Martin Mere | |
---|---|
Location | Lancashire |
Coordinates | 53°37′21″N2°52′7″W / 53.62250°N 2.86861°W |
Type | mere |
Basin countries | United Kingdom |
Official name | Martin Mere |
Designated | 28 November 1985 |
Reference no. | 324 [1] |
Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around grid reference SD 41 15 that was, until it was drained, the largest body of fresh water in England. [2]
Martin Mere was 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. The original giant lake can be seen on Christopher Saxton's map from 1579 and stretched from Rufford in the east, to Churchtown (then known as North Meols) in the west. To the north of the lake were the villages of Mere Brow and Holmeswood, the site of Holmeswood Hall, built by the Heskeths as a hunting lodge. South of the lake was the Scarisbrick Hall estate, Martin Hall and Tarlefarwood, now known as Tarlscough. [3]
The mere originally drained out in two places; at the western end the arm of the mere known as the Wyke drained into the Pool (or Old Pool) at what is now Crowland Street, Blowick, while at its eastern end it flowed into the river Douglas at Rufford. Active management of the mere began in 1692 when Thomas Fleetwood of Bank Hall cut a channel in an attempt to drain it. [4] Further attempts to drain it were made in the 1780s, but effective drainage was achieved only 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. Between 1974 and 1982 sand from the former lake bed was quarried for use in glass-making at Mere Sands Wood which is now a nature reserve.
An ancient canoe has been excavated from Martin Mere and is on display in the Atkinson Art Gallery and Library. [5]
Local legend has it that the lake was home to the nymph Vivian, who stole the knight Lancelot as a child, and brought him up in the depths of the lake's waters. He was also reputed to have been the ruler of Lancashire, the county being named after him. [6]
Part of the old mere is now the site of Martin Mere Wetland Centre, a wetland nature reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
WWT Martin Mere is a wetland nature reserve and wildfowl collection managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Tarlscough, Burscough, Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, 6 miles (10 km) from Ormskirk and 10 miles (16 km) from Southport (Merseyside). It is one of ten reserves managed by the charity, and it is designated an SSSI, an SPA and a Ramsar Site.
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, flows through parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. It is a tributary of the River Ribble and has several tributaries, the major ones being the River Tawd and the River Yarrow.
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Preston. At the 2021 census, Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England and the third most populous settlement in the Liverpool City Region.
West Lancashire is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Ormskirk, and the largest town is Skelmersdale. The district borders Fylde to the north, over the Ribble Estuary; South Ribble, Chorley, and Wigan to the east; St Helens and Knowsley to the south; and Sefton to the south and west.
Crossens is the northernmost district of the town of Southport, Merseyside, England.
Churchtown is a suburb of Southport, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is surrounded by Crossens, High Park and Marshside in the ancient parish of North Meols on the northern fringe of what is now Southport.
Burscough is a town and civil parish in the district of West Lancashire, Lancashire, England. The town is located approximately 14 miles (23 km) north-northeast of Liverpool and 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Preston. Its northern part is called Burscough Bridge, and was originally a separate settlement.
Tarleton is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Liverpool and 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Preston. The parish includes the village of Mere Brow and the hamlets of Sollom and Holmes, and is an agricultural area. It had a population of 5,959 at the 2021 Census. Tarleton village, Holmes, and the villages of Hesketh Bank and Becconsall to the north form a single built-up area with a population of 8,755.
Rufford is a village in West Lancashire, England, where the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway, the A59 and the River Douglas meet.
North Meols is a civil parish and electoral ward in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers the village of Banks and the hamlet of Hundred End. The population of the parish/ward at the 2011 census was 4,146. Historically the parish covered a wider area including much of what is now Southport.
Rufford Old Hall is a National Trust property in Rufford, Lancashire, England. Built in about 1530 for Sir Robert Hesketh, only the Great Hall survives from the original structure. A brick-built wing in the Jacobean style was added in 1661, at right angles to the Great Hall, and a third wing was added in the 1820s.
Holmeswood is a small agricultural village in West Lancashire, in the north-west of England. It lies just north of the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and to the south of North Meols about six miles east of the Irish Sea coast at Southport.
Banks is a large coastal village in the civil parish of North Meols, in the West Lancashire district, in Lancashire, England, south of the Ribble estuary four miles (6 km) north-east of Southport town centre. In 2021 it had a population of 4430. It is in the Southport parliamentary constituency.
A mere is a shallow lake, pond, or wetland, particularly in Great Britain and other parts of western Europe.
Rufford New Hall is a former country house that belonged to the Heskeths who were lords of the manor of Rufford, Lancashire, England. It replaced Rufford Old Hall as their residence in 1760. From 1920 to 1987 it was used as a hospital and has subsequently been restored and converted for residential use. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1986.
Southport Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden situated in the suburban village of Churchtown, Southport, in Merseyside, England. It is often called "The Jewel in the Crown" as it is nationally known for its floral displays, which have been featured in the BBC TV program Gardener's World.
Marton Mere is a mere (lake) and Local Nature Reserve in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located near to the Blackpool districts of Marton and Mereside and the village of Staining. It is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It supports various habitats such as open water, reed beds, grassland as well as pockets of woodland and scrub.
Marton is a historic village on the coastal plain of the Fylde in the Borough of Blackpool in Lancashire, England, most of which is now forms a part of the town of Blackpool. Marton, consists of Great Marton, Little Marton, Marton Fold and The Peel.
Mere Sands Wood is a 105 acres (42 ha) nature reserve between the villages of Holmeswood and Rufford in west Lancashire, England, managed by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. It lies about five miles from Ormskirk. The name derives from when the area was on the shore of Martin Mere.