THE FIELD PONDS OF ROTHLEY

Field ponds were once a very important part of our landscape to provide water for beasts when out in the pasture fields. Many of our Rothley ponds have been filled in or neglected now that water troughs provide safer water. I therefore decided to record not just the ponds that remain but also the lost pond sites.

Most of our ponds are in a very poor state, overgrown by bank vegetation and filled with leaf and branch debris. Three ponds in the parish have been managed by the Leicestershire Wildlife Trust to encourage wildlife to return.

One pond in still in use as a farmyard pond for geese to enjoy and others provide a habitat for moorhens and ducks.

I have located 43 ponds and 8 pond sites to date (February 2011). Some dry up in the summer, some are permanently water-filled especially where the surrounding ditches are in good order.

Ponds get filled in when hedgerows are removed as in the case of Church Wardens Pond.

Pond 1 Barnes Field Pond
In Site 107 Barnes' Field

Pond 2 12 Acre Field Pond
In Site 108 12 Acre Field

Pond 3 Rothley Park Golf Club Pond
In Site 127 Rothley Park Golf Club

Pond 4 Rothley Park Golf Club Pond 2
In Site 127 Rothley Park Golf Club

Pond 5 Rowena Top Pond
In Site 119 Rowena Fishing Lakes

Pond 6 Rowena Middle Pond
In Site 119 Rowena Fishing Lakes

Pond 7 Rowena Swamp Pond
In Site 118 Rowena Marsh and Pond

Pond 8 Merlin's Field Pond
In Site 134 Merlin's Field

Merlin's Pond has an active Badger Sett on its far bank. April 2003.

Merlin's Pond was named after the horse that was stabled in the pasture. April 2003.

Pond 9 Swithland Pond
In Site 132 Swithland Pond, The Ridings

Swithland Pond was developed in 1999 as a wildlife pond. February 2002.

Pond 10 Brickyard Farm Pond
In Site 155 Brickyard Farm Pond and Plantation

Pond 11 Brickpit Pond
In Site 156 Brickpit Pond and Field

Pond 12 Brickyard Field Pond (Site)
In Site 150 Brickyard Farm and Paddock

Pond 13 Allotment Gardens Pond
In Site 159 Allotment Gardens (new)

Pond 14 South Hall Field Pond
In Site 160 South Hall Field

Pond 15 Temple Pond (Site)
In Site 134 Merlin's Field

Temple Pond Site. Filled in after a man was drowned there in the early 1920's. April 2003

Pond 16 Pond Field Pond
In Site 163 Pond Field

Pond 17 The Willows Pond
In Site 148 The Willows

Thw Willows Pond is in the paddock of a private house and attracts Moorhens and wild ducks. May 2003.

Pond 18 Soar Meadow Hay Flat Pond
In Site 187 Soar Meadow Hay Flat

Soar Meadow Hay Flat Pond is a 'flight' pond so called because it is surrounded by trees apart from one end where the duck fly out into the line of fire.
May 2002

Pond 19 Hay Flat Pond
In Site 186 Hay Flat

Pond 20 Woodcock Farm Pond
In Site 184 Woodcock Farm

Woodcock Farm Pond is still in use for the geese. September 2003.

Pond 21 North Stocking Pond
In Site 183 North Stocking

North Stocking Pond with the Rothley Archaeological Warden pondering on the large boulder on its bank. February 2004.

Pond 22 Stocking Sod Pond
In Site 182 Stocking Sod

Stocking Sod Pond is only visible after heavy rain but it is shown on the old maps. February 2004

Pond 23 Fairway 15 Pond
In Site 127 Rothley Park Golf Club

Fairway 15 Pond at the Rothley Park Golf Club has been developed to attract wildlife. April 2002.

Pond 24 West Brown Hill Pond
In Site 179 West Brown Hill

Pond 25 Hill Close Pond
In Site 201 Hill Close and Bill's Wood

Pond 26 Stocking Close Pond
In Site 180 Stocking Close

Pond 27 Bacon Hole Pond
In Site 205 Bacon Hole

Pond 28 Abbethaws Pond
In Site 202 Abbethaws

Pond 29 Shalton Hough Pond
In Site 213 Shalton Hough

Shalton Hough Pond is typical of a Field Pond that served the beasts in three fields. March 2005.

Church Wardens Pond site in January 2006. Lost for all time.

Pond 30 Church Wardens Pond (Site)
In Site 212 Church Wardens Land

Pond 31 Baguleys Pond (Site)
In Site 211 South Field (Baguleys)

Pond 32 Boundary Pond
In Site 212 Church Wardens Land

Pond 33 Wanlip Sic Pond
In Site 214 Wanlip Sic

Pond 34 Pennington's Pond
In Site 253 Rothley Lodge Wildlife Site

Pennington's Pond was developed in 2005/6 to take the rain water from the Rothley Lodge Industrial Site and this has created a new pond habitat in the parish. It will be an important part of the new Rothley Lodge Wildlife Site managed by Charnwood Wildlife which extends to the River Soar at Sileby Mill. The pond does not have an 'official' name so I have named it after Ron Pennington who introduced me to it and its history.

Pond 35 Great Close Pond Site
In Site 207 Great Close

Great Close Pond must have been a good size according to old maps and could have been the duckpond for Southfield Farm.

Pond 36 Lewin Nook Pond in 2006.
In Site 207 Great Close

Lewin Nook Pond was developed as a pond for rearing mallard chicks. I have called it Lewin Nook Pond after the old field name.

Pond 37 Ann's Pond.
In Site 255 Anthony Street Gardens

This unusual pond has been included as it is old and once part of a field in the centre of old Rothley. It is good for frog spawn as it contains water at this time of the year. Photograph taken in June 2003. I have called it Ann's Pond after the owner.

Pond 38 Mineral Line Pond
In Site 233 Kinchley Lane Cornfield (1)

This pond, like so many, dries up for most of the year but after good rainfall it holds a considerable amount of water. It is a typical circular pond on a field boundary and enclosed by a circle of trees, also typical of many of our parish ponds.

I have called it Mineral Line Pond as it is adjacent to the disused Mineral Line from Mountsorrel Quarry to the Swithland Sidings.

Pond 39 Kinchley Lane Pond
In Site 233 Kinchley Lane Cornfield (1)

This is another pond that dries up for most of the year but after a good rainfall it becomes a typical shaped pond. It is enclosed by small trees with one boundary being the hedgerow along Kinchley Lane. There are two good sized Oaks in this part of the hedgerow.

Pond 40 Farnham Bridge Farm Pond
In Site 293 Oldershaws

This is a fishing pond in a lovely setting close to the River Soar.

Pond 41 Bradgate Wong Pond
In Site 121 Swithland Lane and Gardens

This is a very interesting Ancient Parish Boundary Pond at the bottom of a garden at the far end of Swithland Lane. I have called it Bradgate Wong Pond as it is on the boundary with a field having this old field name. There is an ancient Oak by the side of this pond.

Pond 42 Westfield Farm (Site)
In Site 126 Westfield Farm

This would most likely have been a duckpond for Westfield Farm. It is shown on the 1880 map but no sign remains in 2007.

Pond 43 West Sand Pit Field Pond (Site)
In Site 268 West Sand Pit Field

Pond 44 West Sand Pit Field Pond (Site)
In Site 268 West Sand Pit Field

Pond 45 Hickling's Pond
In Site 270 Hickling's Spinney

Pond 46 Lawn Field Pond
In Site 266 Lawn Field

Pond 47 Linkfield Farm Marsh Pond
In Site 282 Linkfield Farm Marsh

Pond 48 Link Pond
In Site 292 Link

Pond 49 Pethefers Pond
In Site 226/127 Pethefers Close/ Rothley Park Golf Course

Pond 50 Great Close Spinney Pond (1)

Pond 51 Great Close Spinney Pond (2)
Both in Site 258 Great Close Spinney