Haldon Hills

Haldon is one of the few sites in Devon where there is evidence of settlement in early Neolithic times (around 4000 BC). There are an estimated 26 Bronze Age tumuli on Haldon, though because of the frequent use of the gravel and flints for road building, many more may have been destroyed. On Little Haldon, Castle Dyke, a probable Iron Age square enclosure about 100 metres (330 ft) on each side occupies a good defensive position. An ancient track known as the Portway that crosses Little Haldon passes by this earthwork. The high ground of Haldon has always been an inconvenience for people travelling south and west from Exeter. There is some evidence of a Roman road leading from Exeter over…

There are several notable buildings on Haldon. Apart from those discussed in greater depth below, Oxton House, which lies in a secluded valley on the eastern side, was owned by the Earl of Listowel in the early 20th century. South of this is Mamhead House, otherwise known as Dawlish College; and further south again, on a spur of Little Haldon above the stream known as Dawlish Water, is Ashcombe Tower, built in 1833 as an observatory and later owned by Ralph Rayner. In 1935 he used the architect Brian O'Rorke to extend it and convert it into a home. Right on the southern edge of Little Haldon, on the outskirts of Dawlish, is Luscombe Castle which was built in 1800 by John Nash for Charles…