Park Ponds
School Ponds
Willesden Reservoir
In the days when the landscape was still rural, a pond would have been found near farmsteads in every meadow, with additional ponds often in the corners, where grazing animals from two or three fields could get access. Once the land was built up, the ponds became redundant, and were filled in. Some old ponds have survived, and became little oases of wetland wildlife for people to enjoy, along with recently created ponds dug alongside the Brent Reservoir, Quainton Street Open Space and several parks, some of which are now in need of attention.
| Gladstone Park is now Willesden's largest formal park. Its attractive feature is a sinuous pond, created at the top of the hill, the highest point of the park. This spot must have been chosen so that it could be easily seen from the house. Apart from rain, mains water is used to keep the pond topped up. |
 The pond at Gladstone Park, featuring a sculpture of a bathing lady in the middle |
The water accumulates leaves each autumn from the overhanging weeping and crack-willows, horse-chestnut, ash and other trees. A fine vista over the park extending from Harrow-on-the-Hill to central London can be enjoyed from here.
 The pond at Roundwood Park |
Roundwood Park has a small ornamental pond with abundant vegetation, beuatifully landscaped. It used to have a larger pond, rather overgrown. Some work has been carried out to improve it, but in summer of 2000 it was filled in following compaints from a local resident. |
Fryent County Park contains 12 old field ponds, and 15 ponds which have been created more recently. They are most attractive and enhance the rural landscape.
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At the top of Barn Hill there is a Fishpond. It is a feature created by the landscape architect Humphrey Repton in about 1793, who shaped the area, creating the belt of large trees on the perimeter of Barn Hill, for the then landowner, Richard Page, who also owned Wembley Park (in which the Stadium is now situated). As well as being a striking visual feature, the Fishpond is a good place to study wetland flora and a breeding ground for birds and reptiles (see the wild life page). |
 Fishpond at Barn Hill |
Many schools have thriving ponds. Examples are at Barham Primary School, Byron Court Primary School and Donnington Primary School.
 The pond at Donnington Primary School, Uffington Road, Willesden Green |
A small pond existed close to Donnington Road, on the north side of the grounds, but had not been developed. In 1996 the decision was made to bring the area around the pond to life. The children were asked what they would like to see in this area and this formed the basis of what was subsequently done. |
Brent Parks Service provided advice to locate the wild flowers suggested by the children. Parental help was called upon to assist in the manual labour. Children were given propagators and seeds, and planted bulbs, cuttings and plants. The aim is for the garden to be as organic as possible, and a recycling and composting site has been created. Other features include a herb garden close to the pond, and just outside the fencing are two vegetable patches. The enthusiastic parents' association 'Friends of Donnington' help to maintain the garden, and children visit it for science lessons. Rubbish thrown over the fence from the road presents a major problem, so the pond is kept covered by wire mesh, except when the garden is in use.
Willesden Reservoir celebrated its centenary in 1999. This covered reservoir holds 2.5 million gallons, and appears from Harlesden Road and Donnington Road as a grassy hill, rising up to a flat top. There is no public access. The bulk of the area consists of grassland which is regularly cut. The Willesden Reservoir is owned and managed by Thames Water.
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