MMO2008 - Post-medieval water meadow east of Barton Gate (Monument)

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible on aerial photographs. This system seems to be connected to a nearby farmyard, suggesting that this was an integrated system.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow system, is visible on aerial photographs to the east of Barton Gate, Challacombe. Centred at approximately SS 6889 4109, four gutters are visible on a fairly steep west facing slope above an unnamed tributary of the River Bray. The gutters vary in length from 75 to 95 metres and are between 1 and 2 metres wide. The gutters are overlain in places by field boundaries which are not depicted on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map, suggesting that this system was constructed prior to publication of this map in 1889. This system seems to be connected to a nearby farmyard, suggesting that this was an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure as fertiliser to the fields. Catchwater meadows used a series of approximately parallel gutters to distribute flowing water evenly over the surface of the meadow in order to prevent freezing in winter and encourage early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock. Most catchwater meadows are believed to date to the post-medieval period, although it is possible that they were first developed in the medieval period. [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]