Artwork is unveiled at historic South Downs pond

A beautiful town pond has been given a new lease of life thanks to new education boards.

Colourful interpretation panels have been installed at South Pond in Midhurst

The panels, designed by Emily Summers-Milesman, a talented artist and Interpretation and Place Officer for the National Park, feature visual illustrations that represent the various wildlife, plants and trees that live in and around the pond.

The project, led by South Pond volunteer group, was the culmination of several year’ work and searches for funding.

Chichester District Council funded the project, while the National Park Authority financed and produced the artwork.

Anne Reehill, Secretary of South Pond Group, said: “We hope these beautiful interpretation boards help people better understand how special South Pond is and how we can all care for it.”

South Pond has an interesting history. It’s fed by two streams which were once the boundaries of Saxon settlements. The streams join together and form the division between the oldest part of Midhurst and West Lavington.

The South Pond was formed when one of the medieval lords of Midhurst dammed the streams to make a breeding pool for fish. It is thought that the dam was erected in the mid-1100s.

Just to the west of the Pond, South Mill was in existence by 1284, used to grind corn powered by the pent-up waters of the Pond. In 1634 it was converted to a fulling mill: a cloth formed by shrinking woven cloth to produce a denser more hard-wearing fabric. The mill is now a private house but its pool can be seen from the road.