Description:Medieval fishponds were used for breeding fish, and for holding those caught in rivers and ponds until required. This fishpond would have supplied St. Thomas' Priory, which was broken up during the Dissolution.
The priory buildings were used for several years in the eighteenth century by cotton spinners, followed by a corn-milling business. The mill was powered by a water-wheel.
Today the site is occupied by a farm. Existing fragments of the old priory include sections of walling, the lower courses of the cloisters, part of the kitchen and the site of the burial ground. The old stonework was so well constructed it was incorporated into the farm buildings, thereby preserving the remains of the priory.
Photograph donated by Stafford Historical and Civic Society, who retain copyright ownership.