This old pond, with its rustic surroundings, was originally a clay pit. It can be seen on maps as far back as 1870, and is now a really pleasant feature of The Pastures development along Stoke Road.
I found some old maps on a really good website called, funnily enough, Old Maps. It has maps of the area, which are free to view online.
Looking at some of these maps, I could see that the eastern side of Hoo (mainly along Stoke Road) once had clay, gravel and cement pits, a kiln, smithy and a brickworks too. The area around the pond, or ‘pit’ as it is still more commonly known, was surrounded by orchards, as it remained until the new development was started a few years ago. A few residents have told me about the fun had as kids ‘scrumping’ in those orchards!
The ‘pit’ may have lost its industrial use nowadays, but it gives a pleasant glimpse of life as it used to be and is a little gem for wildlife - and long may it remain.
Another little bit of education for me personally, I also discovered that Stoke Road was originally called the High Street, being re-named in about 1959.
Do you know about any other local features on the Hoo Peninsula? Get in touch via the contact page.
