Obelisk Pond And The Great Cascade Approximately 300 Metres South Of Bramham Park House

The Obelisk Pond and Great Cascade, located approximately 300 metres south of Bramham Park House, are a formal landscape feature probably designed by John Wood of Bath between 1724 and 1725. The pond itself is a rectangular structure aligned with a significant vista extending from the Chapel to the Temple and Obelisk located in Barwick in Elmet. The pond is raised approximately 2 metres above the surrounding terrain. Water is supplied to the main pond via a fan-shaped pond to the west, from which a cascade flows through two smaller, interconnected ponds, originally designed to accommodate a bridge. Outflow to the south is subterranean, channeled through terraces and three formal ponds of decreasing size. The uppermost terrace includes a rectangular pond with steps descending on either side; the middle terrace has steps on the west side and a ramp on the east side leading to a lower, grassed terrace with a segmental pond, fed by two dragon-head spouts in a wall supported by three piers. A similar retaining wall, also decorated with dragon-head spouts, flanks a smaller cascade and two broad flights of steps on the lower terrace. A parterre, once described as a "semitropical garden," is situated on the north side of the main pond, featuring sloped side walls, ramped paths, and three piers with dragon-head spouts. Beyond the pond, to the south, lies the Great Cascade, a structure composed of 12 steps or waterfalls, measuring 4.8 metres wide and 46 metres in length. The cascade was partly destroyed and grassed over, likely in the late 18th century, before being rediscovered and restored in July 1991. The retaining walls and surroundings are constructed from magnesian limestone, predominantly adorned with vermiculated panels and banded piers.