Ministry of Ag grant aided land drainage

[Kevtherev]

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

Your drainage contractor would have copies there are hundreds here in dads office!!
Local auctioneers used to do them for the grant schemes.

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

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

Whatever you do, get some pictures. Print them out and put with field records.Keep digital copies too.
Every time we do anything like that round here I take pics. Especially with focal points I can use for reference.
Better than wandering round going"am sure I put a drain in here somewhere"...... (my old man)

 

[renewablejohn]

We have requested a "time team" type radar survey to locate our old stone drains from a local river charity but nothing has been done yet.

 

[Dave6170]

I use google earth to try and see old drains. Only works on older grass fields though.
He s one. We jetted it yesterday.

 

[tullah]

Grow a crop of rape on it. All our drains showed up in March last year with distinct dark herring bones.

 

[Frodo]

We have requested a "time team" type radar survey to locate our old stone drains from a local river charity but nothing has been done yet.

I would be really interested to know if this works and if it is economical. It would be great to have comprehensive maps.