In September 2024 Norfolk FWAG worked with local contractors to restore a historic pond close to the village of East Winch, West Norfolk. The pit had been partially filled in and was entirely overgrown with willow. The larger of the two basins is fed by a pipe and held a only small amount of water during the early summer months. A pre-survey of the pond was undertaken earlier in the year and found that just one species of aquatic plant was present in one of the basins.
Before The Works Began
Before any works were undertaken, a desk study of the pond was undertaken. This included an examination of the historic maps to determine the pond’s original profile and approximate age. The first edition OS map (1879 – 1886) revealed that this pond once formed part of the neighbouring Horse Fen. In order to retain the history of this pond, we decided to call it Horse Fen Double Pit. Much of the surrounding fen has since been drained and converted into arable farmland but the pond will hopefully live on for many centuries to come.
Pond Restoration Began
We started by coppicing back the willows from the margin to allow light back in, leaving a few on one side of the pond to provide cover for farmland birds.
As the digger driver began to remove mud from the basin we discovered almost 1.5 metres of infill, including a number large tree stumps. We suspect these originated from the line of trees that was marked on the OS first edition map. During the post-war period of agricultural intensification, it was common practice to dispose tree stumps, hedges and their associated banks into a pond in an attempt to gain additional agricultural land. After a while, we reached a thin layer of black mud with remnants of pondweeds and pond snail shells. Beneath that was a layer of blue clay. We had found the historic basin of the pond! At this point no further sediment removal was undertaken in order to retain any historic seeds which might be lying dormant.
The Result
The pond was completely dry at the time of restoration, but we were confident that it would soon fill with the autumn rains. Just 3 months later, we returned to the pond to check on it and were delighted to see that both basins were now filling with water. We will be returning over the next few years to monitor this pond closely and expect to see aquatic life flourishing once again in no time.
