Dilly
Pond is probably the last remaining physical feature of the Medieval village
which was focused around St. Mary's Church, half a mile from the centre of what
is now the village of Hartley Wintney. Old
pictures show it as a watering pond for cattle, a role it played for several
centuries before the village moved North as improvements in road links between
London and the West Country resulted in what is know the A30 becoming a major
route for traffic.
Now
fed primarily from road run-offs, the pond also served for many years as a
useful receptacle for slurry washed down from the nearby farm; this, by its
composition, controlled the growth of invasive flora in the pond but the farm's
move from livestock to arable meant that plants such as Reed Mace were able to
become well established and soon Dilly Pond was almost lost to view.
Several
attempts were made in the seventies to clear the pond of its mass of Reed Mace
and associated flora, as well as the accumulated silt and farm waste, but these
were always unsuccessful because the entire area was never cleared and within a
few weeks, invasive growth had again taken hold.
As recently as 1998 partial clearance of Reed Mace was undertaken by an
enthusiastic young professional Ranger employed by the Parish Council under a
Service Level Agreement with Hart District Council but within three months he
and his colleagues were obliged to return to the site to clear new growth and
within six months water was barely visible through the Reed Mace.
In
late 1998, the Parish Council made budget provision to completely dredge the
pond to expose its clay base and following enquiries to four companies, the
contract was let to Dave Miller (Plant) Ltd. of Sherfield on Loddon.
In August 1999, the pond was drained and over a three day period in
September, 200 cu.m of accumulated silt, slurry and invasive flora was removed.
Heavy rain days later quickly refilled the pond and within a few weeks
the water had settled and the site began to look finished.
The
safety fence was repaired and re-painted as part of the project and the water
supply to the pond improved when a number of nearby road drainage gullies
feeding it were cleaned. In the
Autumn, over 200 wild flower plugs were planted on the pond edge, inside the
fenced area which will remain un-cut, and today the pond, which is inspected
weekly to monitor any re-appearance of invasive flora, provides Hartley Wintney
with one of its most attractive features.
The
Parish Council acknowledges the contribution to the project of the following:
Susanne
Dunn ~ Consultant/contractor. sdunn@hartleywintney.org.uk
Susan
Howe ~ Adjacent landowner
Phil
Hart (Hart Systems) ~ Contractor. 01189
973 2353
Mark
Hazell ~ Contractor. mhazell@hartleywintney.org.uk
David
Hazell ~ Spoil disposal contractor. 01252
842123
Dave Miller (Plant) Ltd. 01256
882675
Bill
Mitchell ~ Spoil disposal
Hampshire County Council ~ Gully clearance.
01256 764444