We have no waters to delight
Our broad and brookless vales—
Only the dewpond on the height
Unfed, that never fails.
Dew, cloud, mist and fog ponds—also known as sheep or ‘ship’ ponds in the local dialect—have dotted Britain’s chalk downlands ever since ancient civilisations settled there, although most are far more modern.
In areas that boast free-draining soil—such as Sussex’s North and South Downs and the lime stone White Peak in Derbyshire—where rain disappears quickly and there are few streams or springs, man had to use his ingenuity to trap and retain precious water. Indeed, as these places were so important for grazing livestock, it would have been impossible to service the increasing national sheep flock—which produced the wool that, in turn, provided one of Britain’s most important sources of wealth— without natural sources of water.
This story is from the March 03, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
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This story is from the March 03, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
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