| Summary : A water meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks to the south-west of Knaplock, Winsford parish. This is a type of water meadow known as catchwork or field-gutter system. Such water meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. When irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April. |
More information : A water meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks to the south-west of Knaplock, centred at circa SS 86513283.
This is a type of water meadow known as catchwork or field-gutter system, commonly found on combe or hill slopes and designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream. The water is carried along the valley sides via one or more channels or gutters and when irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of March and April.
The system consists of several gutters on the north and south combe slopes of a spring-fed stream, which runs roughly parallel to Watery Lane for approximately 500 metres. Several of the gutters appear to be cut through relict earthwork field boundary banks of possible medieval date. One of the gutters is marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map, which may support the interpretation that the water-meadow predates 1890. The gutters are still visible on aerial photographs of 1972. (1-4)
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