MMO2890 - Post-medieval drainage ditches west of Honeymead Farm (Monument)

Post-medieval drainage ditches, visible as a series of earthworks, appear to channel water from nearby springs and marshy ground into tributaries of White Water. The ditches were probably first cut in the mid 19th Century.

An area of complex post-medieval drainage channels is visible as a series of earthworks immediately west of Honeymead Farm, Exmoor. Centred at approximately SS 7929 3922, the ditches run in a variety of directions, mainly channeling water down the west facing valley above White Water, suggesting they were designed designed to channel water from the nearby springs and marshy ground. Several of the streams in the area may have been deliberately widened and recut to cope with the excess water. The system was probably first cut around the time Honeymead Farm was constructed in the mid 19th Century, and have continued in use up until the 20th Century. [1-2] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [3]