Monument record MDR12316 - Possible moated site, Locko, Stanley

Aerial photographs taken in c. 1988 revealed a fairly extensive moated enclosure lying at the northern extremity of the present ornamental pond complex to the north of Locko Hall. When this feature was later examined on the ground it was found to take the form of a very shallow indenture measuring approximately 125 x 36 yards and merging into the present watercourse at its southern extremity. The parish boundary followed the western edge of the moat, thus placing the enclosure in Stanley rather than Spondon. Inside the moat there was no visible evidence of building, but a preliminary survey with dowsing rods indicated a substantial series of features approximately 25 feet wide and 100 feet long at the longest point. This moated area may be made associated with the Preceptory of the Knights of St Lazarus at Locko, making it a more complex and substantial site than had at first been envisaged. (1)