Open day explores what’s hiding beneath England’s highest canal

Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) is inviting everyone to a rare chance to see archaeology in action. Pinkery Canal, one of Exmoor’s most intriguing and mysterious features and the highest canal ever built in England, has puzzled people for years. A new excavation, part of the ‘Exmoor Pioneers Project’ is looking beneath it at the peat and soils sealed below its banks. These hidden layers act like a time capsule, helping Exmoor’s heritage team piece together what Exmoor looked like before the Knight family came to Exmoor and transformed the landscape in the 19th century.

The canal, which runs for nearly 8 kilometres along the southern slopes of The Chains, was constructed in 1819–1820 as part of the Knight family’s ambitious effort to transform the former Royal Forest of Exmoor. More than 200 years later, its exact purpose remains a mystery, with theories ranging from transport and water management to a role in wider agricultural improvement schemes.

This summer’s excavation is looking not only at the canal’s engineering, but also beneath its banks. The peat and soils sealed below them act like a time capsule, preserving evidence of what Exmoor may have looked like before the Knights reshaped the landscape in the nineteenth century.

Open day attendees will be able to view the excavation up close, learn how scientists use soils and pollen to reconstruct past environments, and find out what the project is beginning to reveal about Exmoor’s changing landscape.

The open day is free, informal and suitable for anyone with an interest in Exmoor, archaeology, heritage, landscape history or simply spending time on the moor. People are encouraged to enjoy the walk over the fields to the site and to bring a picnic - make a day of it!

Heritage Ranger Kimberley Colman with ENPA said: “Pinkery Canal is one of Exmoor’s most fascinating historic features, and this open day is a wonderful opportunity for people to see archaeology in action on the moor. By looking beneath the canal’s banks, we can begin to uncover clues about the landscape that existed before the Knights transformed Exmoor in the nineteenth century. We hope visitors will come along, meet the team, ask questions and enjoy discovering more about this remarkable place.”

The Pinkery Canal was last examined in detail around 50 years ago. The current investigation brings together archaeological and environmental techniques to better understand the canal’s construction, its place within the Knight family’s wider landscape changes, and the environmental history preserved beneath it.

Event Details

Date: 18th July

Time: 10am–3pm

How to Get There

Parking: Goat Hill Bridge Car Park

What3Words: //summit.indulgent.coolest

Grid Reference: SS 72853 40130

From the parking area, follow the Macmillan Way West footpath north for approximately 1 km. The excavation will be on your left; signage and staff will guide you.

Exmoor Pioneers is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding thanks to a generous legacy from the late Cynthia Hadley to CareMoor for Exmoor