About 30 years ago it was the fate of the Editor to visit this mansion of his ancestors… At the further end of this small wood was a spot (of about ten acres) which appeared to have been a morass, and through which ran a rivulet: this spot Col. Hutchinson had dug into a great number of canals, and planted the ground between them, leaving room for walks, so that the whole formed a wilderness or bower, reservoirs for fish, and a decoy for wildfowl. (1)
A nearby wood had a great number of canals dug in it by Col Hutchinson with walks, to form fishponds and a decoy. (2)
A wild fowl decoy in a timbered marsh to the E (of Owthorpe Hall). (3)
Fishpond Wood and Fishpond Cottages. (4)
The "wild fowl decoy" (is clearly identifiable) in Fishpond Wood. A complexity of mounds and ditches is visible throughout the wood, but the density of trees and undergrowth prevented survey. (5)
Fishpond Wood has now been cleared of trees and undergrowth. (6)
The ditches within Fishpond Wood are drainage and the mounds are upcast; the decoy is no longer evident. The wood is once again forested. (7)
Julius Hutchinson assumes that the features he has seen are the work of Col Hutchinson…but he would have been visiting the estate over a hundred years after the death of the Colonel… It has also been suggested that the features could be earlier (cf Attenborough fishponds), later landscape design features or related to the construction of the Grantham Canal although the latter is unlikely. (8) (See report of further details)
See M884 for site of house, M845 for further ponds.

<1> Hutchinson J (ed.), 1806, Lucy Hutchinson: Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson, pp 331-3 footnote i (Monograph). SNT1478.

<2> Firth JB, 1916, Highways and Byways of Notts, pp 84- (Published document). SNT689.

<3> Thoroton Society, 1931, TTS, p 38 (Published document). SNT351.

<4> OS, 1920, 1:2500, County Series 1920 (Map). SNT1029.

<5> Harper FR, 1960, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT746.

<6> OS, Air photos (Aerial photograph). SNT983.

Other Refs: 68/028/084-5

<7> Colquhoun FD, 1974, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT582.

<8> Newsome SE, 2000, Fish pond features, Owthorpe (Unpublished document). SNT1480.