MMO2061 - Post-medieval water meadow north of Hollacombe Farm (Monument)

A post medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks. This appears to be an integrated system with the farmyard at Hollacombe.

A post-medieval water meadow system, known locally as a catchwater meadow, is visible on aerial photographs as a series of earthworks in fields north of Hollacombe and the deserted settlement of Lower Hollacombe, Kentisbury. Centred at approximately SS 6452 4419, 7 gutters are visible on a steep east facing slope above Rowley Cleave. The gutters vary in length from approximately 80 to 175 metres long and are between 0.5 and 2.5 metres wide. This system appears to be connected to the farmyard at Hollacombe, suggesting that this was an integrated system which also distributed liquid manure as fertiliser to the fields. The gutters were most likely supplied with water from the spring shown on the Ordnance Survey map at Hollacombe. 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]