Martin Mere
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Martin Mere is a lake near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around grid reference SD4115 that, until it was drained, was the largest lake in England.
Martin Mere was originally formed at the end of the last Ice Age, when water filled a depression in the glacial drift. Since then, its size has varied as water levels have risen and fallen. Active management of the mere began in 1694 when Thomas Fleetwood cut a channel to drain the lake to the sea. Further attempts were made to drain the mere in the 1780s, but effective drainage was achieved in the mid 19th century with the introduction of steam pumping. Farms and market gardens were established on the rich soils of the reclaimed land.
The mere is now the site of WWT Martin Mere, a wetland nature reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. There is a large visitor centre with educational facilities and cafe. Many foreign bird species are kept for visitors, as well as hide facilities for those watching wild birds.
The 2006 edition of the BBC's Autumnwatch was broadcast from Martin Mere.
[edit] Bibliography
- Martin Mere: Lancashire's Lost Lake, W. G. Hale and Audrey Coney. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2005.
