FIFTY years ago a school that stood in the heart of Dartmoor was pulled to the ground. Walkhampton Foggintor School, as it was known, was established in 1914 catering for the children of Foggintor, Rundlestone and Merrivale areas.The base and remains of the school form an area known locally as Four Winds Car Park. Some visitors or regular walkers to the area may not even know what once stood at the popular area, where many people begin their walks, or relax and enjoy a lovely picnic within the beautiful surroundings.A report in a local paper on March 2, 1964, said that at a public enquiry the previous year the building was described as a 'grave disfigurement in a stretch of completely open moorland'. In March 1964, it was demolished, taking approximately a month to complete — the rubble of which was used on the construction of the 'new' section of road at Devil's Elbow on the Princetown to Yelverton Road. The school was built in 1913/1914 by Devon County Council to cater for the children of the nearby quarries, and stood proud for forty years.A school for the area was needed and after a few problems Walkhampton Foggintor School was ready, and officially opened on April 19, 1915. The buildings were substantially built, having wood block floors with solid fuel central heating. Most of the pupils brought pasties for their lunch, which were heated on the pipes, or later in a double burner oil stove. Children entered through the two buildings nearest the road, one for the boys and one for the girls. The entrances to the school came with cloakrooms and toilets, the main building contained two classrooms, one for infants and one for 11 to 14-year-olds. Behind the school building were the separate boys' and girls' playground, and a separate residence for Mr F S Stoyle, the school's one and only headteacher in its 21- year existence.The school was closed down in 1936 when the decline in the quarry industry reduced the number of families in the area. The children of Foggintor School were then transferred to Princetown Primary School. All that remains of the school is a few low walls around the car park at Four Winds — but the memory and stories of the remote school still lives on in former pupils and their families. Eric Green from Princetown was born in 1929 in the Quarry Cottage. When Eric was 5-years-old he attended Foggintor School for 12 months before it was closed, and Eric was in one of the last intake of pupils. Even though his time at the school was short Eric remembers those days with fond memories: 'They were happy days! 'One thing I remember is being told we couldn't cross the river from the Hill Cottages by the quarry to the school — we had to walk a quarter of a mile to the road and along the road to the school. But to be honest we never paid attention and crossed the river! The school was for the children of the cottages and farms and quarries and we were never bothered about health and safety in those days. 'I remember Mr Stoyle — he was brilliant and never used a cane, we all liked him! When I left school at 14 in Princetown I went to work at Tor Royal Farm — it was the best job I?ever had.' One tale Eric recalls is how a large fir tree, a popular sight for all visitors, came to be almost 80 years ago: 'In the last year of the school's existence, the quarry men gave a gift to the school — the fir tree — which was planted in the garden.'Eric's niece Caroline Easton, who has been busy looking into her family history, said that the area holds a special place in her heart: 'This is a very special place and I really do love it out there. It is one of my favourite places in the world — it's so beautiful and full of family history for me.' When the quarries were in use, the areas around Foggintor, Rundlestone and Merrivale were alive with workers, families, trains, and animals. In a book Kath Brewer, Eric's cousin, recounts stories told by her family of their times at the school: 'The school bell was very prominent on the roof of the main building. My father's youngest brother went to Foggintor School from 1915 when it opened, but had to be up early in the morning to go to Mis Tor Farm for milk before going to school.' Not the nicest of walks if the weather was inclement. 'My cousins also went to this school until its closure when they had to transfer to Princetown School — which was founded in 1862.' After the school was closed Kath said it was left empty for some time and in 1938 the property was was bought by a Dr Adamson, who lived there for a time. When he vacated the property, various plans arose to turn it into a restaurant or petrol station, but nothing materialised — resulting in its demise and eventual demolition in 1964.