Topics > Tees Valley > Middlesbrough > Acklam > Medieval Fishpond east of Acklam Park
Medieval Fishpond east of Acklam Park
Scheduled Monument areas - based on Historic England data (Open Government Licence).
On the east side of Mill Hill Field in Acklam, Middlesbrough, is a line of trees and ditch which is the site of former fish ponds. They were part of the Medieval Manor of Acklam. They were previously known locally as 'long ponds'. Now dry, the site, including the remains of the fish ponds are a Schedulled Monument (legally protected).
Scheduled Monument (#1018944): Fishpond 550m east of Acklam Park
Click the headings below to expand (selected extracts from the Historic England scheduling)
The tradition of constructing and using fishponds in England began during the medieval period and peaked in the 12th century. They were largely built by the wealthy sectors of society with monastic institutions and royal residences often having large and complex fishponds. The difficulties of obtaining fresh meat in the winter and the value placed on fish as a food source and for status may have been factors which favoured the development of fishponds and which made them so valuable.
Despite the fact it is now dry, the fishpond east of Acklam Park is reasonably well preserved and retains evidence relating to the economy of the medieval manor. Its association with the buried remains of further manorial features immediately to the south enhances the importance of the monument. The fishpond also forms part of a major recreational amenity within the residential area of Acklam.
The monument includes the remains of a fishpond of medieval date situated to the north west of the core of the medieval manor of Acklam. The manor was mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086. In addition to the fishpond, it is known to have comprised a village, a moated site and a church. On the tithe map of 1849 the area containing the fishpond is called 'long ponds.' The fishpond is visible as a linear ditch 270m long and a maximum of 18m wide; the profile of the ditch is U-shaped and is a maximum of 1.5m below the level of the ground. Given its extended length, the ditch is interpreted as a series of at least two ponds, although this cannot be recognized through dense vegetation and tree growth. The lamp posts situated along the eastern edge of the monument are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
