This dataset consists of freshwater pond quality data for sites across Great Britain in 2007. Data include macrophyte species records, chemistry and water quality, and environmental variables such as pollution, grazing and management, from ponds surveyed within a set of 591 1km squares across Great Britain (note - not all squares contained ponds). The survey was part of Countryside Survey, a unique study or 'audit' of the natural resources of the UK's countryside, and was carried out by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Pond Conservation. The sample sites are chosen from a stratified random sample, based on a 15 by 15 km grid of GB. The countryside is sampled and surveyed using rigorous scientific methods, allowing us to compare new results with those from previous surveys. In this way we can detect the gradual and subtle changes that occur in the UK's countryside over time. In addition to freshwater habitat data, habitat areas, vegetation species data, soil data and linear habitat data are also gathered by Countryside Survey. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/cbb9ee99-8078-4dc4-87de-ee99390e579e