The field called Long Greenhill.
The hedge has a sudden kink in it.
The field layout was revolutionised
in Preston in the 1750s, as discussed yesterday, but many clues remain in the
landscape as to the ancient furlongs.
A straight hedge with a kink in it,
as pictured above, indicates a boundary between two furlongs. This example marks the
boundary between the ancient furlongs called Long Greenhill and Watery Butts.
Many other examples are found in Preston's fields but are less obvious,
sometimes only apparent when looking at an Ordnance Survey map.
The new hedge
was planted along a ridge following the Enclosures. If the ridges of the next
furlong were not quite in line with the first, the hedge had to be shifted
slightly.
Roads can also offer a clue to
the layout of the furlongs. The road from Preston to Admington, just after it crosses the
boundary into Admington Field by Harbour Hill, takes two rapid 90° bends. This
was to skirt around the old furlongs – the ridges still being visible in the
adjacent pasture.
No comments:
Post a Comment