Earlswood Lakes
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Earlswood Lakes is the modern name for three man-made reservoirs which were built in the 1820s at Earlswood in Warwickshire, England, to supply water to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. They still supply the canal, and also provide leisure facilities, including sailing, fishing and walking. The northern banks of the lakes form the county boundary with the West Midlands.
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[edit] History
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs from Kings Norton Junction, where it joins the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to Stratford-upon-Avon, where it joins the River Avon, with a junction about half way along at Kingswood, where it joins the Grand Union Canal. The initial 9.75 miles (15.6 km) to Hockley Heath is level, but after that, the canal drops through 55 locks on its way to Stratford-upon-Avon. In order to supply water to the system, the Earlswood Lakes were constructed in the 1820s. Construction took nearly 5 years to complete, and the labour force included prisoners of war from the Napoleonic wars. The cost of construction was £297,000.[1]
Being so near to Birmingham, the lakes proved attractive to visitors from the city from the early 1900s, and their popularity has been maintained, with recent improvements to the facilities which they provide. The three reservoirs are called Engine Pool, Windmill Pool and Terry's Pool, and a Grade II listed engine house is located beside the Engine Pool.[1]. The lakes cover 25 acres, 25 acres and 20 acres respectively.
[edit] Facilities
The lakes were managed by British Waterways, but in 1997, the Earlswood Lakes Partnership was formed, with additional representation from the Waterways Trust and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.[2] This body has responsibility for the management of the lakes, which now provide a variety of recreational activities.
[edit] Fishing
All three lakes are stocked with fish and are popular both locally, and as a venue for fishing matches. Prior to 1999, the fish stocks were mainly bream and roach and were unmanaged, but with a decline in the call for fishing of this type, major changes were made. The Engine pool was drained to a very low level, and all of the large bream were moved to the Windmill pool, while the rest of the fish were moved to local canals. The pool was then refilled and stocked with five tons of carp in 2000. New car parks, walkways and fishing platforms were constructed, to improve the facilities, and these are well-used, although the platforms are less useful during the summer months when the water levels drop, as water is used to feed the canal.[3]
The Engine Pool contains mainly carp, and has flourished, to the extent that it held the UK Five-hour match record in 2000, when 414 lb (188kg) of fish were caught in a five hour period. Bream, together with roach and perch can be caught in the Windmill Pool, although care is needed as the pool is also home to a sailing club. Terry's Pool is still an unmanaged fishery, containing bream, roach and perch, together with pike and some carp.
[edit] Sailing
Windmill Pool is the home to the Earlswood Lakes Sailing Club, which was formed in 1960, and as of 2007, has over 100 members. Most modern classes of boat can be sailed, including Merlin-Rocket, Enterprise, National 12, Laser, Toppers, Mirrors and Solos. Sailing by young people from 8 to 15 years of age is encouraged, using boats in the Optomist class. The sailing club have a clubhouse which overlooks the pool.[4]
[edit] Walking
The managing Partnership was awarded a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative in 2002, which resulted in the upgrading of pathways around the site, to create a trail around the lakes, much of which is accessible to mobility-impaired users. Leaflets and children's activity sheets have been produced, together with marker posts to aid the interpretation of the site.[5]
[edit] Craft Centre
The Earlswood Craft Centre was established in 1981, when it was part of Manor Farm. It has since become autonomous, changing its name and ownership in 2001, and currently contains 23 units providing a wide range of craft products.
[edit] Wildlife
Terry's Pool is a wildlife reserve, and the whole area has a rich variety of plant and animal life. This includes Pipistrelle and Daubenton's bats, Muntjac deer,[6] and more recently, otters.[7]
