MMO1563 - Medieval and post-medieval fishtraps or breakwaters at Culver Cliff [marine] (Monument)

SS 9625 4798 Possible medieval and/or post-medieval fish traps or breakwaters, visible as linear and curvilinear structures, were mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1970. Located in the intertidal area of Culver Cliff Sand, below Culver Cliff west of Minehead, a 215 metres long series of parallel linear and curvilinear stone ridges or banks aligned perpendicular to the sea have been built. (SS 9618 4805 to SS 9635 4791). These structures are mostly sited on the seaward side of the three V shaped stone built coastal fish weirs that are located on Culver Cliff Sand. It may be that these structures were used to further exploit the sluices, know as guts, at the apices of the fish weirs, that funnelled fish trapped in the tidal pools formed by the weirs as the pools emptied, back to the sea. The linear stone structures would thus provide a further opportunity to collect fish that had escaped from the fish weirs as they are directed along the channels between the stone banks. It could also be that these structures are breakwaters to protect the stone fish weirs to the landward side of them, or to prevent longshore drift from silting up the fish weirs. The linear and curvilinear banks vary in length (about 43 to 108 metres), width (about 1.3 to 5.5 metres) and shape and are still visible in 1999. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]