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BUILDWAS ABBEY WATER MEADOW

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A floated water meadow covering an area of circa 6 hectares lies in a field to the west of Buildwas Abbey. The meadow was probably 'irrigated' in the later 17th century and abandoned sometime in the first half of the 19th century.

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A scheduled (1) floated water meadow, probably dating to the late 17th century, lies in a field to the west of Buildwas Abbey. Water for the meadow was provided from a stream that emanated from Wyke Farm some 2km to the south of the abbey. Close to Mill Farm, the stream splits, the northern branch was utilised as the main carrier for the meadow and lay along the base of an escarpment. It survives as a bank near the railway embankment.

On the northern side of the railway embankment, the main carrier continued north to two brick culverts, or sluices, where the water was directed along main carriers to various parts of the field. Side carriers and side drains lay at right angles to the main carriers. The side drains drained into a main drain, to an old river channel that acted as a 'sump', and ultimately to the River Severn. The side carriers are between 10-15m in width and c0.1m high.

To the west of the stream which forms the western boundary of the abbey precinct are the remains of a system of water meadows. These comprise a number of rectangular fields, each of which is bounded by shallow channels averaging 2m wide. Water would have been fed into the channels from a source to the south, and controlled by sluices to allow selective irrigation. Ample spring pasture would have been assured through the maintenance of these meadows. The surplus water would have fed from the channels into a central drain which runs along the south edge of the meadows, before turning north to discharge into a substantial canal. This is orientated roughly east-west forms the north edge of the meadows. This well defined channel is c.250m long by 14m wide and 2m deep, and is flanked on both sides by levee banks 8m wide and 0.5m high. At the west end of the channel the southern bank merges into the river bank, while the northern bank joins onto the south bank, effectively sealing the channel's end. At the east end the channel branches into two, the northern and smaller of the two branches probably acting as an outflow, curving north east to discharge into the river. The southerly channel curves south east and fades after c.80m on the edge of the possible mere west of the main fishpond complex. A causeway 20m east of the fork probably represents the site of a controlled sluice. On the far side of the stream the line of the channel continues as a slight hollow, which joins the main leat of the fishpond complex. North of this canal is a pair of less distinct ditches, the northerly of which runs parallel to the river bank and about 15m south of it, while the southerly runs roughly parallel to the main canal. These ditches join almost parallel to the main canal. This major water control system was probably related to flood control and may also have formed part of the fish weir which survives to the east. (1)

The hatch does not survive, but its likely location was on the northern side of the railway embankment, by the 'pond' (SJ 60 SW 41). Further details are contained in the site report (Earthworks at Buildwas Abbey, Shropshire, AI/9/2002). (2).

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Scheduled Monument Notification

14-MAR-1997

( 2) Field Investigators Comments

English Heritage Field Survey: Buildwas Abbey

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