Orchardleigh Lake

Last updated
Orchardleigh Lake
Orchardleigh Lake3.JPG
The smaller of the two lakes as seen from the island church
Somerset UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Orchardleigh Lake
Location Somerset
Coordinates 51°15′21″N2°19′05″W / 51.25593°N 2.31807°W / 51.25593; -2.31807 Coordinates: 51°15′21″N2°19′05″W / 51.25593°N 2.31807°W / 51.25593; -2.31807
Type artificial lake
Basin  countriesUnited Kingdom
Surface area11.23 ha (27.7 acres)
Islands 1

Orchardleigh Lake (also spelt Orchardlea) (grid reference ST779508 ) is an 11.23-hectare artificial lake in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate, just north of Frome, Somerset, England. It was formed by damming a tributary of the River Frome. Today, the lake is used for angling, [1] and also birdwatching.

Contents

There is a small island towards the western side of lake where St Mary's Church can be found. It was built in the 13th century, and underwent extensive renovation by Sir George Gilbert Scott, for the Rev. W. A. Duckworth, in 1878. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building. [2] Its precise location is 51°15′28.36″N2°19′33.28″W / 51.2578778°N 2.3259111°W / 51.2578778; -2.3259111 . Weddings are often performed at the church, which has capacity for 120 guests. It is linked from the mainland via a footbridge, and a public footpath runs nearby over another bridge across the lake.

Note that there are actually two lakes at Orchardleigh: the small lake overlooked by the island church, and a much larger one situated approximately 150 metres away through a wooded area to the East which has a stone-built boathouse.

Orchardleigh Lake birds

In 1932 a pair of black-necked grebes bred at the lake, the only occasion on which this species has been recorded breeding in Somerset. The lake regularly hosts small numbers of common waterfowl, including breeding little and great crested grebes and mute swan, and wintering tufted duck and pochard. Rarer species have occasionally been sighted:

Related Research Articles

Frome Town in Somerset, England

Frome is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. It is approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bath, 43 miles (69 km) east of the county town, Taunton and 107 miles (172 km) west of London. In the 2011 census, the population was given as 26,203. The town is the largest in the Mendip district of Somerset and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome.

Henrys Lake

Henrys Lake is a small, shallow alpine lake in the western United States, in eastern Idaho. Approximately 8 square miles (21 km2) in area, at 4 miles (6.4 km) in length and 2 miles (3.2 km) in width, its surface elevation is 6,472 ft (1,973 m) above sea level.

Coate Water Country Park

Coate Water 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.

Berkley, Somerset Human settlement in England

Berkley is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 344. The village is north-east of Frome.

Mells, Somerset Human settlement in England

Mells is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.

Lullington, Somerset Human settlement in England

Lullington is a village and civil parish just across the Mells River from Beckington and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north east of Frome, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.

Tellisford Human settlement in England

Tellisford is a village and civil parish 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Woolverton.

Sevenoaks Gravel Pits

Sevenoaks Gravel Pits is a 73.7-hectare (182-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent. It is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust as the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve and Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre.

Marston Bigot Human settlement in England

Marston Bigot is a small village in the civil parish of Trudoxhill, near Nunney and 3 miles (5 km) south of Frome in Somerset, England.

Luccombe, Somerset Human settlement in England

Luccombe or Luckham is a village and civil parish in the Exmoor National Park in the English county of Somerset. It at the foot of the moor's highest hill, the 1,750 feet (533 m) Dunkery Beacon, and is about one mile south of the A39 road between Porlock and Minehead. Administratively it forms part of the district of Somerset West and Taunton. The parish includes the hamlets of Stoke Pero and Horner, as well as the former hamlet of Wilmersham.

Orchardleigh Estate

Orchardleigh is a country estate in Somerset, approximately two miles north of Frome, and on the southern edge of the village of Lullington. The privately held estate comprises a Victorian country house, the Orchardleigh Lake with its island church, and an 18-hole golf course.

Stocklinch Human settlement in England

Stocklinch is a village and civil parish 3.5 miles (6 km) north-east of Ilminster in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England.

St Mary Magdalene, Taunton Church in Taunton, England

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is a Church of England parish church in Taunton, Somerset, England, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It was completed in 1508 and is in the Early Tudor Perpendicular Gothic style. It is designated as a Grade I listed building. It is notable for its 163 feet tall tower.

Church of All Saints, Lullington

The Church of All Saints is a Church of England parish church in Lullington, Somerset, England.

Church of St Mary, Orchardlea

The Church of St Mary is a 13th-century church in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate.

Raudna Nature Reserve

Raudna Nature Reserve is a nature reserve situated in southern Estonia, in Viljandi County.

Lake Düden

Lake Düden, also known as Lake Kulu,, is a brackish water lake in Konya Province, Turkey.

Lake Kömüşini

Lake Kömüşini, also known as Lake Uyuz, is a freshwater lake in Konya Province, Turkey.

Church of All Saints, Rodden

The Anglican Church of All Saints in Rodden, Somerset, England was built in 1640. It is a Grade II* listed building.

St Mary of Debre Tsion, Battersea

St Mary of Debre Tsion, Battersea is a church in Battersea, London.

References

  1. ↑ "Fishing Information for the Frome Area". Frome Tourist Information Centre. Archived from the original (Word) on 2007-04-11. Retrieved 2007-11-20.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ↑ "Church of St. Mary, causeway bridge, and gates". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-20.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ↑ "Rich's Photo page". CVL Birding. Retrieved 2007-11-20.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.