THE HORSE POND.

The pond was in a foul and filthy condition, and the public opinion reviled the authorities for not cleaning it out, so the District Council deputed the Parish Council to have it done. The job was undertaken by the family of Messrs. Gulliford, assisted by Mr. Fowen.
The water was drawn off, and the aromatic sediment stirred, raked, hoed, and thrown upon pavement, while the terrified inhabitants of "Horse Pond Square" ran for eau-de-Cologne bottles, and covered their nostrils with their kerchiefs. At mid-day the work was left, to the satisfaction of the workers, and a second contractor and his men commenced to carry away the filth. It was deposited in an orchard far away. In this orchard was a cider shed, and the owner, moved by a generous impulse, lent the key thereof to the happy mudlarks. It was Bank Holiday, The labour was severe and exhausting; resuscitation was imperative, lest the men should faint by the way. The journeys were many, but the loads were light and when Phoebus descended behind Glastonbury Tor, the job was unfinished.

Extracted from The Castle Cary Visitor Volume 3. Page 163.