A pond which featured in many of a coastal town's most famous photographs and paintings is about to be restored by English Heritage.

Archaeologists are to oversee an operation to remove weeds and silt which have ruined the water of the pond, at Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire.

The abbey's reflection in the pond inspired Victorian photographer Frank Meadows Sutcliffe to produce his most evocative work.

English Heritage is hoping to be able to reinstate that view, as part of the Whitby Abbey Headland project.

The scheme will also give archaeologists a chance to drain the remaining water and examine mud for artefacts or pollen samples, which could yield new clues about the area's natural environment.

English Heritage project manager Pete Busby said yesterday: "It is an extremely exciting project, and a bit like embarking on a new discovery. We just do not know exactly what we are going to find.

"Analysis of pollen will tell us more about the headland's flora and fauna, greatly adding to our knowledge of the landscape."

Previous surveys of the pond have unearthed medieval pottery, suggesting it may have been used as a fish pond, or reservoir.

It could also be part of the 17th Century formal gardens surrounding Whitby House.