Learning Enquiry:
Why did John create a pond on Exmoor?
A learning enquiry linked to the area of moorland
around the Pinkery Centre and Pinkery Pond, located
on Exmoor National Park.
This document is one of many free web-based resources produced as part of the
Moorland Classroom project. To explore the whole resource, including maps, video
content and ‘how to’ guides please visit:
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/moorland-classroom
Learning Aims
Pupils will be supported in and outside of the classroom to:
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Recognise, describe and explain the moorland and landscape of Exmoor and
develop a sense of how and why it has changed in the past, how it might be
changing now and how it might change in the future.
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Gain an insight into the thinking and ambitions of industrialists who came to
Exmoor in the 19th century to exploit its natural resources through modern
technology and to ‘improve’ what they saw as wasteland by converting the
moor to farmland.
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Understand and explain some of the ways in which the moorland environment
of Exmoor is managed and restored to maintain its distinctive character and
richness as a unique ecosystem for future generations. One particular
example provided is the Exmoor Mires Project.
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Appreciate that the National Park works to enable people to enjoy the
splendour of the environment whilst also seeking to conserve and improve
that environment for future generations.
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Collect and interpret a range of primary fieldwork data through practical
fieldwork which enhances their understanding of the biodiversity of Exmoor,
approaches to management and restoration and also enables them to gain a
sense of the wildness and remoteness of the Exmoor landscape.
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Apply a range of cross–curricular subject knowledge and skills to the
achievement of all of the above.
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Learning and teaching activities and curriculum progression
1. Introducing Pinkery Pond
Ask the pupils to think of a pond, any pond that they have seen recently, and
then in pairs tell them to make a list of all the reasons that someone might
want to create a pond e.g. in the garden or a farmer on his land etc. Take
feedback and make a list on the whiteboard.
Now show the pupils Pinkery-2-JKnight. Explain that John was a very rich
industrialist in Wolverley in the county of Worcestershire who had made a
fortune from manufacturing iron in massive works like the one shown in the
picture. In 1820 he bought a huge area of Exmoor (10,262 acres) and by
1826 owned over 16,000 acres. Does this additional information about John
help with thinking about why he might have built a pond?
Now distribute Pinkery-1-Map. Ask the pupils to locate Pinkery Pond in
square 7242. If each grid square is a square kilometre then estimate the
length and width of the pond in metres.
Explain that John Knight lived in Simonsbath over 4km away. Is there any
evidence from the map as to what the purpose of the pond may have been?
The pond was created by damming the River Barle which is only a large
stream at this point.
Next give out Pinkery-3-Pond_Photos. Ask the children to explain how the
pond was created. Thousands of tonnes of rock and earth were used to
create a dam across the River Barle so that the water built up behind to
create the pond. Now show the pupils Pinkery-4-Dam. This is the stream
which is allowed to flow out from beneath the dam. Why is this needed? To
ensure that the water in the pond does not rise so high that it overflows the
dam wall and to keep some water flowing down stream. Encourage the pupils
to look at Pinkery-5-Barle and to orientate with the map (Pinkery-1-Map).
The photograph was taken from the top of the dam wall just above where the
compensation water stream is allowed to flow through. Both the stream and
the path can be seen. Now challenge the pupils to use the photograph and
the map together to answer the following questions:
o Estimate as close as possible, the 6 figure grid reference for the point
on the map where you think the photograph was taken. (723423)
o In which direction was the camera pointing when the photograph was
taken? (S or SSW)
o What is the name of the hill on the horizon of the photograph? (Bill Hill)
o Estimate how many metres it is along the footpath from Pinkery Pond
to the road B3358? (1900m)
o What is the name of the farm that the footpath travels through on its
way to the road? (Pinkery)
Next distribute all of the photographs in Pinkery-6-Pond1913. Explain to the
pupils that in 1913 a particular event happened at Pinkery Pond. Can they
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work out from the images what was happening? Who can be seen in the
photographs and what are they doing? Are they all working or are some just
watching? What clothes are they wearing? How have they travelled to the
pond? Take feedback and discuss with the pupils. In 1913 the pond was
drained (by releasing two clay plugs set within pipes inside the dam wall) to
allow the water to flow out of the pond into the river the other side of the dam.
This was done because it was feared that a local man who had gone missing
had fallen into the pond and drowned. No body was found however!
2. Issues with farming on the moor
Ask the pupils to look again at Pinkery Farm in grid square 7241. How many
fields are there on the farm? (12) What colour are the fields shown on the
map? (white with black lines showing the hedges between each) Now look at
Pinkery-7-Farm and Pinkery-8-Fields. What is growing in the fields and how
are the fields being used? (The fields are described as ‘improved pasture’
involving the ploughing up of the open moorland to create fields with bank
hedge boundaries to control the movement of sheep and beef cattle). The
very important thing for the pupils to understand is that the farm’s fields were
once open moorland that remained moorland until the arrival of steam driven
tractor engines in the 1850s.
The open moorland of Pinkworthy to the north of the farm remains as open
moorland. Photographs of the moor at Pinkworthy are shown in Pinkery-9Pinkworthy. Ask the pupils to look carefully at these photographs and to
compare them with the ‘improved’ pasture fields in Pinkery-8-Fields. In what
ways is the open moorland different from the improved pasture particularly in
terms of what is growing and soil conditions? Why do the pupils think that the
farmer did not ‘improve’ or plough up the moorland at Pinkworthy? (too
exposed and very poorly drained with bogs all year around).
By the 1830s John Knight owned a number of farms on the open moorland,
including, including Simonsbath Barton (7639) and Cornham (7439). He set
about improving the moorland to create open fields that he hoped would be
able to grow crops but at least allow cattle and sheep to graze as at Pinkery
Farm. At that time two things were required to enable this to happen and they
are shown in Pinkery-10-Plough and Pinkery-11-Lime. Can the pupils
identify the two things? First there is a mechanical steam-driven plough
powerful enough to cut deep into the peat beneath the moorland and capable
of doing the same amount of work as hundreds of labourers and second huge
quantities of lime. Because the soils on Exmoor are so acid nothing would
grow until this acidity was reduced and alkalinity increased. As well as
increasing the pH of acidic soil (the higher the pH the less acidic the soil) the
lime also provides a source of calcium and magnesium for plants, improves
water penetration in acid soils (and reducing surface water in bogs) and
assists plants with the uptake of major nutrients such as nitrogen,
phosphorous and potassium.
It was essential for John Knight to get hold of it if his dream of creating huge
areas of farmland from the moorland was going to be realised. There are
many science related experiments that can be carried out to change the pH of
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soils and to monitor the impact of doing this on plants life.
See
http://www.ehow.com/how_8370761_raise-levels-soil-science-projects.html or
Pinkery-13-PH.
The need for John Knight to get hold of huge quantities of limestone to spread
on the fields of his three farms after they had been ploughed is probably
(although historians are not certain) the most likely reason why he created
Pinkery Pond. Show pupils Pinkery-12-Feature and tell them that this is a
photograph of a feature taken very close to Pinkery Pond 723422. Challenge
them to say what they think it is. It is in fact the beginning of a canal that was
dug to carry water all the way from Pinkery Pond to the top of the hill at Little
Ashcombe 784407. But why would John Knight have wanted to do this? The
construction alone involved over 200 mostly Irish labourers. His dream was
to construct at the top of Ashcombe Hill a watered powered funicular railway
to lift up wagons of limestone from just below Warren Farm (a height of about
70m). His plan was to build a railway from Porlock Bay where ships carrying
the limestone from South Wales would dock and unload to connect with the
bottom of the funicular railway below Warren Farm. Sadly neither of his plans
were ever achieved. To accompany this, pupils can do an individual
science/design technology investigation to describe and explain how the
water powered incline funicular railway at Lynmouth and Lynton works: see
http://www.cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk/how-it-works/ This would have been very
similar to what John Knight had in mind to lift up wagons of limestone.
Pinkery on location: fieldwork opportunities to support the Pinkery
Learning Enquiry
Equipment Checklist
In addition to the usual materials for writing and drawing, the following
specialist equipment is required to support the fieldwork activities:
 Fieldwork Activity 1 & 3 – Litmus paper, Soil sample glass jar with
cover, Distilled water, Plastic storage bag, Soil testing kit (optional).
 Fieldwork Activity 2 & 3 – A metre square quadrat or improvised
alternative (e.g. string and pegs).
Directions
Pinkery Farm is now the Pinkery Outdoor Education Centre owned by
Exmoor National Park Authority –
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/learning/pinkery-outdoor-education-centre
Coaches can park close to the entrance to the centre on the B3358 at
724405. If travelling by coach, pupils can disembark here and walk along the
road to the entrance to the Pinkery Centre and then walk approximately
0.5km up the path to the main buildings.
If travelling by minibus then it is possible to drive up the track, but permission
to park the bus at the centre needs to be obtained in advance.
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The circular walk beginning at the centre is approximately 3.5km (4.5Km if
pupils walk to and from the road) The route is exposed and can become
very wet which means sensible outdoor clothing and footwear is essential.
Due regard needs to be paid to the fact that weather conditions on the
moor can change rapidly which means groups need to be prepared for
all eventualities.
Suggested route and fieldwork plan:
1. Proceed north towards Pinkery Pond, along the public footpath, leaving the
centre on your right and progressing into the field with the wind turbine. If you
do the full circular walk the view from the bank, with the gate and the field
behind, (Pinkery-14-Route1) is where you will finally emerge at the end of
your loop.
2. The ‘wind turbine’ field is a good example of ‘improved’ moorland. The
moorland has been ploughed up and the field planted to permanent pasture
for cattle and sheep.
Fieldwork Activity 1 - Testing the pH level of the soil
The soil in this first field would have been treated with lime at some time to
reduce its acidity. Carry out a pH soil test to see if this is true using Pinkery15-Soil_Test as a guide. The same test can be used in each of the fields
that are passed through towards the open moor.
Fieldwork Activity 2 - Quadrat sampling of vegetation cover
In the first field five different areas can be selected for vegetation cover
sampling using a meter square quadrat. Quadrats normally consist of a
square frame, the most frequently used size being 1m2 (see picture below).
To record percentage cover of species in a quadrat, look down on the quadrat
from above and estimate the percentage cover occupied by each species and
bare soil or rock.
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3. Now commence your journey up the valley. Pass through the picket gate in a
hedge bank (Pinkery-16-Route2).
4. Walk on a short distance and repeat both the soil pH testing and the quadrat
vegetation sampling here. Something that is apparent is the gradual
transition to moorland. In particular sedges (Pinkery-17-Sedge) and molinia
grass (purple moor grass) (Pinkery-18-Molinia) begin to appear. In summer
evidence of the molinia grass being cut to provide animal fodder can be seen
in the surrounding fields (Pinkery-19-Fodder). In the winter dead loose dead
leaves cover the area which gives rise to the term white moorland (Pinkery20-White_Moor).
5. Just before the post with the yellow top (Pinkery-21-Route3) cut up right for
about 50 yards until John Knight’s unfinished water canal is reached.
Encourage the children to stand at the end of the canal and to speculate how
they think the water from the dam might have reached the canal – an
aqueduct? (Pinkery-22-Canal).
6. Return to the path as it moves up the valley towards the dam. At this point it
is possible to see the emerging compensation stream of the River Barle as it
emerges from the base of the dam wall and back down the valley below the
dam (Pinkery-23-Route4). The path emerges through a five bar gate
overlooking Pinkery Pond. Walk across the dam wall, on your right.
7. Over the dam wall and up the hill lies the path to Wood Barrow a distance of
400m. Once again this walk is over unimproved moorland with molinia.
Fieldwork Activity 3 - Testing the pH level of the soil
At points across the open moorland pH soil samples can be analysed as this
should be the most acid of all the environments crossed as it is unimproved
moorland with a much greater variety of plants (Pinkery-24-Plants) which will
be revealed in the quadrat survey samples.
8. Wood Barrow is a Bronze Age burial mound dating from about 4,000 years
ago. The barrow lies just beyond Wood Barrow Gate (Pinkery-25-Gate and
Pinkery-26-Wood_Barrow).
Fieldwork Activity 4 - Examining Woodbarrow
The Bronze Age on Exmoor is dated between 2,000BC and 700BC – in other
words between 4,000 and 2,300 years ago. The greatest change from the
earlier Mesolithic and Neolithic periods was that people were living in settled
communities and were clearing areas of woodland in order to farm the land
and growing crops and keeping livestock such as cattle – they were no longer
nomadic hunters and gatherers. Ploughs were pulled by domesticated cattle
(oxen) and it was also around this time that wild breeds of cattle (aurochs)
became extinct. Crops such as early varieties of wheat were sown into fields
and harvested and stored. People lived in roundhouses, usually just two or
three in each settlement, sometimes within a small compound or enclosure
and surrounded by both arable fields and managed grassland for animal
pasture.
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Not much evidence of roundhouses remains on the ground today on Exmoor
but are often clearly seen on aerial photographs (see Pinkery-27Aerial_Wood_Barrow).
The Bronze Age on Exmoor is associated with the building of barrows and the
construction of stone settings. Barrows are round mounds where the dead
were buried or their ashes placed after cremation. Barrows were also
considered to have been sacred places associated with rituals and practices,
making them an active part of the landscape rather than ‘cemeteries’ used
only for burial purposes. Although stone circles and stone rows are found
throughout the country, stone settings are unique to Exmoor – over 60 in
total. Many barrows survive on Exmoor (over 400) largely because there has
been much less ploughing of the land over the last 4,000 years compared
with more lowland locations.
The Bronze Age signifies the appearance of Bronze to make items such as
axe heads, daggers and decorative torcs, brooches and beads. There are
also distinctive pottery types associated with the Bronze Age and on Exmoor
the pottery discovered is of the Trevisker Ware type and includes urns,
beakers and pots. Whilst at the barrow ask the pupils to stand around the
perimeter and estimate its diameter by pacing out the distance –
approximately 29m. Also approximately how high is the barrow today? Given
the diameter and present day height they have estimated, how high do they
think it might have been when constructed? Ask the children to look in at the
centre of the barrow. Here an irregular pit has been dug about 8m across
and 0.7m deep. Why do they think this was dug? The answer could be that it
was dug by robbers. What would they have been hoping to find?
From the barrow encourage the pupils to look around 360 degrees (Pinkery28-360_View). From how far away would Wood Barrow have been seen? Is
it in prominent position? Why might that be? Explain to the pupils that the
barrow was not just a grave for bodies and ashes of the dead. It was also a
very important symbol to the people of the Bronze Age living on and around
what is now Pinkery – their link to their ancestors and an important place
probably for rituals and celebrations. What rituals and celebrations might the
Bronze age people have organised 4,000 years ago around Wood Barrow?
Ask the pupils to think about what would have been important in the lives of
people then - changes in the seasons perhaps e.g. the arrival of Spring, the
birth of children as well of course as burial rites.
9. From Woodbarrow if not returning the same way, turn South and follow the
county boundary for 500m when you will pass into the next field. Continue for
another 500m and bear left, just beyond a small, very wet valley. This will
take you East towards Pinkery and down to the stream and gate you
observed as you left Pinkery. Pass through the gate and cross the stream.
The Exmoor Mires Project
The area immediately to the right here, which will be very wet and boggy, is
part of the Exmoor Mires Project (Pinkery-29-Mire). Mires are areas that
naturally create peat. Over hundreds of years many areas of peatland on
Exmoor have been dried out because of drainage ditches that were dug for
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farming or peat-cutting. Until quite recent history (even during the 20th
Century) peat was harvested by local people and used to fuel their fires, just
like wood or coal.
Now the mires - or peatlands - are being made wet again through ditchblocking which keeps rainwater on the moors for longer, helping to keep them
and the rivers in better health. The holding up of rain water in the uplands will
help to maintain stream flow during dry periods and help reduce erosion and
regulate the risk of flooding. Action to conserve the mires will also improve
water quality which will help fish such as trout and salmon which are common
in the rivers which drain Exmoor (such as the River Barle and the River Exe).
The variety of wildlife will also be increased in rewetted bogs. Restoring
peatlands will also have an impact on reducing climate change because peat
absorbs carbon from the atmosphere – plant material which is rich in carbon
is effectively preserved in the waterlogged conditions of the peat soil.
Destruction of peat means the ‘stored’ carbon is lost to the air, as the plant
material breaks down.
Having observed this area from the path which goes up the side of the hill the
pupils can discuss how they think the old drainage ditches are blocked up to
hold the water. What would they do to make this happen? Back in class they
can then use Pinkery-30-Ditches to draw and describe all the ways in which
this is done. This resource is kindly provided by and copyright of the Exmoor
Mires Project.
10. In good weather the route to the pond is your choice and should you want to
extend your day by 3km, Woodbarrow to the West is an easy walk with views
to Wales and a real sense of open landscape. From Woodbarrow the return is
South following the Devon/Somerset boundary along the bridleway for a mile.
The ‘Mires’ described above are in the boggy area on your left after the first
gateway. You will see Pinkery and the wind turbine on your left but it is
important to go beyond the boggy area (South) to slightly raised ground that
skirts this very wet area. Staying on this higher ground the track will emerge
for you to drop down to the river Barle and the gateway. This area is very wet
and if you are not wet yet you have done well. Watch out for tiny pink
carnivorous ‘Sundew’ plants in this boggy area. Pinkery is now above you to
the East.
11. Summary: Pinkery (Grid ref: SS 723 411). Back up facilities and exterior
toilets at the Centre. Coach parking to Goat Hill Bridge only (Grid ref: SS724
405), minibus parking at Pinkery. Route: Pinkery, Pinkery Pond (Grid ref: SS
723 423), Wood-barrow (Grid ref: SS 717 424), turning South follow the
bridleway along the county and forest boundary to Broad Mead, cutting back
west via the ‘mires’ just South of East at (Grid ref: SS 717 413) crossing
stream, passing through gate and aiming at the wind turbine.
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Learning outcomes
Through the range of learning and teaching activities the pupils have
opportunities to:
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Recognise and identify
Express views and ask questions
Respond to simple questions
Observe and describe
Select appropriate information
Undertake simple subject based tasks
Use simple subject vocabulary
Compare and contrast
Offer reasons
Use basic subject skills
Use secondary evidence
Communicate views and opinions
Use appropriate subject vocabulary
Understand natural patterns and processes
Understand human patterns and processes
Demonstrate understanding through explanation
Use a range of subject skills
Suggest enquiry questions and investigate them
Use primary evidence
Select information to answer an enquiry
Identify, describe and explain patterns, processes, links and
relationships
Reach conclusions and make judgements
Reach substantiated conclusions consistent with the evidence which
draw on the application of attitudes and values
Critically evaluate both the enquiry process and conclusions reached
for validity and trustworthiness
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