WE are back in 1990 this week for the Martin Mere’s 15th birthday celebrations.
Our first picture shows staff at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre on Red Cat Lane in Burscough.
The mere is a vast marsh that, until it was drained, was the largest lake in England.
Martin Mere was originally formed at the end of the last Ice Age, when water filled a space in the glacial drift.
Since then, its size has varied as water levels have risen and fallen. Active management of the mere began in 1694 when Thomas Fleetwood cut a channel to drain the lake to the sea.
Further attempts were made to drain the mere in the 1780s, but effective drainage was only achieved in the mid 19th century with the introduction of steam pumping.
Farms and market gardens were established on the rich soils of the reclaimed land.
The first 363 acres, known as Holcroft’s Farm was purchased in 1972 through local fundraising and the first curator of the site was Peter Gladstone, great grandson of former prime minister William Gladstone.
The site was opened to the public in 1975 by Sir Peter Scott.
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