Chelson Meadow

Chelson Meadow is a meadow created by land reclaimed from the Laira, the tidal estauary of the River Plym as it runs down into Plymouth, which city now laps around its edges. The meadow was created by Lord Boringdon to provide productive grazing land, which formed part of his estate of Saltram.

The resultant, reclaimed Chelson Meadow is found a thousand yards south of Saltram House.

History

At the opening of the ninetenth century Lord Boringdon consulted with the great civil engineer Sir John Rennie about draining the marsh and in 1806 Rennie recommended James Green of Birmingham, who had worked for Sir John Rennie since 1800. Green constructed an embankment and the drainage work was carried out between 1806 and 1807. As a result, 178 acres were reclaimed from the waters of the Laira. The Royal Society of Arts awarded Lord Boringdon a gold medal for this achievement.

The embankment is 2,910 feet long, with an average crest height of 16 feet above the estuary. The base width is 90 feet and the crest width is just 3 feet. It was intended originally to make the outer slope of the embankment 1 in 4 and the inner slope 2 in 3, but James Green’s careful enquiries regarding flood levels led him to raise the crest level and increase the slopes. The work cost £9,000 and the reclaimed land was said to then be worth £20,000, even though impregnated with salt. A further £5,000 was spent on maintenance between 1808 and 1842.

From 1828 to 1926, the land was used for horse racing over a one-and-a-half mile course. Before and during the First World War it was used as an airfield.

In 1887, Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Chelson Meadow as a 'township', though not a thickly inhabited one, counting just five residents:

“

Chelson Meadow, township, Plymstock par., S. Devon, 4¼ miles NE. of Plymouth, 177 ac. and 72 tidal water and foreshore, pop. 5.

”

Modernity

More recently, Chelson Meadow has been used as a landfill site for refuse, with amenity tipping and recycling facilities, and the level of the land has been raised as a result. However, the landfill closed in 2008.

The landfill is itself being reclaimed and grassed over, though still considered hazardous by reason of the potentially toxic effluent from the waste beneath.

Outside links

• Chelson Meadow on A Vision of Britain

References

• Engineering Timelines: Chelson Meadow