A Cross at the Heart of the Moor
Nun's Cross — more properly Siward's Cross — is one of the most ancient and significant standing crosses on Dartmoor, a tall granite shaft on the open moor south of Princetown that has served as a waymarker, boundary stone, and landmark for at least a thousand years. The name Siward connects it to Siward, Earl of Northumbria, in the eleventh century; the name Nun's Cross derives from the nearby Nun's Cross Farm and the ancient route linking Buckfast Abbey with Buckland Abbey, both of which owned land meeting near this point.
The cross stands approximately 1.8 metres above ground and carries inscribed text on both faces — 'SIWARD' on one side and 'BOC LOND' on the other, the latter marking the boundary of Buckland Abbey's land grant. It is one of the few Dartmoor crosses with datable historical associations, though the exact origin of the shaft may predate the inscriptions by centuries.
The location is characteristically bleak — open high moor, no shelter, wide views in all directions across the central plateau. This exposure makes it an exemplary subject for 3D capture: a single strong vertical form in an uncluttered landscape, with the worn and patinated granite surface holding extraordinary texture detail at close range.