SJ6499 : Giant Woodpecker - Pennington Flash Country Park
taken 13 years ago, near to Lowton Common, Wigan, England
“Flashes” are lakes formed over time from mining subsidence. Pennington Flash, a 70-hectare lake at the centre of a 200-hectare country park between Lowton and Pennington, in Leigh, is a spectacular example of this phenomenon.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the land now under the Flash was farmland, crossed by railways and the meandering Hey Brook. Maps of the time marked the area as ‘liable to floods’ (Link old-maps.co.uk).
The vast amounts of coal extracted by local collieries (all now closed) eventually caused the land to sink and by 1905, a large lake had formed, submerging two farms and flooding some of the railway lines. Originally, the Flash was larger than it is today. It was partly filled with colliery waste creating the spoil heap known as Ramsdale’s Ruck and the southern part of the flash was filled with domestic waste to prevent the regular flooding of St Helens Road. The idea of developing the site for recreation and conservation began to emerge and Pennington Flash Country Park was officially opened.
Now an extensive nature reserve with several bird hides and a network of tracks and footpaths, Pennington Flash Country Park is nationally renowned and is a classic example of natural regeneration.
(adapted from Pennington Flash information leaflet obtained on site)
also useful:
Link - Wikipedia
Link – RSPB Liverpool