The Pond – 1

We had some spare money, a rare luxury. A sum large enough to invest, or for a modest holiday abroad, or a newer more reliable car. Instead, we decided to put it into a hole in the ground: the biggest pond we could afford.

Our design was a simple shape which made the most of the long view. Although the size was dictated by the budget, we balanced that out by dividing up the work, so we did as much as we could ourselves, and also by sourcing and buying all the materials.

We found a very experienced contractor, who was happy to take on the project, was great to have around and had the knowledge and expertise to manage the landscaping required in order that the finished pond looked natural. The previous two contractors told us they had never attempted a pond that big, which didn’t inspire confidence. Bob said he didn’t usually do lakes as small as ours. He was a modest man, quietly confident. He had just finished working on a big water feature at a stately home, and he very clearly knew exactly what work was involved, and wasn’t phased by our project.

He spent several weeks carefully grading the soil: removing the topsoil and piling it elsewhere, before he methodically began to dig out the huge hole in the clay, to a depth of 3 metres. He then landscaped the whole area, before replacing the topsoil. As the work went on it looked violently dramatic- like a massive scar, but when he’d finished, it looked as if the pond had always been there, with smooth gentle curves. As if it was meant to be. As if it had been an existing pond looking for a location and just happened upon our garden.

Then it became our turn to do some work, with the help of a few friends.
The butyl rubber liner was so large and heavy the roll had to be transported by the digger. The whole area was carefully checked to make absolutely certain there were no sharp stones, then a level 5cm layer of sand was raked over to protect the liner. Onto this smoothed surface we placed a layer of thick geotextile fleece membrane.

The rubber liner was unrolled slowly and with great care and left open to soften the creases, then put in place. We did this part of the operation in socks to prevent puncturing the rubber. It was like walking on hot coals!

An extra layer of fleece was laid on top of that, like a giant sandwich, because we intended to use the pond for fishing and the protection of the liner was top priority. Now we were ready for the slow process of filling it up, which took two weeks; pumping out of the spring fed well near to the house. There was a huge sense of anticipation.

The filled pond, which looked vast, had to be left to settle before we could fix the liner into the surrounding edges, design and construct a bog garden, and finally plant up and stock with fish.