See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A water-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onward as a series of earthwork ditches to the east of Silford Cross, Northam parish. Such water-meadows, known as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, 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.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WATER MEADOW (XIX to XX - 1801 AD to 2000 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1420, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1420 4231-4232 15-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349553.

A series of earthwork ditches are visible.

GetMapping, 1999 - 2000, Millennium Map 1999-2000 Getmapping (Aerial Photograph). SDV321648.

The earthwork gutters remain visible in scrub vegetation.

Next Perspectives, 2001, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: (Aerial Photograph). SDV349376.

The earthwork gutters are partly visible but have been damaged and possibly partly removed.

Next Perspectives, 2007, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: (Aerial Photograph). SDV349344.

The gutters have been levelled during the construction of Brooklands house.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011 - 2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

A water-meadow of probable 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of 1946 as a series of earthwork ditches to the east of Silford Cross, Northam parish. Such water-meadows, known as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are 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 visible gutters cover an area of around 1.25 hectares on the slopes of a shallow combe to the north of Silford Farm. The system might tap a spring-fed stream that flows to the south, and rises to the north and west, although it is unclear how the water is transported to the head-main, or top most gutter which can be seen at circa SS438283. Three further subsidiary water channels or gutters are partially visible between the head main and the stream.
The earthworks remain visible on aerial photographs of 1999 but they appear to have been levelled by 2007, by which time the field has been developed for housing.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV321648	Aerial Photograph: GetMapping. 1999 - 2000. Millennium Map 1999-2000 Getmapping. Millennium Map. Photograph (Digital).
SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011 - 2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV349344	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2007. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital.
SDV349376	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2001. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital.
SDV349553	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1420. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/106G/UK/1420 4231-4232 15-APR-1946.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.