Once filling the complete corner to the stone wall this artificial pond was formed by the construction of a weir. The captured water was used to turn the water wheel  and power the bellows of the local iron mill which was an essential part of the iron industry of Woodford. The mill race inside the gate on the Bay side of the road is merely a depression in the ground whereas on the far side of the road the arch of the culvert is fully intact. The millpond was later used to provide street lighting for the town prior to the Rural Electrification Scheme which arrived in Woodford in 1952.