Holne:Priddons Farm sites DCNN 8858 & 8859 – Met Office Cottage Industry in action.

Priddons Farm Original 50.51722 -3.84291 No known CIMO assessment. Temperature records 18/11/2006 to 12/12/2019 Priddons Farm No 2 CIMO assessed Class 4 Temperature records 9/12/2019

The Met Office makes lots of claims such as “Consistency of measurements is vital across the network,” For example manual reporting stations report readings all report daily readings taken at 09:00 GMT. Reality, though, runs differently “Reading time 6.30am due to Work commitments.” Postmen do after all start work early. “Cottage industries” are a key part of the UK business infrastructure but who really wants to “bet the farm” on scientific observations taken on an “as and when” basis from horribly unrepresentative locations?

Firstly, the history. Priddons Farm weather station was established on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon as one of the more recent additions to an already highly represented county. Temperature records stated in December 2006 with the often and highly exceptional reading time of 6.30 a.m. to accommodate one of the observer’s employments as a postman – more later. From the start this makes a complete mockery of the system. I have no desire to criticise the observer – the Met Office is the responsible (rather irresponsible) body here – and they cannot simply adjust the system so arbitrarily. It completely disrupts their day attribution of readings (most frequently minima) and renders comparison to other sites virtually impossible. It may be considered better to have any reading rather than none at all but it is not that simple….especially as readings were, at best, optional at this site anyway.

This site would unquestionably have been assessed as Class 5 being surrounded on all sides by hedging and trees creating a wind calmed suntrap prone to inaccuracy of up to 5°C. The 2009 Google StreetView image indicates the issues in the site’s early days.

Perhaps the worst indictment of this original site is the observations record despite the variable reading times. In 2019 up to closure on the 12th December there were only 115 full days readings achieved which was in fact good for this site’s standards. In the full year of 2018 it was only 76 days, in 2017 only 13 (yes thirteen) days, in 2016 just 64 days. Clearly there were longer term problems with observations here.

The site of the original weather station was developed to add “Shepherd’s Huts” for tourism necessitating relocation – or more likely closure if reading frequency was anything to go by. The new site was just 85 metres away and 2 metres different in elevation but in true Met office mindset should not be a better location and rather one that carried on the poor siting standard. The argument of continuity is rather far fetched given the paucity of any readings at the old site to be compared with. As a result the new site was equally bordered on all sides by hedges and trees creating a perfect south facing wind free suntrap to elevate readings. Notably the Met office chose to both renumber and rename the site indicating a different climatology though with no readings overlap period how any comparison was ascertained seems somewhat esoteric.

StreetView does not offer a ground level view of the new site but that really is not required, the aerial close up shows all the problems.

It is also worth noting this area in anything but flat and both sites (though at similar elevations) are on a considerable slope. i personally question the accuracy of this new site’s CIMo classification and feel it does not meet strict Class 4 standards and therefor should only be Class 5

Thankfully the observations frequency improved and is now at an acceptable standard though by no means perfect with 17 days in 2024 of readings insufficient to derive a daily mean.

Finally to explain my “cottage industry” comment, it rather seems the Met Office role of important observational science has been relegated to an adjunct to other interests rather than a prime purpose in itself. In researching the site I came across details of the owner as I often do. Clearly he is a hard worker variously holding down many jobs (including at one time postman) but is this really what the public expect from their taxpayer funded government departments? There are already many climate reporting facilities in Devon, is yet more quantity really essential if the standard of siting and thus accuracy and representation of readings is so poor?

The site owner deserves commendation for the efforts he puts in and I would like to assist by publicising his endeavours positively here. However I feel it is quite unacceptable of the Met Office to operate such overall poor standards whilst simultaneously claiming high standards..

Source: https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/holnepriddons-farm-sites-dcnn-8858-8859-met-office-cottage-industry-in-action/