The water meadows at Frenchmill are in the north part of the estate near Coed-y-Glyn.

It was in 1772 that William Emes was employed to level these meadows, and so transforming what had once been agricultural landscape into parkland.

In 1773 the neighbouring 146 acre Sontley estate was purchased by Philip I; and he had Emes construct the Sontley weir, in part to help solve the problem of flooding on the Sontley Road and bridge.

The lake which can be found in Frenchmills didn't appear until the early 1980s. It was caused by mining subsidence and brought with it a considerable loss of farmland and grazing.

However it now attracts many wildfowl including moorhen, coot, mallard, swans and Canadian geese.

It is now one of the most interesting areas in the countrypark and an ideal educational resource.