The landscape now known as Okehampton Deer Park has always been important and is recognised as a Premier Achaeological Landscape (PAL) which contains a large and well preserved medieval landscape as well as important industrial features.
Timeline of the Deer Park
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/la-okehampton-deer-park.htm
Prehistoric
There are few archaeological remains from this period of note.
Iron Age (2500 years ago)
Evidence of an Iron Age settlement east of East Hill
Early medieval (800 AD onwards)
Evidence of farming on an area south and west of the present Okehampton Army Training Camp. Eight farmsteads (generally one or more longhouses and accompanying barns) are scattered throughout the extent of the field system. Occupation continued until around 1400.
Norman Conquest (1066)
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/okehampton-castle/
Construction of Okehampton castle. Built offering commanding views of the surrounding countryside and control of the road to and from Cornwall.
Creation of the Deer Park (1298)
http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/deer_park.htm
The owners of the castle, the Courtenays, created Okehampton Deer Park. This consisted of over 690 hectares (1700 acres) of parkland which would have been populated with deer and hounds.
The park itself was bounded by rivers deer leaps (substantial banked walls and ditches) which meant that the deer (mainly roe deer) could only jump one way. Trees were planted to provide cover and indeed ancient hollies and hawthorns can still be seen in parts of the old park.
Okehampton castle destroyed (1538)
Henry VIII ordered it to be demolished as a punishment for its owner's treason. It is now maintained by English Heritage.
Castle Image (to come from English Heritage)
Limestone and aplite (a form of granite) quarrying (18th Century)
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/sheet_3b-b.pdf
The industrial landscape is of a complexity and diversity unequalled within Dartmoor National Park and is evidenced by spoil heaps, buildings and structures (including two limekilns) and of wheelpits and leats.
Copper mining along the West Okment River (mid 19th century)
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/laf-site9-the-copper-mine.pdf
Mine was variously known as Red-a-Ven mine, Blackdown Copper Mine, Meldon Mine, Devon Copper mine and Okehampton Wheal Maria. This probably indicates a succession of intermittent and largely unsuccessful mining enterprises.
London and South West railway reaches Okehampton (1871)
http://www.dartmoor-railway.co.uk
Part of the Southern Railway main line from London Waterloo to Plymouth and North Cornwall, the stretch between Meldon Quarry in the West and Coleford Junction near Yeoford, in the East was kept open to transport ballast from Meldon Quarry. When the quarry was sold to Aggregate Industries various partners (Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park and RMS Locotec) came together to form a community railway, named the Dartmoor Railway.
Construction of Meldon Viaduct (1874)
http://www.meldonviaduct.co.uk/
Spanning 341 feet (165 metres) the steel viaduct was originally a single track and in 1878 it became a double track. It was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960’s. Today it offers cyclists and walkers commanding views of parts of the deer park.
Okehampton Military Training Camp (1892)
www.dartmoor-ranges.co.uk/Downloads/Conservation/Okehampton_Camp.pdf
Okehampton was the chosen site for a permanent military camp due to its
suitability as a camping area in the park, good water supply and being only a quarter of a mile from the railway station with good connections to Exeter and Plymouth. Furthermore, the northern part of the moor was more suitable as a practice range. After leases had been purchased construction began of the officers’ stables in July 1892 and the rest of the camp nine months later. Occupying a 90 acre site within Okehampton Deer Park the use of the camp has fluctuated with the needs of the military but still provides an important resource for the military as well as for the town.
Meldon Quarry (1895)
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/laf-site11-meldon-quarry.pdf
Opened to take advantage of the rocks produced along the baked margins of the Dartmoor granite. The hornfels in particular are hard and durable and have provided the aggregate for rail ballast and road building. Public access is not possible to the quarry although geologists visit, under agreement, to examine the huge quarry faces that provide the most important exposures of the folded and cooked Carboniferous rocks in the area. The site is nationally protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
Private purchase of Okehampton Castle and the Deer Park (1911)
http://www.okehampton.gov.uk/index.php/visitor-attractions/16-simmons-park
Using his vast wealth Sydney Simmons purchased the castle and much of the Deer Park directly around the town and castle. He consequently removed much vegetation and laid large parts of the grounds with paths and seats for people to enjoy the area.
Okehampton Golf Club opens (1913)
http://www.okehamptongolfclub.co.uk/
A keen golfer, Sydney Simmons, used one parcel of land within the deer park to create a golf course. The nine hole Okehampton course was opened on 16th July 1913 and was later enlarged to eighteen holes
Deer Park bequeathed to Okehampton Town (1917)
Okehampton Town Council were given land within the Deer Park that Sydney Simmons owned.
Formation of Dartmoor National Park Authority (1951)
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk
The National Park Purposes to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park and also promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park by the public are highlighted by the importance of Okehampton Deer Park in terms of its rich cultural heritage, biodiversity and opportunities for recreation
Meldon Dam and Reservoir (1972)
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/sheet_3h-b.pdf
Located just outside the western edge of Okehampton Deer Park, the reservoir still offers walking opportunities via a permissive path. The dam was built in 1972 in the West Ockment valley and has a span of 660 feet (201metres) and is 145 feet high (45metres).
Okehampton Deer Park – present day
The area known as the Okehampton Deer Park is rich in terms of cultural heritage, biodiversity and a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Careful management of the area will ensure its remains to be as important and retains its special qualities which have attracted so many people.