport of this heavy and bulky commodity was a significant problem. In the absence of railways and reliable roads, the granite had to be carried by horse drawn carts which was both costly and time consuming. George Templer, the owner of the Haytor quarries, became impatient and needed a more efficient method to move the rocks because he had just won the contract to supply stones for the building of the new London Bridge.

Photo credit: Ethan Doyle White/Wikimedia