About

A Brief History of Martinwells Lake

(formerly known as the Brick Pond, Edlington)

The Brick Pond as we know it today was the last of three clay pits; the other two opened in the early 1900’s with the bricks  produced being used for the construction of Yorkshire Main Colliery and local housing.  These two clay pits  were worked out in the early 1950’s.  Along with Yorkshire Main Colliery, now closed, the Brick Yard provided much needed employment for local people.

On the site of the current Brick Pond, the clay was dug out and used to make clay bricks.  The site was closed for a brief  period of  four to five years and re-opened by the Hepworth Iron Co. to make land drainage pipes.  Production ceased in 1970 and the site was then  left derelict for several years.

When the Brickyard closed the clay pit was left with a small pond approximately 3 foot deep, 18 feet wide and 20 feet long which had been a  drainage sump for the brickworks.  To keep the clay pit workable and prevent flooding, water was pumped out of the pond and carried to the natural stream which runs through the site.

If the water level were to be dropped in the pond, part of a small pump house would still be visible; this being approximately 3 metres square and a remnant of the old brickyard site.

When production ceased at the brickyard site, the pond was left to naturally fill up from a number of natural springs that run into it.

Some time during the 1980’s, the site was landscaped to include pathways around the pond which had become considerably larger and of course deeper over the years.  Boardwalks were installed at either side of the pond and steps created out of railways sleepers on the embankments to allow easy access from a nearby  housing estate.  Trees and shrubs were planted by local school-children.   A concrete sluice was also put in place in the nearby stream  to ensure correct levels of water were maintained in the pond, which had become used by a local fishing club.  Metal gates were installed at various points of access to the site but over the years, they have been vandalised and are now in a poor state of repair.

A pathway was created to link with the nearby Recreation Ground off Auburn Road: a site which has been successfully and beautifully developed in the past few years to provide a children’s play area as well as a site for off-road biking for the local community.

Paths created around the site also provide a link to Conisborough and includes two small bridges over the existing stream.

Edlington Town Council took on the lease for the site many years ago which  has been in constant use by the local fishing club and is still in use today.  The Town Council released the lease in late 2008 and the site is now  in the  care of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

However during the period of time it was in the hands of the Town Council there was no  management of the area and it became overgrown and neglected.

The pond is well stocked with carp, tench, bream, perch, roach, pike and chubb along with usual pond life: newts, frogs and toads etc.  Ducks, coots and water hens all live on the pond which is visited each year by swans to raise their young.  A family of geese has taken up residence there this year to raise their family.  Great crested grebe are breeding on the pond and have been for several years.

Squirrels, rabbits and other wildlife all enjoy the site.  Kingfishers have been sighted there along with skylarks and herons.  The site boasts a healthy wild bird population. Pheasant and partridge can also be found . Deer tracks have also  been noticed  around the site.

Away from the pond itself can be found cowslips growing in abundance along with a good variety of other wild flowers and, indeed, a colony of common orchids and bee orchids has been growing in size over the years, which although not rare, they do add to the general interest and beauty of the site.

The site was notified in 1989 as a Site of Special Interest and Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the geological features from the Upper Permian which are 8 metres thick at the brickpit site.

Over the years, the shrubs and pathways have become overgrown  and are desperately in need  of some attention.  The pathways have become narrower due to this and do not get used for this reason.  A group of pupils from the nearby Sir Thomas Warton School, under the supervision of the Countryside Ranger, have been undertaking some clearance work on the pathways recently and this is already making parts of the site useable again.  The site is visited by pupils from the local primary schools to give them an insight into environmental issues and wildlife  etc.

However, due to the fact that vehicles were able to gain access easily to the site, it has been used for fly-tipping at the sides of the paths and the pond and other places in the vicinity and this in turn makes the whole site look neglected and unwanted.  Removal of the fly-tipped rubbish is an on-going task by the FLAG team and local residents. Progress is being made to improve site access and a padlocked gate has been installed  by DMBC at the entrance to the site off the former Dixon Road and this is helping to  resolve the fly-tipping problem and other issues around mis-use by vehicles.

In an attempt to sort out the many problems with the site, a group of like-minded people got together consisting of local fishermen, allotment holders and members of the wider community.

The group felt that a name change would be good and the name chosen is “ The Martinwells Lake” linked in to the newly opened Martinwells Centre and the name of the group is “Friends of Martinwells Lake”.  This group meets monthly to discuss the site and to try and resolve some of the issues.

The site is considered by the community to be a lovely open space to enjoy the open countryside leading off from the site even though it is only yards from well populated housing estates.  But, due to vandalism over the years and the fly-tipping issues, the site is not used as much as it could or should be .

However, for the past year, there have been monthly site clearance days when the ‘Friends of Martinwells Lake’ have turned out in all weathers to litter-pick, clear rubbish and also prune back some of the trees and the undergrowth.

The largest of the sets of steps have been cleared of the weeds and the wood chippings from some of the trees that have been cleared have been put on the steps and this makes them very comfortable for walking on and also improves the look of them.

New steel grids have now been bolted and welded on to one of the boardwalks and this has made the boardwalk useable again.

These site clearance days have been very successful and the first of the new benches was recently installed.  Due to the progress made by the group on these days, the site is becoming used again and local residents have commented on the difference that has been made.

Not far from the Brickyard site, within walking distance, the route of the old railway line has been developed and now forms part of the National Cycle Way.  Landscaping of the said route has added to the beauty of the area and can be used by cyclists and walkers alike for long and peaceful walks through pleasant countryside.

Close to  the entrance to the site off the former Dixon Road and Thompson Avenue, there are plans to build approximately 151 dwellings in a range of house types to provide affordable housing for the local community.  Once the building work is complete,  it can only add to the general improvement of the local area to be enjoyed by all.

The group of like minded people (all volunteers) are seeking help to obtain enough funding either monetory or in kind to allow us to carry on with the good work that has started  on this project  and to achieve our goal. We are more than aware that this is not something that will happen overnight but to be able to do a little and often will hopefully lift the confidence of the local community and encourage them to participate in the regeneration of their potential beauty spot.

As a group we would be pleased for any help you can offer us and we would invite you to come and view the area that we speak about and you will realise why we are so passionate about making it an area that in time many people of all ages will travel to visit.

The Friends of Martinwells Lake