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Black poplar in middle of lake
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After reading Pippa’s blog about the temporary lake which arrived in Mayow Park in the last week of
January and the fun it brought to park users, people asked how it came to be
and why in that location?
I’ll try to explain.
Weeks and weeks of heavy rainfall, with occasional drier days; that’s
how 2020 ended and 2021 started, continuing right through January. The spongy
ground was saturated, unable to absorb more precipitation. In Mayow Park the paths were muddy, the grass
was muddier and some of the drains were mud-hidden, no longer visible or able
to do what they were designed to do.
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| Deep puddles everywhere |
Then the snow arrived, just for one day, but heavy snow. Sunday 24th
January. For a few short hours people went into the park, played with the snow, made snow people; dogs, children and adults
enjoyed the novelty. But by the end of the day much of the snow had melted and
the rain returned.
Water flowed in rivulets along the paths and down slopes, creating deep
puddles in places, towards the shallow river valley to the eastern side, where
once a rill* flowed.
Local people may be aware that Mayow Park sits atop very heavy clay which is slow to absorb heavy rain so the water flowed and flowed following downhill routes. It flowed to the lowest level, down into the meadow opposite the cafe
and into the scrub area just below Mayow Road. Small lakes have formed here
before, lasting a couple of days, but the lake this time was larger than many
of the folk round here can remember. It seemed wider and deeper than ever. Dogs
had swimming fun. Children came in waterproof boots to have a splashing
time. And Barney brought his paddle
board to add to the entertainment – see photo by Pippa in her blog.
The water could not go far. It
slowly soaked away over the next few days. As water receded, the black poplar,
which had stood in the middle of the now shrinking lake, gradually moved to
drier terrain. The story of the lake was the buzz of local social media. For a
few days it brought some joy in these times of social distancing and remote
socialising.
With warmer, wetter winters in southern England predicted into the
future due to our changing climate, we can expect to see this occasional lake
to return when weather conditions are right.
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| The lake slowly drained away |
*NOTE: A rill is a shallow brook or stream. The rill (Adamsrill) no longer visibly flows but it seems likely
that, in bygone times, it travelled via Mayow Park through culverts to Bell Green and the River Pool. Nowadays after heavy rain, it revives
in back gardens along Adamsrill Road - named after Mayow Wynell Adams
(1809 – 1898). He was the local dignitary who offered the site that is now
Mayow Park. (Street names Mayow Road, Wynell Road and Adamsrill Road honour his
name).
For more info on Adams’ Rill, here is a blog written by 'Running Past' in February
2018 that is worth reading. https://runner500.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/adams-rill-a-lost-sydenham-stream/
A.S Friends of Mayow Park
