The draining of the East Anglia Fens: social unrest, design flaws and unintended environmental consequences

This episode examines the history of the Fens of East Anglia in
England. The Fens originally consisted of wetlands which have
been artificially drained since the Middle Ages and continue to
be protected from floods by a system of drains, dams and pumps.
Much of this work was carried out during the 17th century. With
the support of this drainage and coastal protection system and
because of its fertility, the Fens have become a major
agricultural region in Britain. The story of the reclamation of
the fens is one of social unrest, design flaws, money problems
and unintended environmental consequences. The guest on this
episode of the podcast is Julie Bowring, a PhD candidate at Yale
University and she is in the final stages of writing up a
dissertation on the so-called Great Level of the Fens in
Cambridgeshire, England.


Music credit: The Pond by Chuck Berglund, available from ccMixter