Darwood's Pond

Darwood's Pond

To the east of St Ives town centre, just off The Quadrant, is a triangular council carpark called Darwood's Pond. No surprise this was once a small body of water. Fondly remembered by St Ivians, the District Council filled in and tarmacked it some time in the 1960s. What was the origin of the pond? What function did it fulfill? Read on to find out more.

 

Pettis Map 1728, the red arrow showing location of Darwood's Pond.

There's no trace of Darwood's Pond on the 1728 Pettis Map, though two springs existed thereabouts. It's most likely the pond's origin is man made, some time in the late 1700s. The nearest water of any consequence is the River Great Ouse. So there are two possibilities for its creation.

1. It may have been dug to provide water for beasts attending the Monday livestock market. With over 10,000 cattle, sheep, pigs, horses etc, there was certainly a need for more available water than that provided by the river.
2. Alternatively, the pond may have been dug to provide water more locally as the town expanded. Possibly a builder named Darwood erected cottages and dug the pond beside them.

Enclosure Map 1808.

The earliest trace of Darwood's Pond is in the 1808 Enclosure map of St Ives. The map shows the pond blue and inviting. At times it was anything but.

In 1836 Huntingdon Assizes heard the St Ives Pond Case. Henry Manning, a surgeon and apothecary of St Ives, lived in a cottage by Darwood's Pond. Matthew Wasdale, surveyor, bought two cottages by the pond and, over time, built more. The two men fell out over the right to use the pond water.

Henry's advocate called thirty-five St Ivians and others as witnesses. They described Darwood's Pond as being about 80 yards long and deepest at the west end. Residents periodically threw rubbish in the pond. Wasdale himself had two nearby cottages demolished and the debris dumped in the pond. When the pond water became foetid, a cleanout would follow. Two clear water springs fed the pond, one from the west end, another from the middle. Cottages hemmed in the pond to the west. On the north side was a cherry orchard and cock pit.

Livestock and horse owners washed and watered their beasts. The White Hart Inn drew water for brewing beer. Residents took water for domestic use, even for drinking during times of drought. Before 1836 one of the town's sewers ran into the pond. During floods, filth from pigsties and a privy at the cottages emptied into the pond. No wonder there were periodic outbreaks of cholera in St Ives.

Matthew Wasdale's advocate employed a risky strategy. Stating he had "upwards of forty respectable witnesses", he considered it unnecessary to call any of them. He claimed Henry Manning's witnesses had done the job for them and accused them of committing perjury. The strategy backfired and Matthew Wasdale lost the case. It cost him £406 to cover Henry Manning's legal costs, today's equivalent £47,000, plus his own costs.  

In 1854, twenty inhabitants near Darwood's Pond petitioned the St Ives Improvement Board to have the pond cleared up. They claimed the pond was full of "deposits and accumulation therein of offensive matter". The Improvement Commissioners allowed the pond to be cleaned and drains emptying into it diverted, first considering if they should fill in the whole or part of the pond.

Whenever there were severe thunderstorms, rainwater ran from Market Hill, down White Hart Lane into Darwood's Pond. When the river flooded, sewage flowed through the streets of St Ives into the pond. During drought the water level sank dramatically, becoming so dank and muddy even livestock would not drink. So it needed clearing every few years. 

As late as the 1880s the pond water was used to clean the streets of St Ives. In Dr Grove's medical officer's report of 1886 he considered it unhealthy to keep using the water in this way.

Ordnance Survey Map 1900.

The 1900 Ordnance Survey map shows Darwood's Pond and cottages to the west. By then, resident's reliance on the pond water had almost certainly stopped. The cottagers had use of a water pump (shown as "P" on the map).

Many St Ivians have fond memories of Darwood's Pond. Gillian Hesketh sent memories from Western Australia, of catching newts, tadpoles and frogs in a jam jar from the pond when she visited her grandmother, Mrs Brown, who lived in Darwood Place. Although at times it seemed a dark and dreary place, it was also a place of enjoyment in those uncomplicated, happy days. Valerie Hall's nan lived at 5 Darwood Place. She also remembers fishing for newts in the pond.

This was a time of simple pleasures for St Ives children. Nimrod Norman remembers playing football at Warner’s Park using coats as goalposts. Afterwards there would be a visit to Dunningtons for fish and chips in the cafe, or The Dun Horse for a shandy. His brother, Geoff, built him a go kart that had to be pushed by willing volunteers. It was the envy of his mates until a larger kid had a go and it buckled under his weight. They spent other days fishing on The Waits, the Quay or The Holmes. They sold gudgeons to Mr Avery, who lived near The Oliver Cromwell pub down Birt Lane and paid the princely sum of a penny each. He used the gudgeon in eel traps.

Aerial photo 1958, the red arrow showing Darwood's Pond.

The only available photograph of Darwood's Pond is from a 1958 aerial shot. There's no sign of any water. The pond appears to be full of rubble. The cottages to the west are visible.

The District Council had certainly converted the pond into a carpark by 1967. An aerial image from that year clearly shows parked cars. Today, it's unlikely the authorities would have removed the pond if great crested newts were present.

You can still get a distant echo of what the area was like before they demolished the cottages to make way for Darwood Court. Darwood Place, clearly shown as far back as the 1808 Enclosure Map, still exists. It's a hidden lane along the west side of the carpark, running for over 100 yards around the back of Darwood Court.