- Also called:
- Fenland
Fens
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What are the Fens in England?
The Fens are a natural marshland region in eastern England of about 15,500 square miles (40,100 square km), that stretches from Lincoln to Cambridge. The Rivers Witham, Welland, Nen, and Ouse flow across the Fens into the North Sea indentation between Lincolnshire and Norfolk known as The Wash.
The Fens is a flooded clay plain spotted with slight "island" eminences, such as Ely. The area became filled with sediment over time, leaving The Wash as the remnant of a larger indentation. Around The Wash lies a belt of marine silts and clays, south of which is a black peat expanse.
Today, the Fens are a rich, arable area in England that supports traditional crops, such as wheat, as well as potatoes, flowers, fruit, and vegetables.
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Where are the Fens located in the United Kingdom?
The Fens are located in eastern England, in a natural region of reclaimed marshland that stretches north to south between Lincoln and Cambridge. The Rivers Witham, Welland, Nen, and Ouse flow across the Fens into the North Sea. The district of Fenland lies in northern Cambridgeshire. The area is a flooded clay plain with "island" eminences, like Ely, and The Wash is a remnant of a larger indentation.
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What makes the Fens different from other landscapes?
The Fens is a unique, roughly 15,500 square-mile natural region of reclaimed marshland in eastern England, distinguished by its flat landscape and rich soil. The area is essentially a flooded clay plain that has been converted into one of England's most productive arable areas, supporting traditional crops and also potatoes, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Unlike bogs that accumulate rainwater and are highly acidic, fens are fed by mineral-rich groundwater, giving them a pH above 5. Artificial channels have replaced the natural drainage, and the area is known for its black peat soil, which varies in depth. A few stretches of peat survive as nature reserves, valuable for rare plants and insects.
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How have people changed and used the Fens over time?
The Fens, a 15,500 square mile reclaimed marshland in eastern England, have undergone significant changes in their use over time.
The Romans cultivated the islands and silt lands, but the Anglo-Saxons considered the Fens a thinly settled waste. While some encroachment occurred during the Middle Ages, the peatlands remained untouched until the mid-17th century when engineer Cornelius Vermuyden drained the southern peat area.
Windmills helped with drainage, but the peat continued to sink. By 1800, some inhabited areas had become watery wastes. Fishing and fowling were common occupations, and fen fever was prevalent. Steam-pumping stations replaced windmills from 1810. Today, diesel engines pump water, protecting the drained lands from the rivers. The Fens are now a rich arable area, growing wheat, potatoes, flowers, fruit, and vegetables.
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What kinds of plants and animals live in the Fens?
The Fens in eastern England, prior to being drained, was a marshland with lakes and waterlogged surfaces that housed rare plants and insects. Wicken Fen, a nature reserve, gives an idea of what the region was like before drainage.
The Carboniferous Period saw peak amphibian development. Amphibians such as Calligenethlon, Carbonerpeton, and Diplovertebron favored the coal swamps of the time. Hylonomus, an early reptile, has been found in the tree stumps in Nova Scotia.
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Why are the Fens important to both nature and people today?
The Fens are important today as one of the richest arable areas in England, where crops such as wheat, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables are grown. Additionally, stretches of peatland survive as nature reserves, valuable for the study of rare plants and insects. Wicken Fen, with its waterlogged surface, is a sanctuary for rare insects, birds, and plants, giving an idea of what the whole fen region was like before drainage.
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Fens, natural region of about 15,500 square miles (40,100 square km) of reclaimed marshland in eastern England, extending north to south between Lincoln and Cambridge. Across its surface the Rivers Witham, Welland, Nen, and Ouse flow into the North Sea indentation between Lincolnshire and Norfolk known as The Wash, but the natural drainage has largely been replaced by artificial channels. The area is essentially a flooded clay plain with slight “island” eminences, notably Ely. The basin gradually became infilled by sediment, leaving The Wash as the remnant of a more extensive indentation. Around The Wash is a belt of marine silts and clays, south of which an expanse of black peat covers the area. The peat, much thicker before drainage was undertaken, now varies in depth from a few inches to more than 10 feet (3 meters).
The Romans cultivated both islands and silt lands, but in subsequent Anglo-Saxon times the Fens were a thinly settled waste. Throughout the Middle Ages piecemeal encroachment took place, but the peatlands remained untouched until the mid-17th century, when the 4th earl of Bedford engaged a Dutch engineer, Cornelius Vermuyden, to drain the southern peat area, later known as the Bedford Level. Most notable among the drains then constructed was the Old Bedford River; running from Earith to Salter’s Lode, it was 70 feet (21 meters) wide and 21 miles (34 km) long. The New Bedford River, 100 feet (30 meters) wide, ran parallel to it about a half mile to the east. The immediate prosperity that these drains helped create proved short-lived, because they had the effect of lowering by perhaps 10 to 12 feet (about 3 to 4 meters) the level of the peat surface.
The introduction of windmills, substituting pumped for gravity drainage, saved most of the drained Fens from being reinundated, but the peat continued to sink as the drainage became more effective, so that by about 1800 some areas once inhabited had become watery wastes. There were still tracts that had never been reclaimed, particularly the large reed-bordered lakes of Whittlesey Mere and Ramsey Mere. Fishing and fowling remained characteristic occupations, and ague, or fen fever, was prevalent. From 1810 windmills began to be replaced by steam-pumping stations, though a few windmills survived even into the 20th century to form familiar landmarks. Pumping is now done by diesel engines, but the perennial problem of protecting the low drained lands from the high-riding river remains and was dramatically illustrated in the severe floods of March 1947, when several riverbanks were breached.
The Fens are now one of the richest arable areas of England, supporting not only traditional crops such as wheat but also potatoes, flowers, fruit, and vegetables. A few stretches of peat survive, two of them nature reserves, valuable for the study of rare plants and insects. Wicken Fen, on the eastern edge, with its waterlogged surface rising several feet above the adjoining peatlands, gives some indication of what the whole fen region was like before Vermuyden’s day.