CharlesdeGaulle
Member
- Messages
- 3
- Location
- Living in Surrey, house in Somerset
This is my first post, but I've very much enjoyed and appreciated reading the information on the site, so thank you.
And now to my question:
We've just bought a converted Mill, which has the stream running through the garden and then, as a result of more recent works, going underground and away. My question relates to the wider, shallower area nearer the building which was possibly once a mill pond. It's now boggy but largely above stream level, and is covered with grass and other shrubs and plants. I guess that it will flood periodically, although not for extended periods. In due course, I'd like to either turn it back into a pond - which is probably tricky in view of the fact that I don't have sluice gates to control the flow - or, most probably, to plant it as a sort of aquatic garden.
On the basis that I have to let the property out for at least 3 years, so will do nothing whilst tenants are in there, and that you will understand my reluctance to mess with a system that seems to have worked OK for more than 300 years, I want to approach with a degree of caution. Are there any definite dos or don'ts, and am I likely to need to consult anyone (the property is Grade 2 listed)?
It's a way-off from being a definite project, but I'd be grateful for any general steers or any useful contacts that might help inform the planning in my mind. I'd also be grateful to hear from anyone that's doing stuff with an old mill - I will probably need all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance.
And now to my question:
We've just bought a converted Mill, which has the stream running through the garden and then, as a result of more recent works, going underground and away. My question relates to the wider, shallower area nearer the building which was possibly once a mill pond. It's now boggy but largely above stream level, and is covered with grass and other shrubs and plants. I guess that it will flood periodically, although not for extended periods. In due course, I'd like to either turn it back into a pond - which is probably tricky in view of the fact that I don't have sluice gates to control the flow - or, most probably, to plant it as a sort of aquatic garden.
On the basis that I have to let the property out for at least 3 years, so will do nothing whilst tenants are in there, and that you will understand my reluctance to mess with a system that seems to have worked OK for more than 300 years, I want to approach with a degree of caution. Are there any definite dos or don'ts, and am I likely to need to consult anyone (the property is Grade 2 listed)?
It's a way-off from being a definite project, but I'd be grateful for any general steers or any useful contacts that might help inform the planning in my mind. I'd also be grateful to hear from anyone that's doing stuff with an old mill - I will probably need all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance.
