LAND & WATER STARTS RESTORATION WORKS AT LONGLEAT’S HALF MILE POND

Leading wet civil engineering firm, Land & Water, has started restoration works on the Longleat Estate to preserve Half Mile Pond, to the east of Longleat House. A masterpiece of Elizabethan architecture and the home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Bath, Longleat House is one of the most prestigious stately homes in the UK with grounds by the revered Capability Brown.

The works, which are part of a £2million project, will involve 550 metres of engineering to the crest of the historic structure to strengthen the dam, protect against flooding, and ensure it can withhold 110,480 tonnes of water. This amount of water equates to a massive 1,000 years of bath water if you were to have a bath every day.

Half Mile Pond is currently home to the Safari Park’s colony of Californian sea lions and hippopotamus, making its maintenance of significant importance.

Fiona Moore, Divisional Business Manager at Land & Water, said: “This is an incredibly unique project for the Land & Water team to be working on. Never have we found ourselves needing to factor in the welfare of sea lions or hippos during any of our works making it such a special experience.

“Monitoring the movement and the safety of the animals during these works has been of high importance and we have been working collaboratively with the team at Longleat to ensure this.

“Half Mile Pond is one of Capability Brown’s most spectacular legacies which dates back to the 18^th century and we are proud to be following in his footsteps and maintaining his work for years to come.”

From essential maintenance works at the lakes at Blenheim to safeguarding Half Mile Pond at Longleat, Land & Water has skilled expertise in delivering high profile projects to some of the UK’s most historic landscapes.

Please click here for a vide of the works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FqtmBHAT3k