MMO3003 - Post-medieval water meadow south of Pennycombe Bridge (Monument)

A possible water meadow of probable post-medieval date can be seen on aerial photographs of the 1940s as earthworks to the south of of Pennycombe Bridge, Withypool, centred on circa SS 8457 3582. It is of a type found typically on the combe sides or hill slopes of Exmoor, known as a catchwork, ditch gutter or field gutter system, and covers an area of less than one hectare. Catchworks were designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters, although simple examples consisting of only a single gutter are common. 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 the March and April. The features resemble footpaths but can be seen in operation on aerial photographs of 1947. However, the source of water used by the system is not clear from the aerial photographs or maps available to the survey. [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]