Monument record MDR13513 - Former duck ponds, Mill Meadow, Kedleston Park

A series of parallel earth banks, each c. 45 metres in length, and defining several rectangular enclosures. The most easterly of these enclosures is visible as a slight depression c. 16 metres wide, which floods in winter and supports a luxuriant growth of water cress or similar water-loving plants. To the west is a level terrace between 22 and 25 metres in width, with a 5 metre wide bank at the western edge. Another depression further to the west may mark the site of a second pond, and both are connected by narrow ditches aligned at right angles to the banks. The point of entry for water flowing in to the ponds is uncertain, but with a slight slope from the northwest to the southeast, it is likely that water was draining from the northeast corner, where an opening can be seen in plan. The ponds are though to have been excavated in the 1920s to attract ducks for shooting. (1)