Farming in Protected Landscapes Case Study:

Irrigation Main relocation from Sutton Hoo Monument

For Year 4 of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, £21,136 was granted to Soveriegn Turf Ltd towards a total cost of £34,215 to relocate a failed irrigation main that currently runs through the Historic monument at the Sutton Hoo National Trust.

Why was the work needed?

The farm at Sutton Hoo, is on free draining sandy soils which are wholly reliant on an irrigation system to produce a wide variety of crop to include; sugarbeet, turf, potatoes, carrots, and lettuce.

Extra water is essential for the crops to grow, but the existing system was damaged and leaking under and around the historic site.

The farm was within its rights to replace the irrigation where it was, but wanted to ensure it protected the Scheduled Monument, public access and the priority habitats from disruption by re-routing the pipework away.

This involved extra cost, and so the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant was applied for so that the work can be done safely with no damage to any historic remains which lay beneath the ground level. The map below shows the location of the planned work and the Sutton Hoo monument.

How was the work done safely?

The farmer employed a specialist archaeology firm, Brittania Archaeology, to complete a written scheme of investigation (WSI) prior to work starting. They were onsite for the entirety of the trench excavations monitoring this process as recommended by the National Trust, and as a condition of the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant.

If something significant was discovered, the project would be put on hold and the drainage re-routed away from a point where it could cause damage. Fortunately, the original planned worked out safely, and the work was completed with minimal disruption to the landscape. The process was to:

Excavate a trench to a minimum depth of 900mm.
Install 200mm 16bar rate pipework.
Hydrants were installed at each irrigation point along with relevant thrust blocks, drain valves and automatic air valves.
Back fill the trench keeping the topsoil at the top.
Reinstate the cropping.