## Kent Ramblers: Walk 18 — Keston Ponds and Padmall Wood

![](https://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/images/banner_018.jpg)

## Points of Interest

### Keston Ponds

![](https://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/images/P018b.jpg)

The three obvious ponds were built as reservoirs to 
						supply water to nearby Holwood House, once the residence 
						of William Pitt, later a seismological research 
						institution and recently converted into up-market 
						apartments.

### Caesar�s Well

![](https://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/images/P018c.gif)

A natural spring, the source of the Ravensbourne 
						River.  So-named because of a myth that Caesar once 
						camped nearby and was short of water for his men.  
						He spotted a raven frequently visiting the site and 
						correctly deduced that there must be a source of water 
						there.  Hence the names of both the spring and the 
						river ('bourne' being a variation of 'burn' meaning 
						'stream').

### Keston Bog

![](https://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/images/P018a.gif)

The point on the map marked with a red-circled L is 
						Keston Bog.  This wetland environment is rare in 
						London and is a site of special scientific interest 
						(SSSI).  It was here that Charles Darwin studied 
						the sundew and discovered that it captures and digests 
						insects to obtain the nitrogen that is so scarce in 
						wetland soils.

### Padmall Wood

The wood is largely sweet chestnut and birch coppice.  
						Wood is harvested by cutting the trees back to ground 
						level every 15 to 20 years.  The trees then 
						regenerate from the stumps and the cycle can be repeated 
						many times.

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