MMO2848 - 19th Century water meadow southwest of Larcombe Farm (Monument)

A water meadow of probable 19th Century date is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks associated with Larcombe Farm. It covers an area of circa 3 hectares, along the south facing slopes above Larcombe Brook.

A water meadow of probable 19th Century date, of a type known as a catchwork or field gutter system, is visible on aerial photographs as earthworks associated with Larcombe Farm, centred on circa SS 8757 3874. Such water meadows are typically found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along the slope via a series of roughly parallel channels or gutters. 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. This system consists of 6 gutters on the south facing slopes above Larcombe Brook, covering an area of circa 3 hectares to the north-west and south of the farm. [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]