MMO398 - 19th Century water meadow at Coombe Farm (Monument)

A water meadow irrigation system of probable 19th Century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks. It probably taps a spring-fed stream, a tributary to the Exe, which rises to the north of Sharcott Farm.

A water meadow system was noted on aerial photographs around Coombe Farm. [1,2] A water meadow irrigation system of probable 19th Century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks on the combe slopes adjacent to Coombe Farm, centred on circa SS 8527 3913. This is an example of 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. The water meadow probably taps a spring fed stream, a tributary to the Exe, which rises circa 420 metres to the north of Sharcott Farm. The extension southwards of a gutter from the water meadow at Sharcott farm may support the interpretation that this system was physically interconnected with the Sharcott Farm system. Although this connection cannot be confirmed from the aerial photographs, it is probable that at the very least their proximity would have required close coordination in the timing their use for maximum benefit to both holdings. [3-5] 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]