Coate Water Country Park

The concrete diving board at Coate, built 1935

The fisherman has just landed a pike and is about to extract the hook.

Coate Water (grid reference SU177827) is a country park situated 5 km (3.1 mi) to the southeast of central Swindon, England, near junction 15 of the M4. It takes its name from its main feature, a reservoir originally built to provide water for the Wilts & Berks Canal.

The reservoir formed a 70-acre (280,000 m²) lake, built in 1822 by diverting the River Cole. Its primary purpose was to provide water for the canal and it remained outside the borough of Swindon until the borough's expansion in 1928.^[1]

In 1914, with the canal abandoned, Coate became a pleasure park; changing rooms and a wooden diving board were added. In 1935 the wooden diving platform was replaced with a 33 ft (10 m) high concrete platform in an Art Deco style which has been praised by English Heritage and, although swimming in the lake has been prohibited since 1958, it was given Grade II listed protection in 2013.^[2] Now named Coate Water Country Park, the lake is both a leisure facility and a nature reserve.

Development

Art deco diving board, Coate Water Country Park

In 2004, Swindon Borough Council and the University of Bath published plans to develop land next to the park as a campus, but the university later withdrew the proposals. Since then Persimmon Homes and Redrow Homes have submitted various planning applications. One was turned down and dismissed at a planning appeal. Another proposal for 900 houses and an industrial estate went to appeal in November 2011 and was allowed by the Secretary of State. Local residents began a Save Coate campaign.

The campaigners note that:

"Coate boasts a host of Bronze Age, Romano-British and Medieval history that spans a period of up to about 3000 years. The oldest known ancient monuments at Coate are the Neolithic Stone Circle and the Bronze age burial mound along Day House Lane. However, no less than six Stone Circles have been recorded in the Coate area linked up, in part, by avenues of large Sarsen stones. The remains of one of the stone circles probably still lies at the bottom of the lake at Coate Water whilst other ancient finds are dotted around the area that include evidence of Medieval settlements."^[3]

and point out that is in conflict with several of Swindon Borough Council's own environmental policies.^[4]

A buffer zone around the park was proposed in late 2006,^[5] although campaigners and local residents did not think this was enough. In a newspaper poll, 20 per cent of readers said they believed that the new plans would help to protect Coate Water.^[5] The issue was further compounded when Coate Water was voted "Swindon's Favourite Place" by the local population.^[6]

Ecology

A dead tree has been felled and left for nature to take its course and for it to be colonized by saprophytes

An area of 51.1 hectares of the lake and its margins has been notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, mainly for its breeding bird populations.^[7][8] Part of the site is also a local nature reserve.^[9][10]

Coate Water is a notable site for birds. The following rare-in-Wiltshire species have been recorded there:

• Bearded tit – a pair in October 1982^[11]
• Black-crowned night heron – adults in April 1978 and May 1990^[12]
• Black-throated diver – a non-breeding plumaged adult in February 1978^[13]
• Eurasian spoonbill – two adults in April 1978^[14]
• European shag – one in September 1993^[15]
• Grey phalarope – two juveniles in October 1987^[16]
• Little auk – one in January 1984^[17]
• Northern fulmar – one in June 1978^[18]
• Purple heron – a first-summer bird in May 1981^[18]
• Red-necked grebe – an adult in March/April 1995^[19]
• Red-throated diver – a juvenile in March 1979^[20]
• Ring-necked duck – a first-winter male in January 1998^[21]
• Rock pipit – one in March 1976^[22]
• Slavonian grebe – one in January 1982^[23]
• Warblers
  • Barred warbler – one in September 1980^[24]
  • Savi's warbler – one in May 1965^[25]
  • Yellow-browed warbler – one in September 1988^[26]

Activities

Organisations based at the lake include Swindon Rowing Club^[27] and Coate Water Sailing Trust.^[28]

The North Wilts Model Engineering Society have a miniature railway, with about one mile of track of 5 in (127 mm) and 7 ¹⁄₄ in (184 mm) gauge.^[29]

In fiction

Author Richard Jefferies (1848–1887) was born at Coate village, a short distance northeast of Coate Water in Chiseldon parish; his home is now a museum. The "New Sea" in his Bevis books was based on Coate Water.

References

Bibliography

• Wiltshire Ornithological Society (2007) Birds of Wiltshire ISBN 978-0-9555270-0-5

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coate Water Country Park.

• Coate Water – Swindon Council's guide to the country park
• coatewater.com – Information and Forum
• Richard Jefferies Museum
• Swindon advertiser – 2008 non-development campaign
• Coate Water Miniature Railway

Coordinates: 51°32′35″N 1°44′46″W / 51.543°N 1.746°W / 51.543; -1.746