Richard John Torrens Ponds And Water Life
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Burwell

Contents, this Page

• Introduction
• Burwell moats (Spring Close)
• Burwell Brook flows from Spring Close into Burwell Lode
  • Flora
  • Fauna
  • Photographs
• Burwell lode
• Burwell Brick pits 577 690
• Burwell Chalk pits 608 685
• Pauline's Swamp - a separate page

Introduction

Burwell is an area on the edge of the fens, on chalk and clay soils, which is relatively low in ponds, but has several interesting water features.

Spring Close - Burwell Castle and Moats

The castle itself is long since demolished and the moats are no longer filled, although they are still boggy (or were in 2002 when I wrote this). By May 2017, the moats are essentially dry - but it's a dry year! However the moats are spring fed: the springs are artificially sustained by water being pumped from beyond Newmarket. They feed a small stream that drains into Burwell lode.

The spring at the moats (hence the 'Spring Close' name) feeds a typical chalk stream quite different from anything else I'm aware of on the fen borders. But the stream soon becomes a fairly typical fen drain which joins Burwell lode. More on Burwell Brook.

Flora

• watercress
• Fool's watercress - Apium nodiflorum.
• Brooklime - Veronica beccabunga.
• Marsh Marigold - Caltha palustris - at least there is one flourishing patch.

There is also woodland, where Ramsons are now naturalised.

There is also a separate page on which I am listing wild plants found around Burwell Castle

Fauna

• Stickleback - Gastrosteus aculeatus.
• Millers' thumb - cottus gobio.

Other aquatic wildlife includes

• Freshwater shrimp - Gammarus Pulex
• Frogs: there was spawn in a marshy bit of the moats mid-March 2003.
• Caddis fly larvae
• various beetle larvae
• tubifex worm. Not in large quantity - but it's a clear, unpolluted spring!
• Bloodworms - chironomus larvae

Photographs

The two photos show the spring from below and above: it's the same large tree in both. The children are my daughter, Rachel and son Michael. Click on the thumbnails to download a full size picture.

First photo was taken 1st April 2001, second 6th June 2001.

Burwell lode

Burwell lode joins the river Cam at Upware, at the back of Wicken Fen. Upware is itself very interesting to aquarists, for here abound Bitterling (Rhodeus sericeus) by the thousand. The books I have on European fish claim that the bitterling is not native to the United Kingdom, and indeed it's listed on eFishBusiness. However, it's certainly been in Burwell lode (as well as in the adjoining Ouse and Cam rivers) for some years now (I first noticed it in the late 1980s) and is doing very well!

For anyone keeping a coldwater aquarium, the bitterling is an ideal fish and has a very interesting biology, using freshwater mussels as host for its young, which makes it symbiotic - as the young of the freshwater mussel are parasitic on fish!

I believe that Zander also are present in the lode.

Amongst plants that may be found, at the Upware end, are:

• Yellow water lily - Nuphar lutea
• Long-stalked pondweed - Potamogeton praelongus
• Rigid Hornwort - Ceratophyllum demersum

Burwell Brick pits 577 690

North of Burwell, on Poor's Fen, there are several pits, market at map reference 577 690. These are where the clay was dug to make the local bricks, Burwell whites. They are pleasant ponds, but are on private ground so not accessible. See more on Burwell Brick pits.

Burwell Chalk pit 608 685

Shown on the map is a lake: this is a flooded chalk pit which once fed a cement factory. It is not easily accessible. It's clear and deep and the remains of a pit railway and other buildings can be seen underwater.

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Document URI: nathist.torrens.org /PAWL/Burwell/index.html
Last modified: Mon, 26 Aug 2024 10:51:23 BST
Page first published 6th November 2002.
Page written and © 2002-2004 by Richard John Torrens