NHER 38449 (Monument record) - Site of post medieval water meadows

February 2004, Norfolk NMP
Post medieval water meadows and drainage ditches visible as earthworks on 1946 RAF aerial photographs (S1). Floated water meadows of this type comprised a system of channels and drains to create a managed flow of water across the surface of the meadow. This encouraged growth of the grass early in the year to provide spring grazing for livestock.

The main area of the water meadows extends for 150m from TG 3496 2699 to TG 3508 2690. It comprises a series of fifteen parallel banks and eighteen ditches all on a northeast to southwest alignment. This area of water meadow is bounded in the southwest by a natural watercourse and cut in the northwest by the course of a former railway line (NHER 13581). Three parallel ditches, centred on TG 3501 2701, continue the alignment of those to the southwest of the railway and confirm that the water meadow originally extended across this area. Three parallel ditches on a northeast to southwest alignment were also recorded to the southwest of the watercourse. These extended for up to 110m with the central ditch located between TG 3486 2690 and TG 3496 2695. It is not clear if these three ditches had a water meadow or drainage function. All of the earthwork feature appears to have been levelled by 1972 (S2).
(S1, S2)
J.Albone (NMP), 05 February 2004.