Ministry of Ag grant aided land drainage

[Badshot]

I am wondering if there will be any records of the land drainage done under the grant scheme's in the 60's?

I have a small field that is new to me, apparently it was drained but no records remain after changing hands many times. Foggy memories seem to have lost the info too. Google earth has been no help unlike other fields which clearly show drain systems, nor has ukaerialphotos.

I spent the afternoon tracking a 6 inch main with a mini digger but have yet to find any laterals going into it, this was supposedly drained in 1960 ish. I don't want to dig up the whole field really.

Any help or ideas much appreciated.

 

[Blue.]

I have a map from the 70s showing grant drains,the chap only put a few new outlets in and claimed the money.

 

[Kevtherev]

If there is a 6inch main there are bound to be laterals running into it in a herringbone pattern.
Some people can divine drains with two wires in hands.
On frosty weather drain lines can be sometimes seen from a distance.
There would have been drainage plans done at the time but these have obviously been lost!

 

[Badshot]

If there is a 6inch main there are bound to be laterals running into it in a herringbone pattern.
Some people can divine drains with two wires in hands.
On frosty weather drain lines can be sometimes seen from a distance.
There would have been drainage plans done at the time but these have obviously been lost!

There is a 6 inch main both sides of a 6 acre field, the chap who had it drained led us to believe the laterals went west to east but I have so far not found one following the main on the east side of the field. the new landowner swears he can divine drains with wires as you suggest, but on doing lots of digging none have appeared, just lots of ironstone.

I just wonder if there would be a record in the archives somewhere at the ministry, they had to be given a copy of the maps originally.

 

[mushnt grummmble]

I am wondering if there will be any records of the land drainage done under the grant scheme's in the 60's?

I have a small field that is new to me, apparently it was drained but no records remain after changing hands many times. Foggy memories seem to have lost the info too. Google earth has been no help unlike other fields which clearly show drain systems, nor has ukaerialphotos.

I spent the afternoon tracking a 6 inch main with a mini digger but have yet to find any laterals going into it, this was supposedly drained in 1960 ish. I don't want to dig up the whole field really.

Any help or ideas much appreciated.

cant you dig your main and mole the lats?

 

[Badshot]

cant you dig your main and mole the lats?

Can't find the laterals, that's the problem. There is just one wet hole in the field and I daren't even go near it with the digger after nearly going down yesterday, I was hoping to find the lateral and jet it, but can't as yet.

 

[mushnt grummmble]

Can't find the laterals, that's the problem. There is just one wet hole in the field and I daren't even go near it with the digger after nearly going down yesterday, I was hoping to find the lateral and jet it, but can't as yet.

http://farmingforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?874-Moling-in-Drainage-Pipe

 

[Badshot]

http://farmingforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?874-Moling-in-Drainage-Pipe

Bit slow there

I want to find these if possible, but if need be yes I can pull a new one in after harvest. The main is as clean as a whistle.

 

[mushnt grummmble]

Bit slow there

I want to find these if possible, but if need be yes I can pull a new one in after harvest. The main is as clean as a whistle.

you just said you cant find them,got to be cheaper to fire in some pipe than dig half a field looking for something that's possibly not there

 

[tr250]

I am wondering if there will be any records of the land drainage done under the grant scheme's in the 60's?

I have a small field that is new to me, apparently it was drained but no records remain after changing hands many times. Foggy memories seem to have lost the info too. Google earth has been no help unlike other fields which clearly show drain systems, nor has ukaerialphotos.

I spent the afternoon tracking a 6 inch main with a mini digger but have yet to find any laterals going into it, this was supposedly drained in 1960 ish. I don't want to dig up the whole field really.

Any help or ideas much appreciated.

Is the drainage contractors name on the outfall stone. Drainage contractors that did ours still going and have the maps was looking at our maps yesterday

 

[Badshot]

Is the drainage contractors name on the outfall stone. Drainage contractors that did ours still going and have the maps was looking at our maps yesterday

We know who done it, but they are no longer in business and the owner died many years ago. We are trying every possible person that might have any info.

 

[tr250]

We know who done it, but they are no longer in business and the owner died many years ago. We are trying every possible person that might have any info.

Can't be of anymore use I'm afraid

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Did MAFF keep copies

Apart from that they often show when you plough the field

 

[Exfarmer]

When you claimed the grants, special maps had to be submitted. They required a. Surveyor to do the maps on linen as apparently it will keep longer.
They were expensive but with land drains often working for very long periods it was worth it.

Only trouble was the ministry destroyed them after 6 years

The best bet is to ask local land agents if anyone has copies, as they often did.
Trouble is these things are not so often in today's digital age

 

[Princess Pooper]

Can you get any aerial photos from a dry year sometimes the drains show up beautifully.

 

[yellow belly]

around here drainage maps were kept for 20 years by the ministry in 1983 got the maps for 1 field but the ones drained in 1960 were not available

you can some times see the drainage lines in crops in the spring
google earth sometimes shows them up but this will show up any drain lines put in in the last 100 years or more

a 6 acre field may only have 2 drains in it

 

[RushesToo]

If the field drained in the past 10-15 years then they may be a historic image that will help.
Try this:
https://support.google.com/earth/answer/148094?hl=en
It uses google earth to track the satellite shots over time. My postcode has summer 2005 and taken at a dry time, it might be useful.

 

[RushesToo]

Kent.gov.uk also has historic aerial photography for free:
There is this:
http://www1.getmapping.com/

You can get 1990 on line for free here:
http://www.kent.gov.uk/KCC.ExploreK...in=595093&xmax=595408&ymin=138843&ymax=139071

And the county has this [but to look at them you have to pay for someone to watch at £65 per hour]:
http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/heritage/explore_kents_past/heritage_resources.aspx
Seven of the sets of photos (1946, 1961, 1967, 1972, 1990, 1995 and 1999) have complete coverage of the county. The 1985 set has partial coverage.

Something may show up on one of these

 

[Frodo]

If the field is only 6 acres and there is a working lateral at either side, just put a new drain in. It will almost certainly be quicker than trying to get someone to look through a filing system for a 50 year old map. Besides even if you do find a perfect map all it will show you is where a broken drainage system is, which will correlate quite closely with he wet spot in the field.

 

[Badshot]

Thanks for the help everyone, I did find a lateral today and got hold of someone who saw it drained, seems there was never a drain in the area that is wet as it was always dry at that end of the field. I did wonder about an old drain so had a dig in a cross pattern in the wet spot to see what was there and it turns out there is just a natural layer of ironstone (locally called crowstone) which has a lot of water running through it and making it's way to the surface there, so I have left the main exposed for now and will pull some pipe's in and connect them up myself when it is dry enough.

Pity there isn't a copy of the drains somewhere though. I did find that looking at google imagery on the laptop and tilting the screen at different angles helps see things as you see different colours at different angles.
Thanks again