TQ 83775335 - 83975330. Four or more rectangular ponds occupy a steep-sided curvilinear valley NE of the Gloriette in Leeds Castle park. Their form is typical of Mediaeval fishponds. The ponds are not shown on the 1748 plan of the park. They have been severely mutilated by the modern golf course. The location of the ponds some distance from the castle entrance, when other well watered valleys nearer to the castle entrance were available, is strange but may be explained if the ponds were designed to be seen from the Gloriette, and were therefore designed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Viewed in this light, they are additional evidence for the landscaped park originating in the Mediaeval period.(1)

<1> C.C. Taylor, 1996, Leeds Castle Park: report of archaeological field visit on 19/07/1996 (Unpublished document). SKE58527.