A little history
It all started 12 years’ ago…
With a steep boggy field on the side of the river Caen near Heddon Mills. The owner, a watersports enthusiast, hired two diggers to build a nature-lake, level the field and put drainage in. It took 8 weeks to shape and many more for the willows to grow and the wildlife to take over.
The lake became a boon for local charity groups, sports teams and youth groups, who are able to use the lake free of charge for paddle-boarding, canoeing and kayaking. An SAS squad also once used the lake for a 24-hour sponsored swim!
In the summer of 2018, the owner’s youngest daughter got engaged. The bride-to-be and her fiancé decided to use the field for their wedding reception and thus began an epic 12 months of planning and manual work to get the field up to scratch (see pictures below…).
From building bridges, digging trenches and wells, clearing half a mile of hedges and a couple of tons of pond weed, shifting rusty boats and burning anything that couldn’t be moved, to wild goose chases, close calls with death, turfing, planting, plumbing and everything inbetween… making Stocklands Lake into the perfect party venue has been a labour of love for the family.
All the hard work paid off with many guests commenting that it is the best wedding setup they’ve ever seen and why not use if for future weddings…. We are looking forward to hosting many more parties in the future and hope that you are able to enjoy the field as much as we have!
