MMO2611 - 19th Century water meadow east of Langham Farm (Monument)

A water meadow of probable 19th Century date, of a type known as a catchwork or field gutter system, is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks to the east of Langham Farm, centred on circa SS 9060 4005. The water meadow is of a type known as a catchwork or field gutter system found on combe or hill slopes and designed to irrigate pasture usually by diverting water from a spring or stream along the valley sides via one or more 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 March and April. Any excess water then returned to the feeder stream at the valley bottom or was removed by a tail drain. This system is relatively small, covering an area of approximately 3 hectares, with gutters visible on either side of the a tributary to the River Avill, both north and south facing slopes. However, water can be seen on aerial photographs of the 1940s flowing downslope from gutters not visible on the available aerial photographs, perhaps cut too close to field boundaries to be seen. From this it can be inferred that gutters additional to those transcribed are also present. [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]