Decoy pond and associated overnight shelter on Decoy Heath

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Decoy Pond and associated overnight shelter on Decoy Heath is an ancient monument comprising the remains of a duck decoy and its associated keeper's shelter, located in Dorset. The site dates to the post-medieval period, when such decoys were established as a means of capturing wildfowl for food and profit, a practice that became widespread across England from the seventeenth century onwards. The pond itself retains evidence of its original construction, whilst the shelter represents the functional architecture necessary for the decoy keeper to operate and maintain the system. These monuments together illustrate the landscape management and exploitation of natural resources characteristic of early modern rural enterprise.

Decoy pond and associated overnight shelter on Decoy Heath is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1016916. View the official record →

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