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| HER Number | MWB4886 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Decoy Pond, Aldermaston |
|---|
Summary
An artificial pond of at least early 19th century date once within Aldermaston Park, with a curving ditch off it used for netting wildfowl
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 02981.00.000
- National Monuments Record No.: SU 66 SW 94
SU 60648 63440 - Pastscape Mon No or Hob UID: 1599510
Monument Type(s):
- DECOY POND (Medieval to 18th century - 1066 AD? to 1800 AD)
Full Description
A DECOY POND INSIDE AWE. CALLED DECOY POND, AND LOCATED WITHIN DECOY PLANTATION. CURTAILED DECOY PIPE RUNNING TO NORTH EAST FROM THE SOUTHERN END. APPEARS TO BE CREATED BY DAMMING AT THE ROAD END. COMPLEX OF LINEAR ISLANDS PART WAY UP THE POND. PART OF BED CONCRETED IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The pond was looked at under the Monument Protection Programme (MPP) - pre 7/5/1999, though not designated.
The Silchester Environs Iron Age Project mapped the earthworks of the artificial pond from Lidar imagery<5>. The pond is marked on the First Edition OS map <2> but a low depression visible on lidar imagery extending from its northern end, beyond its mapped extent, suggests that it was once larger in size. The central part of the pond as mapped from lidar imagery measures approximately 295 m by 145 m. It is broader at its southern end and narrows at its northern end. A pipe leads from the eastern side for a distance of approximately 70m; wildfowl would traditionally have been trapped in nets here. A dam formed of narrow curving banks cuts across the neck of the pond.
Since the mid 20th century, the pond has been within the grounds of Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Ordnance Survey. 1806. Ordnance Survey Drawing of Odiham; BL OSD 125, 19. Two inch to the mile. Marked 'Decoy'. [Map / SWB147896]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ordnance_Survey_Drawings_-_Odiham_(OSD_125).jpg (Accessed 24/08/2022) |
| <02> | Landmark. 1872-85. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 1, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. Marked 'Decoy Pond'. [Map / SWB14341] |
| <03> | Timmins, G. 2001. Aldermaston's Decoy Pond. [Unpublished document / SWB14679] |
| <04> | Environment Agency. 1999-2017. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Digital Model. Digital. LIDAR SU6063 Geomatics DTM 1m 2015. [Digital archive / SWB148907] |
| <05> | Truscoe, K. 2017. Silchester Iron Age Environs Project: Aerial Photograph and Lidar Survey Results. 77/2017. WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB149642]
https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/77-2017 (Accessed on 05/01/2022) |
Related Monuments
| MWB16503 | Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Monument) |
| MWB6276 | Aldermaston Court (Park) (Landscape) |
| MWB19972 | Decoy Cottage, Aldermaston (Building) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1507 | The Silchester Environs Iron Age Project - aerial photograph and LiDAR interpretation |
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