Fonthill Lake is a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in southwest Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

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A stream flows out of the southern end of the lake and joins the River Nadder

River Nadder

The River Nadder is one of the chalk stream rivers of southern England, much sought after by fly fishermen because of its clear waters and abundance of brown trout. It is one of the main tributaries of the River Avon, rising from a number of springs and small streams at Donhead St. Mary in south...

 at Tisbury

Tisbury, Wiltshire

The large village of Tisbury lies approximately west of Salisbury in the English county of Wiltshire.With a population at the 2001 census of 2,056 it is an important local centre for communities around the upper River Nadder and Vale of Wardour...

, 2 km (1 mi) to the southeast.

It lies just to the south of the village of Fonthill Bishop

Fonthill Bishop

Fonthill Bishop is a small village in Wiltshire, England.The village is close to Fonthill Gifford, where William Thomas Beckford built Fonthill Abbey. The estate now belongs to Lord Margadale....

, east of the village of Fonthill Gifford

Fonthill Gifford

Fonthill Gifford is a village in Wiltshire, England. Its population has dwindled from 493 in the 1801 Census to 120 in the 2001 Census.The current Church of England parish church of All Saints was built in 1864–66 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect T.H. Wyatt...

, and northeast of Fonthill Abbey

Fonthill Abbey

Fonthill Abbey — also known as Beckford's Folly — was a large Gothic revival country house built around the turn of the 19th century at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt...

. The lake is 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) long and approximately 100 m (328 ft) wide at its maximum breadth.

A sizeable population of the introduced Mandarin duck

Mandarin Duck

The Mandarin Duck , or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan.-Description:...

 is resident at Fonthill Lake (and on surrounding rivers) together with a number of wild swans.

The lake was used as the location for the filming of all the river scenes in the film Chocolat, which starred Juliette Binoche

Juliette Binoche

Juliette Binoche is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international accolades, is a published author and has appeared on stage across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during...

 and Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...

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