How To Make a Unique Antique Stone Water Feature

Stone water features are calming, attractive, and can instantly transform your garden. And if you keep wildlife in mind during its build, a water feature can encourage birds, bees and other insects to move into your garden.

Find out how you can create a stunning and unique water feature using a reclaimed stone antique from West Yorkshire Architectural Antiques.

You will need:

• A container to hold the water (such as a stone trough or mill wheel)
• Submersible pond pump
• Hose with attachments for the water outflow which can be directed through a decorative feature or spout, or used to create a fountain

Choosing your container:
trough or millstone? 

Stone Troughs

You can easily transform a stone trough into a one of a kind moving water feature in your garden by filling it with water and adding a pump. This kind of understated water feature is easier to put together than a larger fountain, and won’t distract from the beautiful rustic finish of the antique stone container. 

Or, if you don’t want to build a moving water feature, an antique stone trough is perfect for a still feature. Simply use a pond liner to keep it watertight and fill it with water.You can then use plants such as waterlilies, sweet flag or water soldier, along with some other leafy and oxygenating plants to create a natural feature that not only looks beautiful, but is also wildlife friendly.

Tip: Remember when buying plants for your water feature to only buy those that suit the depth of the water. If you want a certain plant but your trough is too deep, try placing other stones inside the trough to act as a platform.

Millstone

A popular choice for garden water features are antique stone mill wheel fountains.

To create the fountain you will need a reservoir and pump sunk into the ground (to hold and reuse the water), covered by metal mesh, and then with pebbles and the millstone. The water will be pushed up through the centre of the mill wheel, and then trickles back down into the reservoir.

Because the size of this water feature can vary depending on the mill wheel you buy, a millstone fountain is a great choice for larger and smaller gardens alike.

For more design ideas for your stone water feature, take a look at our full Pinterest board:

West Yorkshire Architectural Antiques are specialists in genuine stone antiques. If you are searching for the perfect antique container for a unique water feature, take a look at all of our garden antiques.