MMO1637 - Post-medieval water meadow north of Broomstreet Farm (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks to the north of Broomstreet Farm. The system is centred at SS 8106 4866 and extends over an area measuring approximately 29 hectares. The gutters stretch across either side of the valley above Broomstreet Combe, and were probably fed by a spring marked on the Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map at the northern end of the Combe. The gutters on the east facing slope are deeper and wider than those on the west, and may have been used more regularly. The gutter at the top of the east facing field appears to be connected to the farmyard at Broomstreet Farm, suggesting this was an integrated system which was supplied with liquid manure as fertiliser. [1-4] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [5]