Wedgnock Park pale, dam, two watermill sites, bridge and hollow way 200m north east of Goodrest Farm

Reasons for Designation

The first watermills in Britain were used for grinding corn and this purpose remained by far the most widespread use of waterpower. By 1086 there were over 5600 corn mills in England, most of them south and east of the Rivers Trent and Severn. The siting of ponds upstream of the mills ensured there was an adequate supply of water to the waterwheel all year round. The two watermill sites and the associated dam north east of Goodrest Farm survive in a good condition. Structural evidence for the construction and use of the dam and the mill sites will survive within the dam itself and as buried features beneath the mill platforms. The silts in the floor of the pond and within the tail-races will retain important artefactual and environmental evidence relating to the history of the group of features which make up this monument and represent a valuable source of information for the environment of this area through time. These earthworks derive further importance from their close association with Goodrest Lodge moated site approximately 280m to the south west. The proximity of the watermills to the moated site illustrates the influence and control exercised by the medieval aristocracy on the rural industrial economy. The bridge across the Cuttle Brook, on the central part of the monument, is a particularly early example, datable through its relationship with the hollow way and also the park pale. The hollow way itself provides evidence for the earlier history of the landscape in this vicinity. A deer park is an area of land which is set aside for the management and hunting of deer and other animals to provide a constant and sustainable supply of food throughout the year. Parks were usually surrounded by a park pale: a massive fenced or hedged boundary often accompanied by ditches. The peak period of construction, between AD 1200 and 1350, coincided with a time of considerable prosperity amongst the aristocracy. However, the popularity of the deer park waned in the 15th century, and by the end of the 17th century most were abandoned. The original number of deer parks constructed in England is unknown, but probably exceeded 3000. Where examples are well documented, and retain significant remains, the principal features are normally identified as nationally important. The earthworks of the eastern section of Wedgnock Park pale survive well and illustrate the influence of aristocratic leisure pursuits on the character and management of the medieval and post-medieval landscape. The sections of the bank retain evidence for the process of construction, whilst the buried land surface beneath the bank will retain information for the land-use of the site prior to the construction of the pale. The importance of Wedgnock Park is enhanced by the survival of documentary records dating from the park's inclosure through to the 19th century. Taken as a whole, the monument 200m north east of Goodrest Farm is a rare example of a number of well preserved archaeological features which are located in close proximity to each other and are clearly inter-related. They not only provide important evidence for the history and occupation of the area but also illustrate how this small area of landscape was adapted for a sequence of different purposes during the medieval and post-medieval periods.

Details

The monument is situated approximately 200m north east of Goodrest Farm, in the valley of the Cuttle Brook. It includes the earthwork, standing and buried remains of a dam, two associated watermill sites, a hollow way and a bridge across the Cuttle Brook. A sample length of the park pale confining Wedgnock Park is also included. In the central part of the monument, running north west to east are the slight earthwork remains of a hollow way which now forms part of a public footpath. It crosses the Cuttle Brook via an ancient single arch bridge which has been constructed of coursed stone rubble. The bridge is approximately 4m wide and is included in the scheduling. To the north east and south east of the bridge are the earthwork remains of a park pale which forms part of the eastern boundary to Wedgnock Park. This deer park was originally established at least as early as the 13th century and formed part of the estate of Warwick Castle. Its area was increased over several centuries and by 1845 occupied an area of approximately 1000ha. Documentary references indicate that this eastern part of Wedgnock Park had been enclosed by 1479. A 100m long section of the park pale is visible running north west-south east to the north of the bridge. Approximately 50m to the south east of the bridge, the pale turns southwards and runs parallel with the course of the Cuttle Brook. It continues in this direction for at least 180m; a sample length of the best preserved section of the pale, approximately 90m long, is included in the scheduling. The park pale is visible as a ditch and parallel earthen bank. The ditch has been partly infilled but remains visible as a shallow depression, up to 2m deep in parts. In the north eastern part of the monument the ditch has been partly culverted and is in use as a field drain. The earthen bank is located outside the ditch and, as is typical of park pales, would have originally been surmounted by a wooden fence or a hedge. The park pale cuts across the hollow way to the south east of the bridge and so the hollow way itself and the bridge are considered to be earlier than the park pale. Following the construction of the pale it appears that the hollow way was diverted to run to the west of the pale bank, where it is visible as a broadening and deepening of the pale ditch itself. In the central part of the monument are the earthwork remains of a large dam constructed across the valley of the Cuttle Brook. The dam measures up to 2.3m high and 18m wide and has been breached by the brook. It is built of earth and roughly squared blocks of stone which are visible within the breach. The pond formed behind this dam would have originally measured at least 110m by approximately 140m. It has long been dry and a 10m wide sample area of the deposits formed on the floor of the pond south west of the dam is included in the scheduling. Documentary sources indicate that the pond was periodically scoured and that the dam was repaired in 1702. Levelled platforms, which are roughly square in plan, are visible at both the north western and south eastern ends of the dam. These are considered to be the sites of former watermills. There is no surface evidence of the mill buildings themselves, but remains will survive in the form of buried features. The pond formed behind the dam would have originally provided the water supply to power the waterwheels; the flow of water being controlled by sluices which will also survive as buried features. The tail-races for the two watermills are visible as shallow depressions at either end of the dam. They run from the mill platforms, down the sides of the valley and lead into the Cuttle Brook just above the bridge. Approximately 250m to the south west of the monument are the earthwork remains of a moated site known as Goodrest Lodge. The construction of the dam and its associated mills are thought to be contemporary with the occupation of this moated site which is the subject of a separate scheduling. All fence posts at the site are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21582

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: Wedgnock Park, (1968), 470
The Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: Wedgnock Park, (1968), 469
The Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: Wedgnock Park, (1968), 467

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