History of the River Lark

The Fens are so low that the highest point is just 50m above sea level, with some parts having dropped below sea level entirely. As the river made its way to the North Sea it deposited huge amounts of silt over time which accounts for the ever-decreasing nature of the waters, most of which today is actually reclaimed marshland.

This was not always the case, however. Records show that during the 17th century the waters were plentiful here. Despite the Romans' attempts at draining the land, the area remained swampland for many generations. From about 1500 until the mid-17th century, high ranking clergy, members of the aristocracy and even royalty would attempt to drain the land, but it was only when the underlying peat shrank over time and the levels were gradually seeped off into new channels and waterways that the waters moved from being deep lakes into the myriad of shallow channels as they are today.