Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels



Peat has been extracted from the Somerset Levels in South West England since the area was first drained by the Romans, and continues in the 21st century on an area of less than 0.5% of the total geography. The modern system in recycling land back to farm use and conservation has resulted in the creation of numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Context
Large areas of peat were laid down on the Somerset Levels, particularly in the River Brue Valley, during the Quaternary period after the ice sheets melted.

In June 1961, on opening a new areas for peat extraction, peat diggers found one half of a Flatbow. Carbon dated to the Neolithic period, it was given the name the Meare Heath Bow.

Early
Peat was extracted from the Moors during Roman times, since the Levels were first drained.

After the Romans left Britain, peat extraction was undertaken by hand by the owning or tenanted farmers.

Victorian era
By the late Victorian period, the Eclipse Peat Company was the main commercial extractor of peat, operating initially across Shapwick Heath.

20th century
There was an extensive narrow gauge tramway operated by the Eclipse Peat Company to take workers to remote locations and then extract heavy loads of cut peat. Developed from 1922, it was initially operated by horses. The tramway had its mainworks at the Broomfield Works, where from the 1930s the company constructed its own locomotives from kits supplied by R.A. Listers of Dursley, based around either Lister diesel or J.A.P. petrol engines. The railway crossed both the Glastonbury Canal and the former Somerset Central Railway from Burnham-on-Sea to Wells, near Ashcott railway station. Merged into the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, 1/2 mi west of Ashcott existed "Alexander siding", which allowed exchange between the SD&JR and the Eclipse tramway system, and hence distribution of cut peat products across the United Kingdom. In 1949 a British Railways passenger train from Highbridge collided with an Eclipse narrow gauge diesel locomotive crossing on the level and left the track, ending up in the Glastonbury Canal. The tramway was worked for a final time in 1983, after which all transport was undertaken by road. One of the locomotives, Lister 42494, is currently preserved at Twyford Waterworks.

The introduction of plastic packaging in the 1950s allowed the peat to be packed without rotting, which led to the industrialisation of peat extraction during the 1960s to meet the demand for peat for horticulture. However, the resultant reduction in water levels put local ecosystems at risk; peat wastage in pasture fields was occurring at rates of 1–3 feet (0.3–0.8 m) per century. The need to reduce the amount of peat extracted led to mechanisation, and hence Eclipse agreed to be bought by Fisons in 1961. This was the last year that hand-cutting was used to extract peat, and since that time all cutting has been done by machine.

21st century
Peat extraction on the Somerset Levels continued in the 2000s, although at a much reduced scale. In 2012 the Fisons Eclipse Peat Works covered 3000 acre, but only 1100 acre were actually worked — less than 0.5% of the entire area of the Somerset Levels. Employing 90 people, more were employed in the summer when the peat was turned by hand to allow it to dry. 70% of production was sold in various products to domestic gardeners, while 30% was used for commercial purposes. After the company had finished working an area, it was environmentally restored, and then either resold to the original farmer, conservationists, or private buyers. The system led to the creation of a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest, giving a haven to wildlife on the levels.