Drainage of the Meadow

Map showing drain and sluice on Millennium Meadow

The Meadow always looks so green because there is always fresh water not very far below the surface. In times past, this fresh water was a vital resource for the water meadow system of agriculture. The drainage system used to control the fresh water has at its core a sluice system.

The first exploration of the sluice that lies within the long dam, upon which the Hampshire County Council footpath lies, was done by Probation Volunteers in 2007. The exploration was extended in 2008 by a local group which was financed by a grant from The Four Lanes Trust. The local newspaper, the Andover Advertiser, sent a reporter and photographer to cover the 2008 exploration.  At mid-day, they photographed the amazing under-water construction lying to the south of the sluice. Later on that afternoon, to everyone’s amazement, an even older bridge construction was discovered!

The old bridge is made up from timbers we think were derived from earlier buildings. Uprights were carved to form points so they could be driven in, to retain the lateral timbers. We are looking at the feasibility of dendrochronological analysis.

First exposure of the fresh water below the meadow	Digging through to find buried water treasure!
An old wood bridge exposed for the first time in decades	Map of existing bridge (left) and newly exposed wooden bridge (right). The blue shaded area has a smooth wooden base.
The exposed river and the existing bridge - below which is a dipping trough bridge.	Already a treasure trove of rare plant life has emerged!