A big thank you to the 16 members of Atkins Ltd Water & Environment Department, from Oasis Business Park, who spent a day of their annual holiday working on the Fishponds.
They tackled a crack willow which formed a bridge to an island between the ‘new’ pond and the recently excavated ditch; first damming the ditch either side of it to lower the water level and silt then removing the boughs.

Email: verity@eynsham.demon.co.uk

Clearing the silt

Removing the boughs

We now have an island which should be secure enough to encourage ground nesting birds.

Irrigation channel -1

The Atkins team also cleared one of the ancient fishpond irrigation channels illustrated in the abbey interpretation board.

Not only all that but they cleared the scrub from the dry areas of the moat.
Web: Atkins Ltd

Irrigation channel -2

Irrigation channel -3

Levels survey

Last, but by no means least, they used their surveying equipment to provide a levels survey which should help us understand the water flow in the fishpond irrigation channels.

View from blackthorn clump

Over the winter our regular team of volunteers have cleared the path through the blackthorn clump and moved some logs to make a secluded sitting place.

Chilbrook bank

They have also cleared the bank of the Chilbrook near the playing fields and pollarded some crack willows to rejuvenate them.

Summer excavation

A small excavation last summer exposed what has been identified as the road to Stanton Harcourt, closed in 1217. Walls and other features were also discovered. These were left exposed so that people could see them, but have since been covered over because they were being vandalised.

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