BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent

Subject: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 20 Oct 08 - 04:51 PM

Since the Beer and Folk Festival at The Crown in Otford came and went the poor old ducks of Otford have been left without a thread to highlight their plight and to report on the lack of progress in restoring the only listed duckpond in England.

I have to report that this morning I saw four ducks on the half empty pond and as briefly reported in the Crown thread the duckhouse is now back in the middle of the pond.

Activity in restoring this water feature remains zero and the building site remains an awful sight for a picturesque village in the Garden of England.

For those unfamiliar with the pond it features on a number of internet sites as well as being clearly visible on the aerial mapping sites

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 04:15 PM

Excellent example of rose tinted spectacles !

The Otford Society Newsletter - September 2008

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 04:25 PM

Your problem?

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Girl Friday
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 06:54 PM

Having waded through the several pages of the Otford Gazette, and read all about the duckpond, I note no mention of the Crown having had a beer festival. I do note however that there is a fete to be held in May. Opportunity for Morris Dancing? (Pub car park rather than the duckpond!) Loved the story about the car straddling pond and wrecking the builder's supplies. You couldn't make it up could you?

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 07:02 PM

Here it is on Mudcat: click here. Not easy to find a good-sized picture of the pond.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 06:09 PM

Kwackers

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 29 Oct 08 - 05:29 PM

Sad to see the two resident ducks living in such squalor. Saw them yesterday next to an old pallet that has found its way into the water. In duckpond terms this must rival Salford at its worst - no offence meant to the good people of Salford but Ewan McColl seemed to agree and he was born there

Does anyone know why these two creatures remain on the pond when others come and go - is it that they can't get enough altitude in the short take-off distance available to clear the plastic net fence?

And where did they go when they disappeared at the start of the rebuilding?

And who thought it would be a good idea to put them back?

What chance the project being finished before the next generation should arrive in the spring?

What is Obama's view on this matter of grave concern?

So many questions and so few answers

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Bee
Date: 29 Oct 08 - 06:03 PM

In its original form, this pond looks very much like the Egg Pond that used to be on the Halifax Commons for a couple hundred years, used by skaters in winter. It was ringed by Willow trees, and was still full of water until the late seventies, when the city got anxious about drowning hazards and eventually it has become part of a city-run skateboard park.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 29 Oct 08 - 06:32 PM

Can you point us to photos Bee?

The Otford pond overcomes the drowning problem by being situated in the middle of a busy roundabout. Children cannot reach the pond without a responsible adult as they will get run over if they try !

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Bee
Date: 29 Oct 08 - 07:52 PM

You know I can't? - I looked earlier and couldn't find a thing, except for a small map of Halifax's earliest waterworks plans - and 200 years may be fifty year exaggeration. All I can find are the skateboard park, which has completely obliterated it.

It was egg-shaped in outline, about five feet deep, walled to ground level in typical Halifax mortared ironstone, or angelstone it's called sometimes. When I moved to Halifax in 1969, it was dry in summer and had a dirt bottom, filled and frozen for skating in winter. The willows around it were huge old things. It was quite large, but i can't recall well enough to estimate - big enough for a fair number (forty-fifty people?) to ice-skate rounds on.

http://www.halifax.ca/archives/HalifaxWaterWorks.html

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 30 Oct 08 - 05:27 PM

for those unfamiliar with Otford and wondering what the fuss is about, this is the pond - (complete with duck on the extreme left) - the Crown - scene of the recent beer and folk weekend is the white building behind the pond

the pond as it should be   (click to enlarge)

and this is the pond as it looks at the moment

as it is now

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Penny S.
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 02:22 PM

When I walked around it before the work started, I had the impression that there was a spring feeding it. Is this so? And where does the water go now, if it is?

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 01 Nov 08 - 11:22 AM

Penny S.
         The nearest natural drain for any overflow must be the river Darenth, 200 yards west. There may be a culvert providing the connection.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Tony Burrows
Date: 01 Nov 08 - 02:02 PM

The pond comes under the wing of the National Trust. They received a considerable amount of money from Europe to restore the pond to it's former glory and with a healthy flock of ducks arriving daily it should prove popular with the Eastern European workers living in the area.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,Rafflesbear
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 05:29 PM

Progress on the restoration of Otford's listed duckpond has remained at a complete standstill and the first anniversary of the commencement of the work must now be rapidly approaching. The Otford parish council newsletter of February states

Otford Pond
The application for listed building consent has been
refused by the Development Control of Sevenoaks District Council. The
Parish Council are now considering what steps we will
have to take next to get our pond back to its former
glory.

Not much chance of a family of ducks growing up on the pond this year - how about they remove all the building materials and fencing and let nature reclaim and repair this disaster?

Incidentally - The Woodman now has a sign up saying it is closed until further notice

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 06:36 PM

Ducks are strange creatures and will nest where they want... there may yet be a duck nesting in a cement mixer or tucked under a pile of pallets... Limpit's school has a little community of ducks in their grounds - in a pond totally surrounded by classrooms, busy corridors and screaming teenagers. They have successfully bred there for at least 5 years.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 30 Jul 09 - 06:21 PM

Update!

Until today the only progress had been the substitution of green plastic web fencing for the original orange but this morning there were actually three men working on the pond - mustn't rush these things eh?

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 31 Jul 09 - 03:49 AM

"On the pond" - quick, the second coming is to hand - three men walking on water...

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Penny S.
Date: 31 Jul 09 - 05:30 AM

Richard, you have reminded me of the old PE game "In the pond, on the bank" and given me the picture of the workmen under the willow juumping to and fro. But doing very little work.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 31 Jul 09 - 04:43 PM

Would that all those people depositing their un-wanted, bottom feeding fish desist. Our local paper reports that the fish are eating the bottom of the pond away. If this is so then it will only extend the delay of the ducks return and the re-establishment of their own dedicated road crossing!!

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 02 Aug 09 - 05:54 PM

Anyone know whatever happened to the listing?

Given that the pond has been reconstructed with a polythene liner, stone walls (is this local stone?) topped with a layer of bricks it doesn't seem to be listable in my book.

In the same vein as Richard Bridge earlier I find the concept of bottom feeding fish having their own dedicated road crossing quite surreal :-)

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Aug 09 - 08:08 PM

I really can't imagine pople introducing their unwanted tench and carp: the coloured carp in particular are valuable. Fish eggs are often carried on th feet of water-birds. The pond might be a victim of the success of the ducks.

I also can't imagine even the most voracious bottom-feeding-fish devouring a polythene liner.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: romanyman
Date: 03 Aug 09 - 05:28 PM

I told you ages ago, sneak in under cover of darkness, restore pond piss off before daylight, easy,

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 04 Aug 09 - 11:49 AM

Rafflesbear,
             Some years ago there was indeed a small, home made, unofficial notice on the grass verge where once stood a police house, I believe, advising motorists to "Drive carefully. Ducks Crossing!!" or words to that effect. I can only assume the work of a concerned, wild-life enthusiast. Why they would wish to dice with death on that roundabout is anybody`s guess when they had a lovely duck house oa the pond. Maybe there was some local feeding going on.

Subject: RE: BS: The Duckpond at Otford Kent
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 04 Aug 09 - 05:45 PM

reminds me of a comment from my nearest and dearest when we were boating up the Thames. Late one evening she saw some ducks in a lock and said caringly - "Oh look, those poor ducks will be stuck in the lock all night"

If the pond is being rebuilt to modern standards perhaps they could put a few solar powered patio lights to designate a landing strip in the pond at night

isn't the internet wonderful - here it is John - ducks crossing sign