A lake which lies in the 17-acre grounds of a Georgian mansion could be nearly doubled in size under new plans to make it more visible from the house.

The existing lake at the Grade II listed Denman College in Marcham covers 0.49 hectares.

It would be extended to 0.92 hectares, incorporating grassland to the north and east, under newly submitted plans by the owners to Vale of White Horse District Council.

Oxford Mail: The lake lies in the 17-acre grounds of Denman College in Marcham

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The plans would see the felling of 19 alder trees and one willow tree, which planning agents Askew Nelson said created ‘excessive shade’ over the lake, and the loss would be mitigated with the planting of 11 new trees.

Oxford Mail: The proposed extension plans of the lake

It is claimed the extension would create a lake in keeping with the ‘scale and character of the parkland landscape’ and make it 'more visible from the house.'

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It is also hoped to improve biodiversity and nature conservation.

The house was formerly known as Marcham Park and dates to the late 17th century.

Oxford Mail: Denman College was formerly known as Marcham Park and dates to the late 17th century

Its most famous resident was politician John Elwes, an eccentric miser who supposedly inspired the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

It was heavily remodelled in around 1820 for Thomas Duffield, whose family owned the house from the early 19th century until 1938.

In 1948, it was established as a Women's Institute college, but its closure was announced in July 2020 when the trustees said they could no longer afford to run it at a loss.

The home has since been rebought by the Duffield family.