MMO3113 - 19th Century water meadow west of Ashwick (Monument)

An extensive water meadow of probable 19th Century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks centred on circa SS 8889 3027, to the west of Ashwick. This is a type of water meadow known as catchwork or field gutter system, commonly found on combe or hill slopes and designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream. The water is carried along the valley sides via one or more channels or gutters and 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 March and April. This is a small and compact water meadow covering an area of at least circa 3.5 hectares. It probably operated in tandem with a similar system immediately to the west, probably associated with Mounsey Farm, to the northwest. The two water-meadows are probably contemporary and would have shared a single water supply, the spring-fed stream between them, operating on strict timetables to maximise its use. The gutters can still be seen on aerial photographs of 1972 but appear poorly maintained and may have passed out of use. [1-5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]