STOP PRESS
Meet the new addition at Glebe Pond! This fabulous fish was carved for us by Les Langley on 27th January 2024. Les very kindly donated the carving to the Trust, transforming one of the tree stumps left from the recent felling that we had to carry out. We hope that you love this new addition to the pond as much as we do. Les undertakes commissions and bespoke carvings, and you can contact him on 07885 226234 or via email at chainsawcarvingwizard@hotmail.com and see more on his website
www.leslangleychainsawcarver.com
The pond is the source of the River Stour that runs 57 miles from the pond through the villages of Chilham and Wye, eventually reaching the North Sea at Pegwell Bay via Canterbury and Sandwich. The Stour is the second longest river in Kent and in Roman and medieval times it was a major transport route, connecting Canterbury with mainland Europe.
Glebe Pond may once have been part of the watercress beds for which Lenham was famous in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the pond had all but disappeared by World War II. An enterprising parish councillor of that time decided to resurrect the pond, enlisting the services of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and work parties drawn from a local school. The work revealed not only the village pond (into which all the rain run-off from the main streets still flows) but also the old mill pond just outside Tanyard Farm, which would have fed a mill probably used as a bone mill.
The whole area was owned by a Lenham family who granted the Parish Council a lease on the land in return for its maintenance as a public site. Although some basic maintenance was carried out, much of the pond had become overgrown and potentially hazardous.
The renovation
The pond and the land behind it were put forward for a planning application for 10 houses in 2017. The developers then offered the pond area, adjoining wet land and the mill pond as a gift to the village and also offered to carry out restoration works. The Parish Council accepted the offer and requested that the land was transferred to the ownership of Lenham Meadows Trust.
The program of work to improve the area started in the summer of 2018 and the pond has now undergone a full renovation. The steep north bank was regraded; the sluices which control the pond level and the mill pond weir have been repaired. A new reed bed was planted, seeds sown on the pond banks and surrounds and a newt breeding pond was created. Over 200 native shrubs were planted at the deepest end of the pond, which will form hedges to act as a safety barrier and as a habitat for wildlife. New benches have been put in place, so that there are plenty of seats for the many visitors.
We’re also trying to encourage wildlife to flourish in and around the pond and the surrounding wetland. The pond is home to many ducks and moorhens. Lenham Meadows Trust duck food is sold in Lenham Village Stores and Lenham Farm Shop.
We carry out regular tidying sessions at Glebe Pond. As part of the Big Help Out in May 2023, our volunteers also constructed a marvellous bug hotel.
We’re very pleased that Glebe Pond is now under our ownership and will be maintained and protected as a beautiful amenity for the village.
