Early Lake
We viewed the lake,
after inspecting the property for the first time in August 1997.
Despite it being in the height of Summer
the fields leading to the lake were waterlogged and careful movement
was required to avoid stepping onto a patch of grass
that covered a pool of water deeper than the height of my shoes. It was a fruitless
exercise and after a short while, both shoes and socks were waterlogged.
I didn't know it at the time but it hadn't got the nickname the "Bog Farm" for nothing. Present day visitors
can now take comfort that the newly constructed ditches and other drainage
schemes have totally eliminated water logged
fields except during the peak of winter.
When I arrived at the edge
of the lake I realised that it wasn't a pure lake, but boggy ground
with varying depths of water above it, ranging from an average of a few inches to four feet, in places.
It was August 2000 before anything further happened to the lake.
Derek and I needed a small project while planning permission was being obtained for the cottage. Imelda and I
had planned that the lake should be developed in the future and so Derek
and I decided to create a pontoon leading out from the firm ground towards
the perimeter of the lake.
We also developed
the area next to the pontoon with about thirty
trees to add interest and a wind break. Surprisingly,
although the majority of trees were leylandii,
they haven't lived up to their reputation and after five years have only
grown a couple of feet. The
tree that does do well is the Silver Birch and the few trees we planted
have grown about three feet every year.
In the Summer
of 2000 and 2001 Peter used his JCB to deepen some of the
existing ditches, create new ones and allow the lake water to escape more
quickly out of the property towards the River Suck. Over the subsequent years (until 2005), the
lake and surrounding fields totally dried up in the Summer months.
