Picture by Graham Laughton

The earliest reference to Wellow Dam in documents is in the reckoning of "Landes and cottages within the Lordship of Welley in the County of Nottingham, belonging to the Honorable Sir George Savile, Barron, taken in the latter ends of August in the year of our Lord 1657", and the earliest map showing the dam is dated 1738.

It is, however, widely believed to be much older, and to have gone back much closer to the origins of Wellow itself, around 1145AD, and a variety of theories exist on its purpose. Although these theories must largely be conjecture, they are examined here,so that the reader may form his or her own judgements.

The Dam is man - made, and would therefore have been dug out with one or more specific purposes in mind - we don't know whether the original excavation was the same size as now, or whether it was made bigger over time. But it certainly was not made for fun, and would have taken a considerable amount of hard work to complete.

Legend has it that the Dam was made by the monks of Rufford as a fish pond; given that it is a long way from the Abbey, and that they already had plenty of scope for fish stocks there , this doesn't seem too likely - particularly when you consider that the stocked pond would be much closer to the fishermen of Wellow than the monks! But remembering that the village grew up from the ex - settlers of Rufford and Cratley, it is not impossible that the men of Wellow made it with fish in mind (although that might not have been the prime purpose).

It might have been excavated for the clay; given that the early dwellings in the village would have been made of mud and clay, there would have been a ready source there for the early houses, or, later, to be used to make bricks. The amount of clay coming from the Dams' present size would have been far too much, though, for the original size of the village.

But to state the obvious,whoever begun the first excavation, did so deliberately in the path of a stream, in the knowledge that the hole they made would fill with water. If the only purpose had been to get at the clay, presumably the hole could have been dug somewhere a little drier!. So the theory that the purpose was for a water supply for the settlers is also valid.

More likely, perhaps, that there was a dual need, for water, and for clay, and that this spot met both; perhaps with the later addition of a supply of fresh fish. It is likely, too, that the original dam was much smaller, and was expanded over time.

This still does not help us with a date, and despite best efforts, none has been forthcoming. So somewhere between 1145AD and 1657AD is the answer - and this is, admittedly, a very wide window of probability.

Looking at Wellow through the ages, there are times when it is possible to see a very distinct advantage in having that water source, outside the village, and independent of the (plentiful) water supply within it. It would be particularly beneficial to be able to water stock there, not only locally-owned livestock, but also the travelling animals on the way to market, and passing through Wellow because of the village's position on an important main road. Perhaps the livestock stayed overnight, whilst their keepers sampled the delights of Wellow's numerous pubs, and brought trade to the village.

So although the origins are still a mystery, we can be sure that over the centuries, the dam has provided practical benefits, but also fun and recreation. We know this for the 20th century - why should it not be so in earlier times? Children, despite hard times, would hopefully have had some time to play.

Records show that in 1928, the then Lord of the Manor gave his permission for the dam to be let out to a fishing club, and he waived his rights to the income from this, on condition that Toftholders used the fees to maintain the banks and the greens. But he stipulated that this should not interfere with the rights of local children to enjoy the water. And it is clear from the memories we publish in this booklet, that they certainly did that! The fact that so many memories revolve around skating on the dam brings home how much more severe the winters must have been then - the water is hardly ever frozen these days, and then not thickly enough to make the ice safe.

And what an evocative memory of the plough horses, after a hard days' work in the fields, having their legs washed and splashing around in the cool water.

So the Wellow Dam is just as much a piece of history as any fine building or statue - and much more useful; we should be glad we have it.

From about 50 years ago, from Margaret Lees;

"I remember when the dam was really thickly frozen over, and most of us children would head down to play games on the ice, slide, and pretend to skate. I can't remember any of us having proper ice skates. My dog, Rover, always came with me, but after trying to join me on the slippery ice, used to sit patiently at the side waiting for me. Sledges were taken onto the dam, but when this became a bit dodgy, Beech Hill was quite a good sledging venue, but you were so quickly down, and seemed to spend more time running back up to the top.

Gypsies always came to the bottom green, making a camp site near the dam. They had very colourful Caravans, drawn by horses, and the interiors and cooking utensils always seemed to shine. The horses were also well looked after. The Gypsy women used to come around the Village selling clothes pegs, lace, etc., and it was known that if you did not buy anything from them, they would issue curses, a little frightening sometimes.

At this time one or two farmers still took their animals onto the green to graze under their Toftholders rights. Mr Fred Dickinson had his cows on the green, and Albert Riley, who lived at the shop on the Green used to look after them (known as tenting) when he came home from school. I suppose they would perhaps drink from the dam.

Another thing about the dam that I heard from some of my older relations, was how proud cricketers were if they had knocked a ball into the dam. My Uncle Edwin played for Eakring, and was so proud when playing against Wellow, of knocking the ball into the Dam. My Uncle Tom was proud of doing the same thing. I know of quite a few more people did this some years later, one being John Hunt, son of Ray Hunt, and Stuart Morris, son of Ted Morris.

I have been told stories about the Ducking Stone at the Dam, which was for punishing wrongdoers, primarily, it is told, for ducking gossips. Also on the Maypole Green there were Village stocks which were used to deal with wrongdoers.

A lot of children fished in the Dam and had a good time, but with all the farm animals to help with, and all the games we played up in the village, I did not go fishing."

Barbara Barratt (nee Portsmouth) recalls that when she was a child, and the Dam froze over, skating was only allowed after the village "bobby" had taken his motor bike on to the ice to make sure that it was safe!

From Bill Ragsdale;

The Council levelled off that stretch back to the highway, and did away with the Bucket Well which used to exist; this was a very strong stone construction built on the side of a hill, with stone pillars and a large slab of stone on the top. The well was made so that a bucket could be dipped and filled with the beautiful clear spring water, and taken away for use; this was before piped water was in the village. Another well lay at the side of the dyke opposite Audrey Laughtons'. The supply of fresh spring water comes into the dam by the roadside, and it can be seen to be running at all times. As children we were told to keep away from that area, as there was a certain amount of water that did not freeze, no matter how hard the winter frosts. As I say, we spent many happy hours down there as kids, and when I learned how to skate, we could play ice - hockey with stones and sticks. We also had some excellent skaters in the village at that time; the water is never stagnant, as the outflow runs into the dyke on the east side, where the big stone is.

In the summer time before so much road traffic, cattle grazing on the green had a ready-made drinking supply, and also when land work made the heavy clay stick to the horses' legs, we used to take them down for a good splash around.

One old demented lady in my youth committeed suicide in the placid waters.

I have always maintained that at some time the Dam area has been excavated to exist on its' present scale. If anyone looks at the large mound to the south- east at the side of the track, it seems to me that one could reasonably imagine that the quantity of soil in that large bank would be the equivalent of the amount which at some time was dug out to provide a constant water supply to the early settlers. The amount of soil to me seems to be about the amount which would be the result of an excavation.

Follow this link for an audio interview with Bill Ragsdale

Nowadays the Dam is well - stocked with fish, and a committee do the preservation work."

From Dennis Crooks;

"It is common knowledge how Common Land came into being, but there are no written records stating how the Dam was created.

It is my true belief that an area of ground on common land was used to provide clay for the purpose of making bricks at the local brick yard that was situated on Rufford Road at that time. The top soil was placed at the far side of the ditch and the area is now called Beech Hill. The crater that was created was used to provide a drinking area and a place for animals to cool in the summer heat whilst grazing on common land. This area has obtained the name of Wellow Dam, is fed from a spring, and discharges into the natural ditch.

Now that it is not required for the purpose of watering animals, it is being used to provide many hours of pleasure for people fishing, and also encourages young people to participate; in doing so it prevents them from getting bored and creating damage and untidiness to the village structure.

In addition to the pleasure it provides, it is also providing a regular income which helps to maintain the common land; this includes the triangular green around the maypole, which originates from the early days of settlement. The appearance of this green gives passing visitors a true reflection of the people that live in Wellow.

Should you obtain any document that records the true reason how the Dam came into being, I would be pleased to know."

Follow this link for an vidio interview with Dennis Crookes

Contact:Thoresby Angling club

The Wellow Toftholders and Owners Association look after the routine maintenance of Wellow Dam, with the cooperation and help of the Thoresby Colliery Angling Club, who have been fishing the waters since 1977; the fishing club take care of the restocking, and the repair of the fishing platforms, as well as other tasks around the bank. The rental they pay helps towards the overall routine maintenance of the common land.

In 2000, a problem was identified - of erosion on a section of dam bank - which was beyond the limited resources of the Toftholders; it needed an expensive repair, preferably by traditional methods, in keeping with the history of the dam.

Enquiries led the Toftholders to the — Local Heritage Initiative, a national grant scheme helping local groups to investigate, explain, and care for their landscape, traditions, and culture. LHI was developed by the Countryside Agency, and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Nationwide Building Society.

With the help of a grant from LHI, who provided 92% of the cash cost, and with the input of volunteer labour from Toftholders and fishing club members, plus donated materials (all this amounting to around 35% value to the total cost of the project), the work was completed in August 2001. The bank was repaired - the task fell to a Somerset company called Willowbank, who were well - known for their skills in the repair of river and pond banks, and who use traditional willow-weaving methods;the fishing club backfilled the repair as necessary. A general tidying of the immediately surrounding area, refurbishment of signage, and improvement to roadways was also incorporated in the plan, and a booklet with information both about the dam and its place in the history of the village, was delivered free to each home in Wellow as part of the Toftholders, contribution to their part of the project. Finally the Toftholders, in consultation with the fishing club, formulated a ten - year plan to ensure that the care of this valuable part of the history of Wellow continues. The project was completed on time.

In 2006 a further problem with an adjacent stretch of the dam bank was identified and it was decided once more to retain Willowbank for the professional work needed. Toftholders' funding partner on this occasion was Sherwood Forest Trust (SFT), a partnership of organisations formed in 1995 who share the common goal of restoring the heritage of Sherwood Forest. SFT is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The grant fromSherwood Forest Trust paid for the whole professional repair, and Thoresby Colliery Angling Club arranged for the back-filling, with clay donated by a Toftholder. Their work contributed to the Toftholders' required half-share of project costs (because the grant was under 'matched funding' provisions, Toftholders needed to contribute an equivalent sum either in money, time or materials to the SFT grant). With the enthusiastic support of SFT, it was agreed that Toftholders would produce another booklet about Wellow and its heritage, and, as before, deliver a copy free of charge to each household in Wellow. The final part of the Toftholders, input was the update of the village website to include the 2006 project. All the above action has now been completed on schedule.

	During 2007 Toftholders were advised by Thoresby Colliery Angling Club (TCAC) of the difficulties being experienced by some anglers with disabilities. The two existing disabled fishing platforms were on the opposite side of the Dam to the entrance, and a barrier – erected because of vandalism and litter dumping – had created additional problems. It was agreed that this situation must be addressed. After some discussion it was decided, subject to funding being available, the TCAC would carry out the work of converting two conveniently situated platforms to make them suitable for wheelchair use; additionally the footpath around the dam, historically uneven and muddy, would be widened, levelled and surfaced with a suitable non-permanent material. New and appropriate signage would complete the project.
Toftholders agreed to seek funding, do all the relevant paperwork, and monitor progress; an approach was, therefore, made to ‘Awards for All’ the Big Lottery Fund, and in August 2007 we were notified that we had been awarded a grant of £2690.00 to carry out the work. This was the whole sum estimated to be required for materials and machine hire. The Fishing Club and Toftholders, for their part, agreed to carry out the work stipulated to the Dam, to complete reports as required, and to make a record of the project on the village website.
	At the time of writing (March 2008), the new platforms are in place and the path finished. Because the cost of materials and machine hire exceeded the estimate the new signage is not yet completed, and more fund-raising may be required. This does not, however prevent anglers with disabilities from enjoying the new, easier, access to fishing platforms, nor does it detract from the ability of people with pushchairs or with difficulty walking from circumnavigating the dam in a way which has not been possible before; both this website and the Fishing Club have received very positive feedback about the changes from wheelchair users. We are very grateful to Awards for All for their prompt response to our request for help, and hope that more people can now enjoy the environment of Wellow dam, whether they are angling or walking.