Monument record MKE127028 - Post-medieval dew pond (or sole pond), Otterden Place, Maidstone

Dew pond (or sole pond), visible on 1st and 2nd edition OS map. Recorded during 2024 Kent Downs National Landscape Historic Ponds project.
Preservation:Pond on historic maps but not visible on current OS (ghost pond)
Pond shape:Circular/oval
Site type: Dew pond (or sole pond)
Description: Oval shaped pond within Otterden Park. Seen on 1st an 2nd edition OS at 300m2. Now reduced in size to around 80m2. Very clear on 1m LiDAR.
Recorded date: 23/09/2024 (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 1839-1876 AD based on OS mapping. A site visit established that a U-shaped earthwork was located immediately south of the pond. Furthermore, the authors of the report (2) suggest that the pond could have originated as a quarry pit due to its siting in an area of clay-with-flints geology and its position cut into a slope at the site.
An auger survey established that the deposit sequence comprised a series of fine-grained layers of gravel overlain by clay overlain by silt. The basal deposit contained fragments of ceramic buildling material. The upper deposits were demonstrated to contain organic material including wood and plant remains. Environmental analysis of the auger sample revealed that it would have contained aquatic taxa such as water crowfoots and water starworts, and would have been surrounded by a parkland environment containing trees such as oak, lime, and beech. The pond may have been created as a parkland feature or could have been established initially as a water source for livestock. (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 Wessex Archaeology, 2025, (Draft) North Downs Heritage Ponds Project Phase 1 Report (Unpublished document).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.