Lake Lapworth
Encyclopedia
Lake Lapworth existed in England
in the Ice Age
when ice from Wales
and the north blocked the outlet of the River Dee
near the site of Chester
. The Dee backed up, forming Lake Lapworth, until it overflowed southwards and cut the Ironbridge
gorge, permanently diverting part of the Dee drainage into the river Severn. It was named by Leonard Johnston Wills
for Charles Lapworth
, who first suggested its existence in 1898.
The carving out of the Ironbridge gorge exposed coal, iron ore, fireclay and limestone
deposits which enabled the development of ironworks
in the area at the start of the Industrial Revolution
.
The market town of Newport, Shropshire
is on a sandstone
ridge, which in the last Ice Age
was an island or peninsula in Lake Lapworth. Early man fished here and two log boats were uncovered a mile from Newport. One has been preserved and is now at Harper Adams University College
at Edgmond.
Aqualate Mere
is a remnant of Lake Lapworth.
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...
in the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
when ice from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the north blocked the outlet of the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
near the site of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The Dee backed up, forming Lake Lapworth, until it overflowed southwards and cut the Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
gorge, permanently diverting part of the Dee drainage into the river Severn. It was named by Leonard Johnston Wills
Leonard Johnston Wills
Professor Leonard Johnston Wills – known as ‘Jack’ to friends and family – was one of the leading British geologists of his generation...
for Charles Lapworth
Charles Lapworth
Charles Lapworth was an English geologist.-Biography:He was born at Faringdon in Berkshire and educated as a teacher at the Culham Diocesan Training College near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He moved to the Scottish border region, where he investigated the previously little-known fossil fauna of the area...
, who first suggested its existence in 1898.
The carving out of the Ironbridge gorge exposed coal, iron ore, fireclay and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits which enabled the development of ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
in the area at the start of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
The market town of Newport, Shropshire
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
is on a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge, which in the last Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
was an island or peninsula in Lake Lapworth. Early man fished here and two log boats were uncovered a mile from Newport. One has been preserved and is now at Harper Adams University College
Harper Adams University College
Harper Adams University College is a higher education institution located close to the village of Edgmond , in Shropshire, England. It is the UK's leading specialist provider of higher education for the agri-food chain and rural sector....
at Edgmond.
Aqualate Mere
Aqualate Mere
Aqualate Mere is the largest natural lake in the English Midlands and is managed as a National Nature Reserve by Natural England. It is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Lapworth....
is a remnant of Lake Lapworth.