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Summary

An extensive system of drains or irregular water meadow gutters of a possible 19th or early 20th century water meadow were visible as narrow earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946, to the south of Doctors Farm, with which they were probably associated. The ditches were not identifiable on more recent aerial photographs and have probably been levelled.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WATER MEADOW? (XIX to XX - 1801 AD to 1946 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1823, RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4301-4302 04-NOV-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354994.

An extensive system of drains or irregular gutters are visible as ditches.

Environment Agency, 1998-2012, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution), LIDAR ST0404 Environment Agency DSM 2005-2010 (Cartographic). SDV357034.

Evidence of the larger ditches remain visible as earthworks.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

An extensive system of drains or the irregular gutters of a possible hybrid style of water meadow of probable 19th or early 20th century date were visible as narrow earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946, to the south of Doctors Farm, with which they were probably associated. Although in places resembling the herringbone pattern commonly seen in field drainage, the channels appear to be supplied with water by a wider channel or gutter that might have been supplied by a stream and or pond at Doctors Farm, and a second channel that diverted from the River Weaver at circa ST04820392. The function of the channels may therefore have been to irrigate the gentle slopes alongside the river, rather than drainage. The smaller ditches are not identifiable on more recent aerial photographs or images derived from lidar and have probably been levelled, although traces of the possible south-eastern main gutter can be seen as an earthwork ditch on images derived from lidar. These earthworks were probably an extension of a similar system of ditches visible to the north to the south of Chaldon Farm.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV354994	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1823. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1823 RS 4301-4302 04-NOV-1946. [Mapped feature: #67100 ]
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV357034	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2012. LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST0404 Environment Agency DSM 2005-2010.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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