Orchardleigh Lake
Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Infobox body of water tracking".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Orchardleigh Lake (also spelt Orchardlea) (Grid reference Script error: No such module "Ordnance Survey coordinates".) is an 11.23-hectare artificial lake in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate, just north of Frome, Somerset, England. It was formed by damming a tributary of the River Frome. Today, the lake is used for angling[1] and birdwatching.
There is a small island towards the western side of lake where St Mary's Church can be found. It was built in the 13th century, and underwent extensive renovation by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1878. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[2] Weddings are often performed at the church, which has capacity for 120 guests. It is reached from the lakeside via a footbridge, and a public footpath runs nearby over another bridge across the lake.
There are two lakes: a small one overlooked by the island church, and a much larger one approximately 150 metres away through a wooded area to the east, which has a stone-built boathouse.
Birds
In 1932 a pair of black-necked grebes bred at the lake, the only occasion on which this species has been recorded breeding in Somerset. The lake regularly hosts small numbers of common waterfowl, including breeding little and great crested grebes and mute swan, and wintering tufted duck and pochard. Rarer species have occasionally been sighted:
- Ring-necked duck (male), March 1997
- Great white egret, September 2005[3]
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Side view of the island church
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Rear view of the island church
References
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- ↑ Template:National Heritage List for England
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External links
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- Fidele – a sentimental poem by Sir Henry Newbolt which mentions the lake island at Orchardleigh