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Conservation of an 18th-century lake

Conservation of an 18th-century lake

Photograph of the lake, looking towards the Turkish Tent at Painshill Park, by Fred Holmes, November 2005. Copyright Fred Holmes.Photograph of the lake, looking towards the Turkish Tent at Painshill Park, by Fred Holmes, November 2005. Copyright Fred Holmes.

Feature

The Lake

Site

Painshill Park, Surrey

Issue

The lake had become silted up, after four decades of neglect.

Background

The 14-acre serpentine lake was originally around half its present size. Charles Hamilton extended it in 1773 to flood the land at the foot of the vineyard and the Ruined Abbey.

Solution

The lake was dredged in 1986, removing some 40 years' worth of silt and debris. Its banks were also strengthened with timber edging to reduce the amount of soil slipping into the water.