Woodhouse Washlands
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Woodhouse Washlands by Mike Nield as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Woodhouse Washlands
Image: © Mike Nield Taken: 28 Apr 2014
Oxbow Pond Half in the Borough of Rotherham and half in the Borough of Sheffield, Woodhouse Washlands is set on either side of the River Rother to the east of Woodhouse. The Rother once meandered through these washlands, but the low-lying marshy ground frequently flooded after heavy rain causing disruption to nearby roads, houses and factories. During the 1950s a flood control scheme was implemented and the course of the river was both deepened and straightened. The oxbow pond seen here is the only meander that still remains from the old river course, having been preserved as a source of water for the nearby wood and saw mill (previously known as Woodhouse Mill), and has been used by local fishermen for many years. Despite being a natural flood plain, the area provides rich grazing and rare breed cattle can sometimes be seen on the site. The Trans-Pennine Trail runs the entire length of the reserve on the Rotherham side.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
53.365167
Longitude
-1.346757