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. 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. 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 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.

+Sortable table of meresName Area (ha)GroupCountyBlake Mere (nr Ellesmere)8.4 EllesmereShropshireEllesmere Mere46.1 EllesmereShropshireKettle Mere1.7EllesmereShropshireNewton Mere8.3 EllesmereShropshireWhite Mere25.5 EllesmereShropshireCole Mere27.6EllesmereShropshireCrose Mere15.2EllesmereShropshireSweat Mere0.2 approx EllesmereShropshireHardwick Pool3.6EllesmereShropshirePeckforton Mere1.0 WhitchurchCheshireChapel Mere6.5 WhitchurchCheshireDeer Park Mere9.4WhitchurchCheshireNorbury Big Mere1.6 WhitchurchCheshireNorbury Little Mere1.5 WhitchurchCheshireBar Mere9.7WhitchurchCheshireQuoisley Big Mere4.0 WhitchurchCheshireQuoisley Little Mere2.2 WhitchurchCheshireMarbury Big Mere10.5WhitchurchCheshireMarbury Little Mere1.3 WhitchurchCheshireOss Mere9.5 WhitchurchShropshireComber Mere51.5WhitchurchCheshireBlake Mere nr Whitchurch3.7 WhitchurchShropshireBaddiley Mere6.7 WhitchurchCheshireHanmer Mere17.7WhitchurchWrexhamDoddington Pool19.3 WooreCheshireBetley Mere9.3 WooreStaffordshireHatch Mere4.7DelamereCheshireOak Mere18.3 DelamereCheshirePetty Pool11.7 DelamereCheshireLittle Budworth Pool4.9DelamereCheshireBerth Mere2.9 BaschurchShropshireBirchgrove Mere1.7 BaschurchShropshireFenemere9.4BaschurchShropshireMarton Pool (Baschurch)6.8 BaschurchShropshireCottage Pool1.8 ShrewsburyShropshireIsle Pool5.8ShrewsburyShropshireOxon Pool1.4 ShrewsburyShropshireAlkmond Park Pool4.4 ShrewsburyShropshireHencott Pool3.5ShrewsburyShropshireBomere Pool10.3 ShrewsburyShropshireShomere1.3 ShrewsburyShropshireBetton Pool6.4ShrewsburyShropshireTop Pool1.8 ShrewsburyShropshireBerrington Pool2.5 ShrewsburyShropshireBudworth Mere39.4KnutsfordCheshirePick Mere17.5 KnutsfordCheshireTabley Mere19.4 KnutsfordCheshireMere Mere15.8KnutsfordCheshireRostherne Mere48.7KnutsfordCheshireTatton Mere31.7KnutsfordCheshireBooth's Mere6.4KnutsfordCheshireRadnor Mere8.3MarginalCheshireRedes Mere17.0MarginalCheshireTaxmere1.2MarginalCheshireRode Pool12.7MarginalCheshireLawton Mere1.3MarginalCheshireAlsager Mere3.5MarginalCheshireMaer Pool5.5isolatedStaffordshireCop Mere16.8isolatedStaffordshireAqualate Mere72.5isolatedStaffordshireMarton Pool, nr Chirbury13.7isolatedShropshireLlynclys Pool2.8isolatedShropshirePadeswood Pool1.0 approxisolatedFlintshire

References