History of Jack’s Lake

Jack’s Lake is the bottom of three lakes that were originally created some time in the 1880s as estate lakes for Squire Charles Jack, who owned Beech Hill House, although it is thought there has been some form of lake since the late seventeenth century. Today, the top two lakes are inaccessible and along with the house, are part of Hadley Wood Golf Club.

From Victorian times until the sixties, Jack’s Lake had been used as a boating lake, then as a day ticket water, but was left to decline and became very overgrown until Hadley Angling and Preservation Society was formed in 1982. The lake was drained and de-silted, the vegetation cut back, the banks made safe and it was then stocked with fish.

Since then many improvements have been made over the years.  The most recent work first began at the lake in March 13 and was completed in May 2014 with pathways re-laid and the back-filling of many platforms/swims both on the ‘main’ lake and in the Members’ End.

The successful maintenance extended to the following areas of Jack’s Lake:

• One hundred and ten tonnes of Type 1 MOT laid over 500 metres of the surrounding lake pathways.
• Drainage pipes and ‘soak away’ sumps installed at various points around the lake.
• An accessible ‘trail’ has been created leading from the small concrete bridge over the small stream to the dam wall behind the disabled swims. There  is now easier access for all trolleys and disabled anglers and the ‘trail’ is very much in-keeping with the existing character and natural surroundings of the common and the lake.
• The concrete bridge over the small stream has been made much wider to cater for the disabled, ramblers and anglers alike.
• Ninety five percent of the wooden platforms/swims have been replaced with steel platforms and (green) plastic infill, which are expected to last much longer than the previously used wooden scaffold boards and railway sleepers. The new steel structure platforms are now also in place on the dam wall and in the Members’ End making the fishery a 45 peg venue.
• New Security Fencing has been erected from the Members’ End gate stretching all the way to the ‘pool’.
• Floating islands have been re-planting in readiness for the Season.