Sheepwash

Sheepwash, located in Calbourne, is likely from the 17th century. It features an enclosure made of Bembridge stone walls that are about 3 feet high. One side has a late 18th century or early 19th century horseshoe-shaped arch, which is lined with two courses of brick voussoirs and some ironstone. The opposite side includes a narrow channel, approximately 2 feet wide, with grooves for a gate. A sheepwash at this site is recorded in a survey of Swainston Manor from 1640 and again in a Tithe Commission Survey from 1842. In the mid-18th century, the owner of Westover attempted to charge local farmers for its maintenance, but they successfully contested this in court. The last use of the sheep dip occurred in 1975, making this a rare survival.