The three ponds on Clapham Common, and which is which

Clapham Common has three ponds, and each does a different job. Eagle Pond is the smallest, Mount Pond is the one anglers prefer, and Long Pond is where the model yachts sail. Fishing is allowed on the first two, not on Long Pond.

Which is which

• Eagle Pond: the smallest of the three, on the Lambeth side of the common. It sits a stone’s throw from the traffic and from diners at The Rookery, according to Clapham Nub News.
• Mount Pond: in the Wandsworth part of the common, with an island in it and woodland to the north.
• Long Pond: on the corner between Clapham Common South Side and Rookery Road, and the home of model boating.

GiGL, the capital’s environmental records body, describes the three ponds as used for a mixture of fishing, model boating and wildlife conservation. That is a fair summary of the split.

Eagle Pond

Eagle Pond was extensively refurbished in 2005. It was drained, landscaped and replanted to give the fish a better habitat. GiGL says it now has areas of reeds and other plants at its edges, which provide important wildlife areas alongside the fishing.

Beside the pond, the Friends of Clapham Common and Wild Clapham have been building a wetland with reedbeds and species-rich grassland, funded through the Mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund 2023. It was planned for a neglected hollow by the pond and to connect to Eagle Pond’s mains water supply so it stays full in dry spells. South London News describes the wetland and meadow as established beside Eagle Pond.

Ducklings on Eagle Pond have made the local news before: Clapham Nub News reported on seven of them a few years back.

Mount Pond

Mount Pond is the most popular pond to fish, and many anglers cast towards its island, according to Fishery Guide. GiGL calls it perhaps the best of the Wandsworth ponds, with a reasonable range of waterfowl and fish. The woodland to the north is mostly exotic trees, but it has developed a reasonable structure and supports common birds.

It is also the oldest of the three on record. Michael Green, writing for the Clapham Society, says the pond was built in 1747 or 1748. It is close to the traditional Battersea to Clapham parish boundary, and an early plan of the common that first shows it also shows a Royal Artillery encampment nearby. Historic photographs show men swimming and paddling here, but those are archive images: swimming is not allowed now.

Long Pond and the model boats

Long Pond is for model yachts. Wikipedia puts the tradition at a century old, while Layers of London goes back further: model boat sailing here dates to at least the mid-1800s, and a club was formed on the pond in 1870. Several clubs have been based here since. The current Clapham Model Yacht Club was formed in 1934 and carries on today.

Best of South West London calls it the only model yacht club south of the Thames in London, and says it continues from earlier clubs that sailed the pond. The same page says that between the wars, Sundays drew enthusiasts and spectators. A Bluesky post places the club at 1 Rookery Road since the 1930s. A model yachting magazine from September 1890 mentions a visit to Long Pond, so it was a known venue in the 19th century.

Long Pond is also a fishery stock pond. Lambeth’s current guidance says fishing is not permitted there, even though it was developed as an angling teaching zone with Environment Agency support in 2014.

Fishing on the common

• Clapham Common is the only Lambeth park or open space where fishing is permitted, and only on Eagle and Mount Ponds.
• Lambeth runs an open season, with day and night fishing both allowed.
• You need a Lambeth fishing permit and a valid Environment Agency rod licence.
• The Friends of Clapham Common list carp, roach, tench and bream in Eagle and Mount Ponds.

What you will see

Expect waterfowl and fish at Mount Pond, reeds and wetland planting at Eagle Pond, and open water set within the grassland of the common at Long Pond. For ducklings, Eagle Pond is the one with a record of them.