Meres and Mosses

The Meres and Mosses are a natural area of England defined by Natural England and its predecessor bodies as statutory regulators for the natural environment of England. This region in the northwest part of the English Midlands coincides broadly with the Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire National Character Area (NCA) 61.[1] A Ramsar site was designated in May 1994 covering 16 sites across this region, with a total area of 510.88 hectares, and known as the 'Midland Meres and Mosses Phase 1'. Over 60 individual water bodies or meres are recognised within the designation alongside a lesser number of peatland sites.[2] Phase 2 of the Ramsar designation included Rostherne Mere on the northern margin of this area. A handful of similar meres and mosses are located close by in eastern Wales, notably in Welsh Maelor, within the modern borough of Wrexham.

Meres

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The following list is based in part on information provided by researchers P.W. Beale and C.S. Reynolds, the latter having collected them into groups in the Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Woore, Delamere, Baschurch, Shrewsbury and Knutsford areas. Two further categories include those in the 'marginal belt of hummocky drift' in the east and those seen to sit in isolation.[3]

Sortable table of meres
Name Area (ha) Group County
Blake Mere (nr Ellesmere) 8.4 Ellesmere Shropshire
Ellesmere Mere 46.1 Ellesmere Shropshire
Kettle Mere 1.7 Ellesmere Shropshire
Newton Mere 8.3 Ellesmere Shropshire
White Mere 25.5 Ellesmere Shropshire
Cole Mere 27.6 Ellesmere Shropshire
Crose Mere 15.2 Ellesmere Shropshire
Sweat Mere 0.2 approx Ellesmere Shropshire
Hardwick Pool 3.6 Ellesmere Shropshire
Peckforton Mere 1.0 Whitchurch Cheshire
Chapel Mere 6.5 Whitchurch Cheshire
Deer Park Mere 9.4 Whitchurch Cheshire
Norbury Big Mere 1.6 Whitchurch Cheshire
Norbury Little Mere 1.5 Whitchurch Cheshire
Bar Mere 9.7 Whitchurch Cheshire
Quoisley Big Mere 4.0 Whitchurch Cheshire
Quoisley Little Mere 2.2 Whitchurch Cheshire
Marbury Big Mere 10.5 Whitchurch Cheshire
Marbury Little Mere 1.3 Whitchurch Cheshire
Oss Mere 9.5 Whitchurch Shropshire
Comber Mere 51.5 Whitchurch Cheshire
Blake Mere nr Whitchurch 3.7 Whitchurch Shropshire
Baddiley Mere 6.7 Whitchurch Cheshire
Hanmer Mere 17.7 Whitchurch Wrexham
Doddington Pool 19.3 Woore Cheshire
Betley Mere 9.3 Woore Staffordshire
Hatch Mere 4.7 Delamere Cheshire
Oak Mere 18.3 Delamere Cheshire
Petty Pool 11.7 Delamere Cheshire
Little Budworth Pool 4.9 Delamere Cheshire
Berth Mere 2.9 Baschurch Shropshire
Birchgrove Mere 1.7 Baschurch Shropshire
Fenemere 9.4 Baschurch Shropshire
Marton Pool (Baschurch) 6.8 Baschurch Shropshire
Cottage Pool 1.8 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Isle Pool 5.8 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Oxon Pool 1.4 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Alkmond Park Pool 4.4 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Hencott Pool 3.5 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Bomere Pool 10.3 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Shomere 1.3 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Betton Pool 6.4 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Top Pool 1.8 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Berrington Pool 2.5 Shrewsbury Shropshire
Budworth Mere 39.4 Knutsford Cheshire
Pick Mere 17.5 Knutsford Cheshire
Tabley Mere 19.4 Knutsford Cheshire
Mere Mere 15.8 Knutsford Cheshire
Rostherne Mere 48.7 Knutsford Cheshire
Tatton Mere 31.7 Knutsford Cheshire
Booth's Mere 6.4 Knutsford Cheshire
Radnor Mere 8.3 Marginal Cheshire
Redes Mere 17.0 Marginal Cheshire
Taxmere 1.2 Marginal Cheshire
Rode Pool 12.7 Marginal Cheshire
Lawton Mere 1.3 Marginal Cheshire
Alsager Mere 3.5 Marginal Cheshire
Maer Pool 5.5 isolated Staffordshire
Cop Mere 16.8 isolated Staffordshire
Aqualate Mere 72.5 isolated Staffordshire
Marton Pool, nr Chirbury 13.7 isolated Shropshire
Llynclys Pool 2.8 isolated Shropshire
Padeswood Pool 1.0 approx isolated Flintshire

References

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  1. ^ "NCA Profile: 61 Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain (NE556)". Natural England. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Information sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS)" (PDF). JNCC. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  3. ^ Reynolds, Colin S. "The Limnology of the Eutrophic Meres of the Shropshire-Cheshire Plain". Researchgate. Field Studies. Retrieved 8 December 2023.