Monument record 1697/0/3 - Fishponds, Abington Park

Ornamental ponds, probably former medieval fishponds. The ponds have been extensively modified during the 20th century.

{1} Fishponds (SP 779616), lie in Abington Park, on Upper Lias Clay, at 76 m above OD. There are now three ornamental ponds occupying a small south-east draining valley. Though these show no visible signs of antiquity, they are the direct successors to earlier ponds which were probably medieval in origin. A survey of Abington Manor of about 1669 notes 'a fishpond with a store of carp'. A map of 1671 shows a large rectangular pond in the valley bottom, as well as a group of small ponds called 'fish ponds' to the west within 'The Parke'. The emparking and landscaping of 1736–42 resulted in the enlargement of the pond in the main valley and the replacement of the smaller fishponds by a group of ornamental rectangular ones. By 1798 a string of ornamental ponds had been laid out down the valley but these in turn were altered to form only one large and one small pond by 1834

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.212/Site 7 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<2> Grant V., 1671, Map of Abington (NRO Map 4524), (part checked) (Map). SNN41646.

<3> 1742, Abington Estate Map, (part checked) (Map). SNN41652.

<4> 1798, Abington Map (NRO 470), (checked) (Map). SNN41653.

<5> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (checked) (Map). SNN2733.

<6> 1850, MAP, (checked) (Map). SNN59022.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1887, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 Inch Mapping Series (45.06), (unchecked) (Map). SNN58994.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1899, Second Edition OS 6 Inch Mapping Series (45NW), (checked) (Map). SNN45307.

<9> , 1920, Third Edition, (checked) (Map). SNN45203.

Record last edited

Apr 30 2025 1:03PM