Reasons for Designation
Water meadows were an agricultural innovation in use in Britain from the 17th
to 19th centuries. They were a mechanism for allowing water to flow across
early spring pasture protecting it from frost and supplying nutrients. The
resulting early growth of grass allowed early spring grazing and, despite an
initial capital investment, this increased the value of land many times. Water
was fed to the meadow by a series of weirs and sluices, controlled by a
`drowner', often a full time occupation. Within the meadow, water flowed along
carriers or ridges fed by mains or ditches, leaving through a series of
channels.
The particular requirements of water meadows restricts their geographical
distribution, but they were common in certain locations, particularly along
the chalk valleys of southern England.
The water meadow 400m east of Clattinger Farm survives well and is a good
example of the relatively uncommon Thames valley meadows, many of which have
been lost through gravel extraction.
Details
The monument includes a water meadow, situated 400m east of Clattinger Farm in
the Upper Thames Valley. The meadow is on flat alluvial gravels deposited by
the Swillbrook, a tributary of the Thames, which flows from east to west 200m
to the south. The meadow is contained in a rectangular field of 2.8ha which
slopes gently to the south and east.
The water meadow survives as a series of low earthworks built to allow water
entering the field from the north to flow across the pasture before leaving
the field to the south and draining eastwards into the Swillbrook.
The meadow comprises two elements: mains and carriers. Three mains or ditches
run from north to south along the field, fed from a main drain to the north.
These formerly fed the ridges or carriers along the spine of which a channel
was cut from which water overflowed into the channels between. The carriers
are orientated north to south in a central block of the field, fed by
subsidiary drains which cross from east to west. The carriers are up to 0.3m
high and 40m-50m long and are spaced 9m-12m apart.
The field is marked as `The Water Meadow' on the Oaksey Tythe Map of 1843.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
34201
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
