Somerset Levels

Coordinates: 51°11′N 2°58′W / 51.19°N 2.96°W / 51.19; -2.96
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Designations
Official nameSomerset Levels and Moors
Designated26 June 1997
Reference no.914[1]
The Somerset Levels, seen from Glastonbury Tor
Map showing the Somerset Levels and the surrounding area. The major hill ranges and rivers are shown.
Height (m)
  0–20
  20–40
  40–60
  60–80
  80–100
  100–120
  120–140
  140–160
  160–180
  180–200
  200–230
  230–260
  260–300
  300–384
Source: Ordnance Survey OpenData

The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills.

The Somerset Levels have an area of about 160,000 acres (650 km2) and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to the south are drained by the River Parrett, and the areas to the north by the rivers Axe and Brue. The Mendip Hills separate the Somerset Levels from the North Somerset Levels. The Somerset Levels consist of marine clay "levels" along the coast and inland peat-based "moors"; agriculturally, about 70 per cent is used as grassland and the rest is arable. Willow and teazel are grown commercially and peat is extracted.

A

timber trackway, the Post Track, dating from about 3800 BC. The Levels were the location of the Glastonbury Lake Village as well as two Lake villages at Meare Lake. Several settlements and hill forts were built on the natural "islands" of slightly raised land, including Brent Knoll and Glastonbury. In the Roman period sea salt was extracted and a string of settlements were set up along the Polden Hills. The discovery at Shapwick of 9,238 silver Roman coins, known as the Shapwick Hoard, was the second-largest ever found from the time of the Roman Empire. A number of Saxon charters document the incorporation of areas of moor in estates. In 1685, the Battle of Sedgemoor was fought in the Bussex area of Westonzoyland at the conclusion of the Monmouth Rebellion
.

As a result of the wetland nature of the Levels, the area contains a rich biodiversity of national and international importance. It supports a vast variety of plant and bird species and is an important feeding ground for birds and includes 32 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, of which 12 are also Special Protection Areas. The area has been extensively studied for its biodiversity and heritage, and has a growing tourism industry.

People have been draining the area since before

Second World War as a reservoir, although it also serves as a drainage channel. The Sowy River between the River Parrett and King's Sedgemoor Drain was completed in 1972; water levels are managed by the Levels internal drainage boards. During 2009 and 2010 proposals to build a series of electricity pylons by one of two routes between Hinkley Point and Avonmouth, to transmit electricity from the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, attracted local opposition. Discussions have taken place concerning the possibility of obtaining World Heritage Site status for the Somerset Levels as a "cultural landscape".[2] It was suggested that if this bid were successful it could improve flood control, but only if wetland fens were created again; the plans were abandoned in 2010.[3]

Natural character area

The Somerset Levels form a natural region that has been designated as a

national character area – No. 142 – by Natural England, the public body responsible for England's natural environment. Neighbouring natural regions are: the Vale of Taunton and Quantock Fringes to the west, the Blackdowns to the southwest, the Mid Somerset Hills and Yeovil Scarplands to the southeast, the Mendip Hills to the east and the Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges to the northeast.[4][5][6]

Geography

A mound surmounted by a tower in the distance. In the foreground are fields with cows and small trees and bushes.
Glastonbury Tor

The Levels are mainly flat areas of inland plains and a coastal sand and clay barrier, east and west of the

Bristol Channel floods of 1607, which resulted in the drowning of an estimated 2,000 or more people, houses and villages swept away, an estimated 200 square miles (500 km2) of farmland inundated, and livestock killed.[10] Another severe flood occurred in 1872–1873, when over 107 square miles (300 km2) were under water from October to March.[11]

Although underlain by much older

Carboniferous limestone.[13] Although sea level changes since the Pliocene led to changes in sea level and the laying down of vegetation,[14] the peak of the peat formation took place in swamp conditions around 6,000 years ago, although in some areas it continued into medieval times.[15][16]

It is a mainly agricultural region, typically with open fields of permanent grass surrounded by ditches with willow trees. Access to individual areas, especially for cattle, was provided by means of "droves", i.e. green lanes, leading off the public highways. Some of the old roads, in contrast to the old hollow ways found in other areas of England, are causeways raised above the level of the surrounding land, with a drainage ditch running along each side.[17]

Settlements

class=notpageimage|
Settlements and places of interest on the Levels

Most of the settlements on the Levels are small villages. In the south,

Henry VIII in 1539. Bawdrip is a small village which has a population of 498.[20] Brent Knoll is a large village at the foot of 449-foot (137 m) Brent Knoll Camp that dominates the surrounding landscape; the name means Beacon Hill in Old English.[21] Brent Knoll has been inhabited since at least the Bronze Age.[22] Before the Somerset Levels were drained, Brent Knoll was an island known as the Isle (or Mount) of Frogs.[23]

National Trust. Burrow Mump is also known as St Michael's Borough or Tutteyate.[26] It is a natural hill of Triassic sandstone capped by Keuper marl.[27] Excavations showed evidence of a medieval masonry building on the top of the hill.[28]

Along the coast, settlements such as

Bristol Channel floods of 1607, and various flood defences have been installed since then.[35] A concrete sea wall was built in 1911, and after the Second World War further additions to the defences were made, using the remains of a Mulberry harbour; the present curved concrete wall was completed in 1988.[36] Highbridge, which neighbours Burnham, is near the mouth of the River Brue and the villages of East and West Huntspill.[33]

Climate

Along with the rest of

UK storms of January–February 2014
.

Climate data for Yeovilton, 20 m asl (1991–2020 normals), extremes since 1973
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		17.7
(63.9) 		21.3
(70.3) 		25.4
(77.7) 		27.5
(81.5) 		34.0
(93.2) 		35.0
(95.0) 		33.9
(93.0) 		29.3
(84.7) 		26.5
(79.7) 		18.5
(65.3) 		16.0
(60.8) 		35.0
(95.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5) 		9.0
(48.2) 		11.2
(52.2) 		13.9
(57.0) 		17.1
(62.8) 		19.9
(67.8) 		21.9
(71.4) 		21.6
(70.9) 		19.2
(66.6) 		15.3
(59.5) 		11.5
(52.7) 		9.0
(48.2) 		14.9
(58.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5) 		5.4
(41.7) 		7.1
(44.8) 		9.2
(48.6) 		12.3
(54.1) 		15.1
(59.2) 		17.1
(62.8) 		16.9
(62.4) 		14.6
(58.3) 		11.5
(52.7) 		8.0
(46.4) 		5.7
(42.3) 		10.7
(51.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6) 		1.8
(35.2) 		3.0
(37.4) 		4.5
(40.1) 		7.4
(45.3) 		10.3
(50.5) 		12.2
(54.0) 		12.2
(54.0) 		10.0
(50.0) 		7.6
(45.7) 		4.4
(39.9) 		2.3
(36.1) 		6.5
(43.7)
Record low °C (°F) −16.1
(3.0) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−8.5
(16.7) 		−5.1
(22.8) 		−4.0
(24.8) 		1.8
(35.2) 		4.0
(39.2) 		2.9
(37.2) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		−11.7
(10.9) 		−14.2
(6.4) 		−16.1
(3.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.0
(2.76) 		50.9
(2.00) 		48.5
(1.91) 		51.5
(2.03) 		47.2
(1.86) 		57.1
(2.25) 		50.2
(1.98) 		60.7
(2.39) 		53.3
(2.10) 		80.9
(3.19) 		81.9
(3.22) 		77.4
(3.05) 		729.6
(28.74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 12.2 10.4 10.0 10.0 9.2 8.7 8.3 9.8 9.1 12.0 13.2 12.9 125.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 59.5 79.5 121.6 170.5 202.2 199.8 205.3 185.5 149.2 107.6 71.6 53.5 1,605.8
Source: Met Office[38] Infoclimat[39]

Water management

"The Map of Sedgemoor, with adjacent Parts" from "The history of imbanking and drayning" by William Dugdale (1662).
A straight water filled channel surrounded by an avenue of trees and grassy banks.
The River Brue in an artificial channel draining farmland near Glastonbury

The Moors and Levels, formed from a submerged and reclaimed landscape, consist of a coastal clay belt only slightly above mean sea level, with an inland peat belt at a lower level behind it.[40]

Early attempts to control the water levels were possibly made by the Romans (although records only date from the 13th century), but were not widespread.[41]

There was a port at

Rackley near Axbridge. The Parrett was navigable up as far as Langport in 1600, with 15 to 20 ton barges. The Domesday Book recorded that drainage of the higher grounds was under way, although the moors at Wedmoor were said to be useless.[42]

In the Middle Ages, the monasteries of Glastonbury, Athelney, and Muchelney were responsible for much of the drainage. In 1129, the Abbot of Glastonbury was recorded as inspecting enclosed land at Lympsham. Efforts to control flooding on the Parrett were recorded around the same date. In 1234, 722 acres (2.9 km2) were reclaimed near Westonzoyland and, from the accounts in the abbey's rent books, this had increased to 972 acres (393 ha) by 1240.[43]

Drains

Straight watercourse, surrounded by fields and crossed by metal and concrete structure.
Greylake sluice on King's Sedgemoor Drain

Flooding of adjacent moor land was partially addressed during the 13th century by the construction of a number of embankment walls to contain the Parrett. They included Southlake Wall, Burrow Wall, and Lake Wall.[44] The River Tone was also diverted by the Abbot of Athelney and other land owners into a new embanked channel, joining the Parrett upstream from its original confluence.[45]

The main drainage outlets flowing through the Moors and Levels are the rivers Axe, Brue, Huntspill, Parrett, Tone, and Yeo, together with the King's Sedgemoor Drain, an artificial channel into which the River Cary now runs. Previously, the Cary ran into the Tone while the Brue ran through Meare Pool (now drained) and the Panborough Gap, and then into the Axe. Another accomplishment in the Middle Ages was the construction of the tidal Pillrow Cut, joining the Brue and Axe.

In 1500, there was said to be 70,000 acres (283 km2) of floodable land of which only 20,000 acres (81 km2) had been reclaimed. In 1597, 50 acres (20 ha) of land were recovered near the Parrett estuary; a few years later, 140 acres (57 ha) near Pawlett were recovered by means of embankments; and three further reclamations, totalling 110 acres (45 ha), had been undertaken downstream of Bridgwater by 1660.[46]

In the early 17th century, during the time of King James I, abortive plans were made to drain and enclose much of Sedgemoor, which the local Lords supported but opposed by the Commoners who would have lost grazing rights.[47] In 1632, Charles I sold the Crown's interest in the scheme, and it was taken over by a consortium that included Sir Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutch drainage engineer. However, the work was delayed by the English Civil War and later defeated in parliament after local opposition.[11] In 1638, it was reported that nearly 2,600 acres (11 km2) of Tealham and Tadham Moors were not reclaimed, with a total of 30,500 acres (123.43 km2) being undrained. Between 1785 and 1791, much of the lowest part of the peat moors was enclosed. In 1795, John Billingsley advocated enclosure and the digging of rhynes (a local name for drainage channels, pronounced "reens" in the east and rhyne to the west) between plots,[48] and wrote in his Agriculture of the County of Somerset that 4,400 acres (18 km2) had been enclosed in the last 20 years in Wedmore and Meare, 350 acres (1.4 km2) at Nyland, 900 acres (3.64 km2) at Blackford, 2,000 acres (8 km2) at Mark, 100 acres (0.4 km2) in Shapwick, and 1,700 acres (7 km2) at Westhay.[49]

At Westhay Moor in the early 19th century, it was shown how peat bogs could be successfully drained and top-dressed with silt deposited via flooding, creating a very rich soil.[50] The character of the soil was also changed by the spreading of clay and silt from the digging of King's Sedgemoor Drain.[51]

Pumps

Brick building with large door and chimney.
Curry Moor pumping station

Little attempt was made during the 17th and 18th centuries to pump water, possibly because the coal-driven

Newcomen steam engines would have been uneconomical. It is unclear why windmills were not employed, as they were on the Fens of East Anglia, but only two examples have been recorded on the Levels: one at Bleadon at the mouth of the River Axe, where a sea wall had been built, and the other at Common Moor north of Glastonbury, which was being drained following a private Act of Parliament in 1721.[11] The first steam pumping station was Westonzoyland Pumping Station in 1830, followed by more effective ones from 1860. Automatic electric pumps are used today.[52]

The human-made Huntspill River was constructed during World War II with sluices at both ends to provide a guaranteed daily supply of 4,500,000 imperial gallons (20,000,000 L; 5,400,000 US gal) of "process water".[53] It was intended that in the summer, when water supply was lower, it would serve as a reservoir with water pumped from the moors; and in winter serve as a drainage channel, via gravity drainage.[53][54] Geotechnical problems prevented it from being dug as deep as originally intended and so gravity-drainage of the moors was not possible: thus, water is pumped up into the river throughout the year.[53]

The Sowy River between the River Parrett and King's Sedgemoor Drain was completed in 1972.[55][56] The Levels and Moors are now artificially drained by a network of rhynes which are pumped up into "drains". Water levels are managed by the Levels internal drainage boards (IDBs); the Levels are not as intensively drained or farmed as the East Anglian fens, historically a similar area of low marsh. They are still liable to widespread fresh water flooding in winter. One of the approaches to reducing the risk of flooding within the catchment area of the Parrett is the planting of new woodlands.[57]

Controversy about the management of the drainage and flood protection has previously involved the activities of IDBs.[58][59] However, IDBs have been actively participating with the Parrett Catchment Partnership, a partnership of 30 organisations that aims to create a consensus on how water is to be managed, in particular, looking at new ways to achieve sustainable benefits for all local stakeholders.[60]

During 2009 and 2010, work was undertaken to upgrade sluice gates, watercourses, and culverts to enable seasonal flooding of Southlake Moor during the winter diverting water from the Sowy River onto the moor. It has the capacity to hold 1.2 million cubic metres as part of a scheme by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board to restore ten floodplains in Somerset. In spring, the water is drained away to enable the land to be used as pasture during the summer.[61] The scheme is also used to encourage water birds.[62]

Sea defences

The sea wall and defences at Burnham-on-Sea

The Levels were frequently flooded by the sea during high tides, a problem that was not resolved until the

clyse on it. Discussions on whether a clyse is needed for the Parrett and whether it should be sited at Bridgwater or nearer the mouth of the river date back to 1939, at the start of World War II, and have not been resolved.[63]

On 13 December 1981, a

wave return wall.[64]

The Environment Agency's current "Parrett Catchment Flood Management Plan", published in December 2009, divides the Parrett catchment area into eight sub-areas, with the Somerset Levels and Moors falling into sub-area 6 and Bridgwater falling into sub-area 7.[65] As part of the published flood risk assessments for both these sub-areas, it is recognised that: at a future date a tidal clyse may be needed on the Parrett; this causes a funding dilemma; and, geomorphology studies of the Parrett and the Tone are needed to help address many of the uncertainties associated with a tidal exclusion project.[65]

Flooding

Photograph from elevation of flooded river flowing between snow-covered fields. Hills in the distance.
Southlake Moor during a winter flood

The Levels are at risk from both tidal and land-based flood waters.[40]

During the

great storm of 1703, waves came four feet (1.2 m) over the sea walls. The sea wall was again breached in 1799, filling the Axe valley with sea water. In 1872, another flood covered 7,000 acres (28 km2) and in 1919, 70,000 acres (283 km2) were inundated with sea water, poisoning the land for up to 7 years.[66]

Since 1990, the drainage boards have been charged with watching the rhynes and keeping them clear, under the overall responsibility of the Environment Agency. With rising sea levels, the work required to maintain the sea defences is likely to become more expensive, and it has been proposed that two inland seas be created.[67] Other studies have recommended maintaining the current defences for five years while undertaking further studies of available options.[68]

Although the Environment Agency have made plans for the regular winter flooding, still in recent years this has resulted in a number of villages — including

Somerset County Council-funded BARB rescue boats reached Muchelney on 29 November, rescuing nearly 100 people.[69]

Rescue boats were again required during the rain and storms from

Thorney had been abandoned and Muchelney had been cut off by flood waters for almost a month.[71] Environment Minister Owen Paterson visited the area on 27 January 2014, and after meeting local MPs, the Environment Agency and various community representatives the night before in Taunton, promised at a media-only press conference at North Moor pumping station that if a local water management plan could be developed over the next six weeks, he would approve it. Such plan would likely include the dredging of the rivers Tone and Parrett, and possibly a later sluice near Bridgwater.[73] There have been public protests about the river Parrett not being dredged in recent years. In mid-February 2014 the Environment Agency began installing giant pumps imported from the Netherlands to alleviate the continuing flooding.[74]

Human habitation

Two wooden posts set in the ground and crossing at an angle support a wooden board which disappears into tall green reeds
A replica of the Sweet Track

A

timber trackway, once thought to be the world's oldest engineered roadway.[78] The track was built between what was in the early 4th millennium BC an island at Westhay and a ridge of high ground at Shapwick, close to the River Brue. The remains of similar tracks have been uncovered nearby, connecting settlements on the peat bog including the Honeygore, Abbotts Way, Bells, Bakers, Westhay and Nidons trackways.[12]

The Levels contain the best-preserved prehistoric village in the UK,

Subatlantic climatic period (1st millennium BC), and core sampling demonstrates that it is filled with at least 2 metres (6.6 ft) of detritus mud.[83][84]

The two villages within Meare Pool appear to originate from a collection of structures erected on the surface of the dried peat, such as tents, windbreaks and animal folds. Clay was later spread over the peat, providing raised stands for occupation, industry and movement, and in some areas thicker clay spreads accommodated hearths built of clay or stone.[85]

The area continued to be inhabited during the

Battle of Mons Badonicus.[90]

The town of Glastonbury, Somerset, looking west from the top of Glastonbury Tor. The fields in the distance are part of the Levels.

Sea salt was extracted during the Roman period, and a string of settlements were set up along the Polden Hills. Some possible settlement sites are also known in the Draycott and Cheddar Moors and around Highbridge.[91] The discovery at Shapwick of 9,238 silver Roman coins,[92][93] the second largest hoard ever found from the Roman Empire included coins dated from as early as 31–30 BC up until 224 AD.[94] The hoard also contained two rare coins which had not been discovered in Britain before,[93] and the largest number of silver denarii ever found in Britain.[92][95]

A number of

Anglo-Saxon charters document the incorporation of areas of moor in estates, suggesting that the area continued to be exploited.[96] It is easy to see why the area acquired a number of legends, particularly of King Arthur and his followers, who some believe based his court in the hill fort at South Cadbury.[97] According to legend, Alfred the Great burnt cakes when hiding in the marshes of Athelney, after the Danish invasion in 875. After the Battle of Edington the Danish king was baptised at Aller and a peace treaty signed at Wedmore.[98]

In 1685, the Monmouth Rebellion ended at the Battle of Sedgemoor, which was fought in the Bussex area of Westonzoyland.[99]

Land use

The Levels have few wooded areas, just occasional willow trees. The landscape is dominated by grassland, mostly used as pasture for dairy farming with approximately 70 per cent of the area being grassland and 30 per cent arable. From January until May, the River Parrett provides a source of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) and young elvers, which are caught by hand netting as this is the only legal means of catching them.[100] A series of eel passes have been built on the Parrett at the King's Sedgemoor Drain to help this endangered species; cameras have shown 10,000 eels migrating upstream in a single night.[101][102] The 2003 BBC Radio 4 play Glass Eels by Nell Leyshon was set on the Parrett.[103]

The Levels, as part of the West Country, traditionally produced cider, with individual farms having orchards and their own cider, known as scrumpy. However, over 60% of Somerset's orchards have been lost in the last fifty years;[104] and apple production occupies less than 0.4% of the land. Cider is still produced in Somerset by Thatchers Cider, Gaymer Cider Company and numerous small independent producers. Other local industries that once thrived on the Levels, such as thatching (using reeds) and basket making (using willow), have been in decline since the second half of the 20th century. Combined with the recent drop in farm incomes, this poses a potential threat to the "traditional" nature of the area as a whole. Subsidies are paid to farmers who manage their land in the traditional way.[105]

Electricity generation

In 2009,

MWe nuclear power station with two EPR reactors.[109] The site is one of eight announced by the British government in 2010,[110] and in November 2012 a nuclear site licence was granted.[111] On 28 July 2016 the EDF board approved the project,[112] and on 15 September 2016 the UK government approved the project with some safeguards for the investment.[113] In March 2017, EDF, after the Office for Nuclear Regulation gave approval to start building a network of tunnels to carry cabling and piping, started work also under way on a jetty, seawall and accommodation blocks.[114] The concrete pour for the first reactor is planned only at earliest in 2019.[115]

In 2010 and 2011, two proposals to build a total of 14 wind turbines, with Ecotricity to build five[116] or four[117] adjacent to the M5 Motorway near Brent Knoll and Électricité de France to build nine at East Huntspill,[108] are opposed by local groups on the grounds of their effect on the local environment and potential damage to the bird population.[118]

Willow

Large statue of a human figure with arms outstretched. In the background are trees and an electricity pylon.
Willow Man

Willow has been cut and used on the Levels since mankind moved into the area. Fragments of willow basket were found near the Glastonbury Lake Village, and it was used in the construction of several Iron Age causeways.[119] The willow was harvested using traditional methods of pollarding, where a tree would be cut back to the main stem. New shoots of willow, called "withies", would grow out of the trunk and these would be cut periodically for use.[120]

During the 1930s, over 9,000 acres (36 km2) of willow were being grown commercially on the Levels. Largely because of the replacement of baskets by plastic bags and cardboard boxes, the industry has severely declined since the 1950s. By the end of the 20th century only about 350 acres (1.4 km2) were grown commercially, near the villages of

putchers". Products including baskets, eel traps (kypes), lobster pots, and furniture were widely made from willow throughout the area in the recent past.[122] Among the more unusual products still made are passenger baskets for hot air balloons,[123] the frames inside the Bearskins worn by the regiments of the Grenadier Guards,[124] and an increasing number of willow coffins.[125]

Another use of willow has been found by the Coate family, who make artists' charcoals in Stoke St Gregory. It has become in 30 years the leading artists' charcoal manufacturer in Europe, producing most of the natural charcoals sold under different art-material brands.[126]

The industry is celebrated in the form of the Willow Man (sometimes known as the Angel of the South), a willow sculpture, 40 feet (12.2 m) tall, produced by artist Serena de la Hey in September 2000 that can be seen from the railway and the M5 motorway to the north of Bridgwater.[127] At Stoke St Gregory there is also a Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre.[128]

Teazel growing

An unusual crop was the growing of

snooker table cloths,[133] but were previously much more widely used in the processing of wool for the textiles industry.[134]

Peat extraction

Main article: Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels

The extraction of

horticultural peat was developed. The resulting reduction in water levels put local ecosystems at risk; peat wastage in pasture fields was occurring at rates of 1–3 feet (0.3–0.8 m) over 100 years.[136] Peat extraction continues today, although much reduced.[7][137]

  • Peat gatherers, Westhay, September 1905
    Peat gatherers, Westhay, September 1905
  • Peat stacks and cutting, Westhay, September 1905
    Peat stacks and cutting, Westhay, September 1905
  • Harvesting the peat, Westhay, September 1905
    Harvesting the peat, Westhay, September 1905

Biodiversity and conservation

Straight watercourse running between flat grassy fields.
South Drain on Shapwick Heath

As a result of their

otter population.[139] Water voles (Arvicola amphibius) are being encouraged to recolonise areas of the Levels where they have been absent for 10 years, by the capture of mink (Mustela vison).[140]

In 2010, a project was started to reintroduce the

Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, was supported by a grant of £700k from Viridor Credits.[143]

The Levels contain 32 

Environmentally Sensitive Area,[153] and other areas are designated as Areas of High Archaeological Potential, but there is currently no single conservation designation covering the Levels and Moors.[154]

A survey in 2005 discovered that 11 of the known wooden Bronze Age causeways on the Levels had been destroyed or vanished and others were seriously damaged, caused by the reduction in water levels and subsequent exposure of the timber to oxygen and aerobic bacteria.[155] Part of the Sweet Track is being actively conserved. Following purchase of land by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and installation of a water pumping and distribution system along a 550-yard (500 m) section, several hundred metres of the track's length are now being actively conserved.[156] This method of preserving wetland archaeological remains (i.e. maintaining a high water table and saturating the site) is rare.[157] A 550-yard (500 m) section, which lies within the land owned by the Nature Conservancy Council, has been surrounded by a clay bank to prevent drainage into surrounding lower peat fields, and water levels are regularly monitored.[158] The viability of this method is demonstrated by comparing it with the nearby Abbot's Way, which has not had similar treatment, and which in 1996 was found to have become dewatered and desiccated.[159] Evaluation and maintenance of water levels in the Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve involves the Nature Conservancy Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Somerset Levels Project.[160]

Somerset Levels Project

In 1964, archaeologist John Coles from the University of Cambridge began a research project that resulted in the publication of an important series of papers on many aspects of the Levels. A range of archaeological projects, such as the exploration of various trackways from the 3rd and 1st millennia BC and the establishment of their economic and geographic significance, was funded by various donors including English Heritage.[161] Possibly the project's most significant excavation was of the Sweet Track in 1970,[162] during which a Jadeite axe was discovered.[163] Eight radiocarbon determinations of the date of the axe place it at around 3200 BC.[164]

The work of John Coles and the Somerset Levels Project was recognised in 1998 when they won the ICI Award for the best archaeological project offering a major contribution to knowledge,[165] and in 2006 with the award of the European Archaeological Heritage Prize.[166]

Shapwick Project

This project, based on the village of Shapwick, was begun by Mick Aston of Bristol University to investigate the evolution of a typical English village.[167] A preliminary study of the village's history was carried out using maps and documents, then surveys of the buildings were made together with botanical surveys. Field walking was carried out and key sites excavated. A report on the project, which ran from 1989 to 1999, was published in eight volumes.[168]

Tourism

Red brick building with tall chimney.
Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum

Being largely flat, the Levels are well suited to bicycles, and a number of

long-distance footpaths are also within the area.[170]

Visitors' centres aim to convey various aspects of the Levels. The Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre near Stoke St Gregory offers tours of the willow yards and basket workshops and explains the place of willow in the history of the Levels. The Somerset Willow Company also allows visitors into its workshops.[128]

The Avalon Marshes Centre

Somerset County Council, the owner of the Peat Moors Centre, announced its intention of closing the centre[176][177] and it finally shut on 31 October 2009,[178]
but it was reopened as the Avalon Marshes Centre and is in the process of being modernized and improved from the previous set of buildings.

tithe barn[182] for the storage of arable produce, particularly wheat and rye, from the abbey's home farm of approximately 524 acres (2.12 km2). Threshing and winnowing would also have been carried out in the barn. The barn was built from local shelly limestone, with thick timbers supporting the stone tiling of the roof. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building, and is a Scheduled monument.[183] The barn and courtyard contain displays of farm machinery from the Victorian and early 20th century periods. Other exhibits show local crafts, including willow coppicing, mud horse fishing on the flats of Bridgwater Bay, peat digging on the Somerset Levels and the production of milk, cheese, and cider. In reconstructed rooms detailing domestic life in the nearby village of Butleigh, the story of one farm worker, John Hodges, is told from cradle to grave. Outside, there is a beehive and rare breeds of poultry and sheep in the cider apple orchard.[184]

The Langport & River Parrett Visitor Centre at

steam-powered pumping stations on the Levels, dating from the 1830s; it was closed in the 1950s. Featuring several steam engines, some built locally, the museum holds a number of live steam days each year. The pump house has been Grade II* listed,[186] and is on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register.[187]

See also

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Further reading

External links

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51°11′N 2°58′W / 51.19°N 2.96°W / 51.19; -2.96

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