The Fens, known as the, in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species.
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10 Facts About The Fens
2.
The Fens are a National Character Area, based on their landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity and economic activity.
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3.
The Fens are particularly fertile, containing around half of the grade 1 agricultural land in England.
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4.
The Fens have been referred to as the "Holy Land of the English" because of the former monasteries, now churches and cathedrals, of Crowland, Ely, Peterborough, Ramsey and Thorney.
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5.
Some areas of the Fens were once permanently flooded, creating lakes or meres, while others were flooded only during periods of high water.
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6.
When written records resume in Anglo-Saxon England, the names of a number of peoples of the Fens are recorded in the Tribal Hidage and Christian histories.
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7.
Two cuts were made in the Cambridgeshire The Fens to join the River Great Ouse to the sea at King's Lynn – the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River, the latter being known as the Hundred Foot Drain.
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8.
Major part of the draining of the Fens was effected in the late 18th and early 19th century, again involving fierce local rioting and sabotage of the works.
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9.
The Fens today are protected by 60 miles of embankments defending against the sea and 96 miles of river embankments.
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10.
The Fens Waterways Link is a scheme to restore navigation to some of the drainage works.
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