MMO1797 - Post-medieval water meadow east of Killington (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible on aerial photographs to the east of Killington. Centred at SS 6725 4650, eight gutters are visible on either side of an unnamed northeast facing valley or combe. The gutters on the western slope are wider than those on the eastern slope, and all the gutters measure between 50 and 200 metres. Catchwater meadow systems used a series of approximately parallel gutters to distribute running water evenly over the surface of the meadow in order to encourage early growth in spring and prevent the ground freezing in winter. This system does not appear to have been connected to any local farmyards, suggesting that this was a detached system, which distributed only water and not liquid manure or other fertiliser. Most catchwater systems are believed to date to the post-medieval period, although it is also possible that they were first developed in the medieval period. [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]