The Fenland Ark

The Fens flood - it's what they do best.

What fascinates me about this fact of geography is how it shapes the lives of both the wildlife and the people here. 

I drifted into this channel of thought while looking out over Ferry Lagoon yesterday, admiring all the common terns fishing in the lake. Such graceful fliers, and if you keep looking you'll soon spot one with a freshly-caught fish in its bill.

Here on the nature reserve we’ve got rafts out on the lakes for them to nest on, like this one:

Rising and falling with the floods, the rafts kept the chicks safe this summer until they were ready to fly. The way the terns have embraced life afloat reminded me of another chapter of Fenland history I heard recently...

The Reverend Horatio George Broke was a determined man. 117 years ago he became the vicar of Holme, not far from here, near Peterborough. 

In the winter much of his parish would flood and make it impossible for people to get to church; but the Reverend Broke decided the best way to master the water was to use it. 

He asked the local boat-builders to make him a floating church, essentially a house on a barge. His passion for the project overcame all obstacles (there were plenty as you can imagine) and on the 5 April 1897 the Archdeacon of Huntingdon proudly blessed the new church.

The Reverend Broke and the Fenland Ark, as it became known, travelled around the waterways serving isolated communities for seven years or so. Inside it was complete with altar, font and small organ - Mrs Broke would accompany the hymns, and many local babies even received a floating baptism.

Though the Ark didn't last long, what a striking attempt to overcome the floods.

Our terns with their own floating sanctuaries seem to echo the Reverend Broke's determination - a reminder that the Fens are rich in both natural and human heritage. We're all shaped by this watery landscape.