Story of the Fens

The Fens is a large plain in the British Isles, covering nearly three-quarters of a million acres and is unique to the UK. It has more miles of navigable waterways than anywhere else in the UK and has been reclaimed from the sea and drained from flooding rivers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2019
Publisher: The History Press Ltd

The Fens, a vast expanse of wetlands spanning Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, as well as Peterborough City Council, have a shared history and claim to a portion of this unique landscape. Since Roman times, human intervention has significantly expanded the land area in this region, resulting in the largest plain in the British Isles. Covering nearly three-quarters of a million acres, the Fens are a distinctive feature of the UK. The inhabitants of the area refer to it as marsh, which signifies land reclaimed from the sea, and fen, which denotes land drained from flooding rivers originating in the uplands. The Fens stand out for their extensive network of navigable waterways, surpassing any other region in the UK in this regard. The implementation of mammoth drainage schemes during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries transformed the landscape irrevocably, leading to the formation of the beloved Fens that we appreciate today. This captivating story of the Fens offers a wealth of insights, entertainment, and remarkable incidents, making it a fascinating exploration of this remarkable natural wonder.

Weight: 554g
Dimension: 229 x 151 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781860776977