The best way to view this magnificent mid-Bronze Age settlement is by first making the short but steep ascent of Hookney Tor to get a birds eye viewpoint. Only then can the full splendour of this site be appreciated. The pound is located in the low land separating the heights of Hookney and Hameldown Tors. A ruinous dry stone wall encloses an area of about four acres containing the remains of twenty four stone huts in various states of disrepair and some animal enclosures. A stream, Grimslake, flows inside the northern wall.

Plans from the early nineteenth century show that the site has changed very little in the past one hundred and fifty years, probably because of its relatively isolated position. Another reason for its remarkable state of preservation is that the Dartmoor Excavation Committee excavated the site in 1894-95, and rebuilt many of the hut circles. Thirteen of the eighteen hut circles excavated contained evidence of occupation, the rest were of simpler construction and thought to be store houses or possibly animal pens.

The huts had an average diameter of just 3.4m and were built by first constructing a double ring of stones to a height of three or four feet. The spaces between the stones would have been infilled with smaller stones and earth, and then backed up with turf on the outside. The SW facing entrance was defined by two jamb stones supporting a lintel and paved to prevent it from becoming a quagmire in wet weather. In some cases this doorway was protected from the elements by a curved porch. A central wooden pole would have supported a roof of branches and turf. Inside of the dwellings, a raised stone platform was excavated, presumably for sitting and sleeping away from draughts. To complete the interior, hearth stones and cooking pits were also found in many of the huts.

Unfortunately, few finds were made. These included a small fragment of pottery, a broken flint knife, some flint scrapers and flakes of flint, a polishing stone, charcoal and a few cooking stones in some of the huts. The rest of the interior still remains unexcavated. Neolithic and Bronze Age (Wessex culture) flint arrowheads have also been found in the general area.

The committee also excavated the perimeter wall and found it to be a double wall: two walls rising to an estimated 1.7m high separated by a space about 1m wide, thus giving a total width of about 3.7m between the inner and outer faces. The walls were strengthened by occasional cross supports between the two, and the hollow space between them could be accessed in at least two places. Although wide, the height of the perimeter wall does not indicate a defensive structure. Far more likely that this was designed to keep domestic animals in and wild animals out. The original entrance, 2m wide, is at the SE, facing the path up to Hamel Down. It is defined by several large boulders and traces of the stepped pavement can still be seen. The two other breaks in the wall are the effects of later vandalism.

Grimm is an Old English word meaning savage - a word which accurately sums up this location. But remember that the climate was more temperate three thousand years ago, making this a more hospitable place to live and graze livestock. Grim was also a mythical Anglo-Saxon figure, the Leader of the Wild Hunt. Grim has parallels in Norse and Germanic mythologies in the form of Odin and Woden respectively. Could this pound have links with Grim, or does Grimspound simply reflect the savage nature of the moor?

On the southern slopes of Hookney Tor and lost in the heather is a small pound enclosing two small hut circles. Like Grimspound, there are no field boundaries associated with it, suggesting that it was an intermittently occupied settlement, possibly associated with the larger pound which is in view down the slope.

The landscape around this north eastern fringe of the moor is dotted with prehistoric and historic artefacts. There are numerous hut circles, cairns, tumuli and barrows nearby, not to mention the enigmatic Hamel Down Cross and old boundary stones. Clearly, this was a very important area to our ancestors. Today, because of the isolation of the moor, and the dramatic scenery, echoes of the past can easily be heard. It is possible to spend days here exploring the hidden historic and archaeological treasures of the area. But don't make the same mistake i did the first time i came here. Having some time to spare we decided to go looking for the Grey Wethers stone circle, noticing the name on the map a mile to the SE. After spending some time looking for this new (to us) circle we took another look at the map and discovered that we had confused B.S. with S.C. There is a Grey Wethers boundary stone (B.S.) on Hamel Down, the circle (S.C.) is four miles to the north west. Oh how we laughed!!!!!!!!

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