No.4 – Pond Power!
“Where there is water, wildlife will come”
These words were from Ben Heaven Taylor, CEO of the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE), as we celebrated the restoration of our historic Barn Ponds – the latest of our projects to protect and enhance our aquatic ecosystems.
And we couldn’t agree more.
Just a year after these works took place, these desilted ponds have erupted with life both in and out of the water. We see frogspawn, dragonflies, damselflies, waterfowl and a wonderful diversity of plants – these ponds now have open water for the first time in decades and the transformation is extraordinary.
This was all made possible by a generous grant from TOE funding with from Grundon Waste Management Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund; from Cumnor Parish Council and Botley and North Hinksey Parish Council.
The Barn ponds during restoration and after
Aquatic habitats are vital and diverse features of our landscape, and at Hill End we have a proud record of caring for and creating more ponds throughout the site. In 2018 we partnered with the Freshwater Habitats Trust and the Newt Conservation Partnership to create two new large ponds in the Long Meadow. These are in open countryside and unshaded by trees, in contrast to the Barn Ponds. Creating ponds with differing characters maximises the diversity of species that we can support.
Creating the Long Meadow ponds
Ponds and streams are not static, requiring management to remove silt and vegetation if open water is to be maintained. They will also change with the seasons as water levels rise and fall. Some will be ephemeral, drying in the summer and appearing again in wet weather.
Along our Eastern and Western boundaries, steams flow to create our ponds, fed by springs in the hillside. This was one of the key attractions of this location for the ffennell family to create Hill End as a pioneering outdoor school back in the 1920s – fresh water and fresh air to boost the health of the urban children who came to learn and benefit from being in the outdoors.
Today we still use ponds as a learning opportunity, and pond-dipping is arguably the most popular activity for the thousands of children that visit us each year. They are delighted with everything they can capture with their nets, perhaps a swarm of tiny water fleas, a rams head snail or a caddisfly larvae hiding in the home it makes from sand and stones. And many adults too – who could fail to be enchanted by an emerging dragonfly or a wriggly newt?
Our 100th birthday sees us opening our archives to look back at the interesting history of some of the other man-made ponds at Hill End.
The round pond was originally just a circular concrete paddling pool alongside the old 1930s swimming pool and changing rooms. These have now gone, but the round pond has been completely reclaimed by nature and is now one of the most abundant with aquatic life. We changed the original water supply to flow from a gravel bed in the willow marsh, and the improved water quality has greatly benefited the wildlife. It’s been known to house mallard ducks and moorhens nesting in the centre, hiding while schools pond-dip around them!
The Round Pond in the 1930s and today
Behind our offices we have other smaller ponds that have been created as the perfect size for teaching smaller groups. Hill End offers a nurturing programme of alternative provision for children from special schools or who struggle in mainstream schools for a variety of complex reasons. Here we offer fun and engaging learning at a relaxed pace to suit their particular needs.
These are all the same pond over the years
Sometimes a particular animal or activity can spark an interest in a child that makes a profound difference to their lives. Recently, one of alternative provision students became our unofficial ‘pond monitor’ due to his enthusiasm for nature. This allowed us to build his confidence and created trusted relationships with teaching staff in ways that had not been possible at school.
As we develop Hill End for the future, we recognise our responsibility in protecting these very special habitats for both nature and education. We carefully monitor our newt populations in particular to keep a watchful eye over these important species.
In a further partnership with the Freshwater Habitats Trust, we are working towards the long term management of the watercourses on the SSSI and the rest of the site to enhance habitats for wildlife and reduce downstream flooding.
We look forward to the creation of a wonderful new Centenary Habitat Trail as our flagship project for our 100th year – and enhancing our wetland marsh willow will be a key goal. With new funding from TOE, the National Lottery and the University of Oxford’s Sustainability Team, we can’t wait to get started on the next chapter of Hill End’s story!
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If you have your own memories of Hill End, no matter how old or how recent, please let us know in our new Memory Bank – it only takes a moment, and we’d love to hear from you!
You can read more about our rich heritage on our history pages and our 100 year celebration page.
Join us to celebrate and help ensure the next 100 years are even stronger.
