Monument record MKE126342 - Post-medieval pond, Hucking Community Orchard, Hucking, Maidstone

Pond, visible on 1st and 2nd edition OS map. Recorded during 2024 Kent Downs National Landscape Historic Ponds project.
Preservation:Whole pond clearly visible on current OS/LIDAR
Pond shape:Circular/oval
Site type: Other, please comment below
Description: Small circular pond surrounded by trees, close to the field boundary. South of Hucking Court and the church. Drawn on 1st and 2nd edition OS but not current OS. Disappears from OS after 1923. Visible on 1m LiDAR.
Recorded date: 03/07/2024 (1)

Investigations were carried out at the site in 2025 comprising a desk-based assessment, field visit, and a hand auger survey. The feature appeared to have been established at some time between 1898-1909 AD based on historic mapping. It was seen to measure around 12m in length by 5m in width on OS maps of the site and was located around 35 south of Hucking Court. Augering carried out at the site identified a series of fine grained clay deposits associated with pond fill up to 0.85m below ground level. One of the deposits contained macroscopic charcoal, indicating that a burning event had taken place in the vicinity of the pond. Furthermore, the upper deposits were coloured reddish brown, indicating that the layer had probably formed in aerobic conditions. Environmental analysis of the auger sample revealed the presence of species such as elder, knotweeds, goosefoots, nettles, and grasses which prefer disturbed environments such as wastelands and the margins of agricultural fields. (2)

<1> Kent Downs AONB Unit, 2025, Historic Ponds Project dataset (Digital archive). SKE58454.

<2> Wessex Archaeology, 2025, (Draft) North Downs Heritage Ponds Project Phase 1 Report (Unpublished document). SKE58669.