Part 1 examines the role of fish ponds in the medieval period and suggests that it was not drastically altered after the Dissolution, since the supply of fish continued although ornamental uses became increasingly important. However, the importance of freshwater fish as a status symbol declined somewhat during this period. Fountains and cascades, as they become more complex, also became an economic burden and were thus instrumental in the decline in popularity of the formal garden. Part 2 examines methods of constructing garden ponds, using documentary and archaeological evidence (e.g., Southwick Priory, Hampshire, and Castle Bromwich, West Midlands).