Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve

Not to be confused with Martin Mere in Burscough, Lancashire .

Marton Mere
Marton Mere
Location	Lancashire, England
Coordinates	53°48′34″N 2°59′59″W / 53.8094°N 2.9998°W / 53.8094; -2.9998Coordinates: 53°48′34″N 2°59′59″W / 53.8094°N 2.9998°W / 53.8094; -2.9998
Lake type	mere

Marton Mere is a mere (lake) and Local Nature Reserve in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located near to the Blackpool districts of Marton and Mereside and the village of Staining. It is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[1] It supports various habitats such as open water, reed beds, grassland as well as pockets of woodland and scrub.^[1]

The mere is a glacial freshwater lake.^[2] Originally approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, the lake was gradually drained throughout the 18th century to allow land to be reclaimed for agriculture.^[3] It was drained further when a main dyke was cut around 1850.^[3]

The reserve is adjacent to Marton Mere Holiday Village.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve, Blackpool Council, http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Services/M-R/MartonMereLocalNatureReserve/, retrieved 31 May 2010 
2. ^ Hale, W. G.; Coney, Audrey; Pick, Bill (2005). Martin Mere: Lancashire's lost lake. Liverpool University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0853237492. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LPNTHGngfW8C&pg=PA23. "Like Martin Mere to the south of the Ribble, Marton Mere in the north appears to have been a freshwater lake [...] Marton Mere has always been a freshwater mere." 
3. ^ ^{a b} Clarke, Allen (1923). The Story of Blackpool. Blackpool & London: Palatine Books. pp. 25–26. 
4. ^ "Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve", WildlifeExtra.com, 2008, http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/uk/marton-mere.html#cr, retrieved 31 May 2010 

Further reading

• McGough, Pauline (2002). Birds of Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve. M. and P. McGough.