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Ridge & Furrow - Three Views taken from different Angles

As the water starts to rise in Startops Reservoir the old ridge and furrow markings will soon be disappearing underwater, and these three photographs, taken on the same day, probably show them at their best – and also demonstrate the difficulty in spotting such features from the ground, although I am sure they are very obvious from the air.
The pictures looking from the north and south show the ridges as long clearly defined parallel banks clearly outlined by the water,. The difference in vegetation is also very clear. In addition foreshortening gives the impression that the strips are very narrow.
The view from the east, looking along the ridges shows three ridges, and they can be seen to be far wider than the side views suggest. However the features are far more difficult to identify. For instance the longest ridge is foreshortened to a barely perceptible bump in the waterline, and the differences in the vegetation are less obvious. This is partly due to the fact that at one point the greener areas switch from the ridge to the furrow. (This may be due to the differences in the vegetation due to the depth of water covering the area when the reservoir is full.)
It is important to realise that if you actually walk the area of exposed mud (at least where it is firm enough to walk on) you see nothing if you look down at the ground. The original ridge and furrow may have been virtually ploughed out before the reservoir was built, and the maximum difference in height between the ridges and furrows where best preserved can be no more than an inch or two. In addition when you are that close you see individual plants rather than the averaged out effect of a distance view.
by Chris Reynolds

Created: Sun, 11 Mar 2012, Updated: Sun, 11 Mar 2012


3 images use this description:

SP9113 : Medieval Ridge and Furrow, Startops Reservoir, near Tring by Chris Reynolds
SP9113 : Medieval Ridge and Furrow - Startops Reservoir, Near Tring by Chris Reynolds
SP9113 : Medieval Ridge and Furrow, Startops Reservoir, near Tring by Chris Reynolds


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