Origins

Ladywell Lake is a traditional English estate lake, a feature of the grounds and gardens of Hallingbury Place which was the site of a Tudor mansion owned by the Parker family who had connections with Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth I stayed there in 1561 and again in 1576.

The estate was sold to the Houblon family in 1729. They were merchant princes in the City of London, with one of the forebears, Sir John Houblon, being the founding Governor of the Bank of England from 1694 To 1697. The family were looking for a country estate for the heir Jacob Houblon III, then an undergraduate at Cambridge University. The estate included the adjacent Hatfield Forest.

Lady Alice Archer Houblon, in her account of the family history published in 1907, mentions that Capability Brown was engaged by Jacob Houblon in the late 1750s and again in the 1770s when the lake was planned and probably constructed.

The estate was broken up into farmland and other usage in the early 20th century, though remains of the original Tudor building were reused in several buildings in Great Hallingbury.

Recent history

The Lake and surrounding land was acquired by the current owner in 2016. It has been closed since then whilst extensive and expensive work has taken place to restore this historic venue with its intended parkland landscape and reclaim it from the overgrown and neglected fishery it had become. Visitors to the site prior to 2016 would struggle to recognise the lake now.

Enclosed by a top quality otter fence the site is secure and accessible. The construction of two stock ponds on adjacent land were a vital part in managing and changing the lake's carp population for the better. The lake has been made into a haven for carp and carp anglers.