Doghouse Grove, Wilburton, is home to a series of clay-lined fish ponds constructed by the monks of Ely in the 7th century. The church and the medieval monastery required large amounts of fish to feed its monks (and later its Bishops), particularly on fast days and during Lent, so it maintained a complex network of artificial fish ponds and waterways across the fens. Freshwater fish like eels, tench, bream and perch were harvested from these waters. Carp may have been introduced in the 12th-14th Centuries. Ash trees for hurdle making were planted around the ponds in the early 20th Century and these, along with hawthorn and elder, have claimed most of the site. It is home wrens, long tailed tits, great spotted woodpeckers, sparrow hawks and kestrels. Two questions. How were the fish transported to Ely? Were eels kept at Doghouse Grove – it seems inconsistent with their migratory life cycle?
Like this a lot. I’ve just been revisiting the work of John Gossage and this reminded me very much of his book ‘The Pond’, a bit of a classic.
Sorry, I can’t answer the fishy questions…
Hi Roy,
Thanks for the comment – I don’t know ‘The Pond’, but I’ll take it as a compliment.
I don’t recall seeing any recent work by Gossage, but I do remember Peter Turner bringing prints by him to a workshop and being very enthusiastic about them. If my memory serves me well the pictures were of rather droopy flowers that Turner called a ‘hot number’.
Best wishes,
Brian