The Fens

The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region that supports many plants and animals. Most of the fens were drained long ago, turning it into a flat, dry area used for farming. This was done by creating many channels, special rivers called dykes, and pumping stations to keep the water away.

Even though this helped create good farmland, it also caused the land to sink lower over time. To protect it from flooding, people built higher walls along the water.

The Fens cover nearly 1,500 square miles in parts of Lincolnshire, most of Cambridgeshire, and small parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. The land here is very close to sea level and was once full of wetlands. Today, with help from drainage systems, it has become very good for growing crops like grains and vegetables. The Fens contain about half of the best farming land in England.

Important towns in the Fens include Boston, King’s Lynn, March, Spalding, and Wisbech. The area is also known for old monasteries that are now churches and cathedrals in places like Ely and Peterborough.

Background: historical flooding and drainage

The Fens in eastern England are very low, often just 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level. Because of this, parts of the Fens are now below sea level. One spot, Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire, is about 2.75 metres (9 ft) below sea level.

In the past, without special drainage systems, the Fens would flood often, especially in winter. Some areas stayed flooded all the time, forming lakes or meres. Farmers could only grow crops on higher ground around the Fens. The rest of the land was used for raising animals, fishing, and collecting reeds.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, new drainage systems were built. Today, most of the Fens are used for growing crops like grains and vegetables instead of just raising animals.

Areas of the Fens

The Fens in eastern England are a naturally wet area that has been changed over time to make it easier to live and farm. People built many channels and rivers to drain the water and keep the land dry. These drained areas are organized into different regions or "levels".

The Great Level is the largest part of the Fens. It includes areas near the River Nene and the Great Ouse. Other areas include Bourne and Deeping Fens in southern Lincolnshire, the Black Sluice Level near Boston, and the Holland, Wildmore, West and East Fens near the River Witham. These areas were drained over many years to create flat land for farming.

Formation and geography

After the last ice age, the sea level rose and flooded land in eastern England. This created a wet, marshy area called the Fens. Over many years, different kinds of wetlands formed. Some places had water covering the land, and others had special plants.

People started living in the Fens a long time ago. They chose higher spots where the water didn’t reach. Over time, much of the wet land was drained. Today, the Fens look very different from how they were naturally. The land has sunk in some places, so flooding can still be a problem.

History

Pre-Roman settlement

People lived near the Fens thousands of years ago. They settled along the edges of the fens and on small islands. They hunted and fished in the wetlands. Important places include Flag Fen, Must Farm quarry, and Stonea Camp.

Roman farming and engineering

The Romans built the Fen Causeway, a road across the Fens. It connected what later became East Anglia with central England. The road ran between Denver and Peterborough. They also linked Cambridge and Ely. Their roads mostly avoided the Fens, except for small paths. These paths were used to move things like salt, beef, and leather. Sheep were kept on higher ground. Some attempts to drain the land were made, including the Car Dyke, but most canals were for moving goods.

Early post-Roman settlements

After the Romans left, early settlements were built on higher ground called the Townlands. Places like Wisbech, Spalding, Swineshead, and Boston grew where rivers met the land. This made trade easier. The land was set up in long strips to reach both the fens and the higher ground.

Early Middle Ages and Middle Ages

After Roman times, there are few written records. Some people from Iceni may have moved into the Fens to escape invaders from Angeln, now part of Schleswig. The Fens, surrounded by water, were safe and hard to attack.

When records returned, the Fens had names like North Gyrwe around Peterborough and South Gyrwe near Ely. In early Christian times, holy people lived in the Fens. These included Guthlac, Etheldreda, Pega, and Wendreda. Their small homes grew into monasteries that owned lots of land. These monasteries helped start draining the Fens.

Royal Forest

In the 1100s and early 1200s, the southern part of the Lincolnshire fens was turned into a forest. It was enclosed by a line from Spalding along the River Welland to Market Deeping, then along the Car Dyke to Dowsby, and across to the Welland. The forest was cleared in the early 1200s, possibly linked to the Magna Carta. The forest affected nearby towns, and the Bourne Eau river may have been made around this time.

Draining the Fens

The Fens in eastern England were once marshy lands that people turned into farmland. In the 1630s, people began draining the Fens, led by the Earl of Bedford and engineer Cornelius Vermuyden. They built new rivers to move water away, but many local people opposed this because it changed their way of life. Over time, the land sank lower as the peat dried out, which caused flooding problems.

By the 1800s, stronger machines like steam engines were used to pump water away. Today, the Fens stay dry with many miles of embankments and pumping stations that work together to keep the land safe from flooding. These systems help protect the farms and people living there.

Modern farming and food manufacturing in the Fens

Today, the Fens have about 4,000 farms. These farms grow crops, raise animals, and produce fruits, vegetables, and flowers. They provide jobs for many people, both all year and during busy seasons. These farms also help support around 250 businesses that make and sell food and drinks, giving jobs to even more people.

More than 70% of the Fens take part in special programs to help nature. These programs care for miles of hedges and ditches. This creates safe spaces for animals, including the water vole, which is in danger of disappearing.

Restoration

In 2003, the Great Fen Project started to help parts of the Fens go back to how they looked before farming. This means letting some farmland flood to make nature reserves. By adding fresh water, the project wants to help animals like the snipe, lapwing, and bittern come back. It also wants to grow plants such as the fen violet.

There is also a plan called the Fens Waterways Link to make old drainage channels useful again for travel between Boston and Cambridge. This includes the South Forty-Foot Drain and parts of the Car Dyke.

Sports

The Fens is where the sport of English bandy began. It is also known for Fen skating. The Great Britain Bandy Association is based there. In Littleport, there are plans to build an indoor stadium for ice sports. If this plan works, it will have the biggest sheet of ice in the country, with space for bandy and a track for speed skating.

Settlements

Many old cities, towns, and villages grew in the Fens, mostly on higher ground. Some of these places are Boston, a port and administrative centre, Chatteris, a market town, and the City of Ely, famous for its cathedral called the "Ship of the Fens". Other settlements include Cottenham, Crowland, Donington, where explorer Matthew Flinders was born, and Peterborough, often called the "Gateway to the Fens".

The area also has ancient sites such as Flag Fen and Must Farm, both from the Bronze Age, and Stonea Camp, an Iron Age hill fort.

In popular culture and media

The Fens have been used as a setting in many stories, books, and shows. Writers like John Gordon have used the Fens as a magical place in their books. Joy Ellis has written mystery stories there, and Philippa Pearce, a children’s author, has also set many of her tales in the Fens.

The Fens have been in films, television shows, and video games. Movies such as Waterland and Dad Savage were filmed there. TV series like Ghosts and Wild Bill have episodes in the Fens. Video games like Tom Clancy's EndWar and The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure also feature the Fens.