The earthwork and below ground remains of a series of fishponds situated 90 metres to the south east of St Mary's Church, in a field bounded to the east by the Erewash Stream. The fishponds are a series of six linear compartments which form a nucleated set. The ponds have not been excavated but they are thought to date to the aerly 13th century when the fishing rights of Attenborough are documented as belonging to Felley and Lenton Priories. Ireton Lodge, which lies 100 metres north west of the ponds and adjacent to the church, is believed to be on the site of a monastic lodge. It is thought that the ponds were constructed and managed by the inhabitants of the lodge. Scheduled. (5)

Six fishponds … all drain into the Erewash stream. An aerial photograph shows the course of an old waterway which seems to have been the leat. (1)

The above source quotes the documentary references (2) to fisheries at Chilwell, but it is not certain that they refer to these ponds. They could be Medieval, or associated with nearby Ireton House (of C16). (3)

Elements of the medieval fishpond complex within the SAM were encountered during a watching brief comprising the eastern most fishpond and a small portion of the leat used to circulate fresh water into the ponds. This pond is now a modern field boundary and the infill may relate to later activity rather than the medieval fish pond itself. Although included in the National Monument description of the fish ponds in the absence of any detailed excavation of the site (which has not taken place) the existence of the sixth fish pond remains speculative. That part of the boundary observed during the groundworks is likely to be an extension of the possible fish pond and may date to no earlier than the enclosure of the area in the 19th century. (4)

See M10030 for Ireton House, M885 for ponds at Owthorpe, which are similar in plan.

<1> Howard M, 1997, Nottinghamshire Historian, pp 6-11 (Published document). SNT1587.

<2> Throsby J, 1790, Thoroton's History of Notts Vol 2, pp 180-181 (Published document). SNT1346.

<3> Baddeley V, 2002, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT1520.

<4> Laurence Platt, 2013, Attenborough Fish Ponds: Report of an Archaeological Watching Brief in Advance of New Flood Defences (Unpublished document). SNT6026.

<5> Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.