Nestling in a quiet corner of the lovely village of Biddenham, amongst trees and fields with views to the ancient village church and beyond, lies one of Biddenham’s cherished treasures – the tranquil village pond.
Created in 1700 by the Boteler family as a carp pond to supply fish to Biddenham Manor, it’s still here today as a haven for wildlife and village amenity for everyone’s enjoyment. It is within the Biddenham Conservation Area, features on the Biddenham Heritage Trail, and is illustrated on both the village sign on the village green and the Millenium Window in the village church, St James.
There are benches you can relax on and appreciate the natural beauty all about you, and an information board to tell you about the pond. We hope you’ll visit: you can find directions and a plan of the pond, and you can print a leaflet to guide you on your walk round the pond. There are photographs to browse in our gallery before you visit, or just to enjoy at home.
We welcome visits to the pond by schools and youth groups to make use of this valuable local resource for projects and studies across the curriculum.
The Friends of the Biddenham Village Pond keeps this special place available for you and future generations to discover and enjoy. A dedicated team of volunteers undertakes the continuing conservation and maintenance work and fund raising needed to preserve and manage the pond and its surrounds. Funding comes mainly from Friends’ annual subscriptions; and grants and donations have been gratefully received from the local councils and village and other organisations.
You can find out what has been happening at the pond each year in the Friends’ annual reviews of activities.
There’s more information about becoming a Friend and a membership application form to join: you’ll be most welcome. You can just be a Friend helping support the pond or be an active participant in practical conservation work in the fresh air in the ‘green gym’ down at the pond. You can find details of events and activities in the diary. You can find our Privacy Notice here.
In a field by the pond there once stood a substantial dovecote built by Elizabeth Boteler in 1706 to supply meat and eggs for the Manor table as the pond supplied fish. Although restored in 1932 the dovecote was later demolished in 1966, a sad loss of a unique part of the village’s rich heritage.
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Biddenham Village Pond 