Until the Second World War there used to be a small track with a trolley that removed silt from the lake to fertilise the soil in the deer park. When this stopped being used the lake become completely overgrown.
In 2002, Anthony Fortescue began the project of bringing the lake back to life. With a group of people who owned steam engines, two were placed each side of the lake and a huge metal bucket was used to start removing the build up of plants and soil.
The project took about six months to complete, and the lake is now a haven of wildlife – look out for the common blue damselfly, tadpoles and frogs, swans, canada geese, a variety of duck species and a king fisher can occasionally be seen darting along the banks. You may also spot a heron and a cormorant sitting high up in the weeping beech on the island.
Paddle or swim in the lake, or sit on the jetty in the sunshine surrounded by wildlife.
