Stanborough park
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, 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...
.
The park features two lakes, which were opened more recently in 1970. They are man made and were built as a result of gravel extraction at the time of the building of the A1(M) Motorway, although the thought of a riverside park had been considered since the city's Master Plan of 1949. The whole park is completely man made from an old quarry site creating the lakes and the hills around them.
The Boating Lake (the northern lake) at Stanborough is 11.3 acres (45,729.5 m²) in size. It is a shallow lake, under three feet in depth with several small islands. The boating lake is fed by water from the River Lea at its north end and from a spring. Excess water flows over a weir back into the river at the south end. Coarse fish such as carp are bred in the boating lake and fishing is banned here.
The Sailing Lake (the southern lake) is 15.3 acres (61,917 m²) in size. This lake has no islands but is deeper than the boating lake, more than six and a half feet deep in places. Unlike the Boating Lake the Sailing Lake is ground water fed. Before the lakes were built the River Lea used to flow through part of the Sailing Lake but it was re-directed to the west side. Many watersport activities take place here, including sailing, windsurfing and angling.
In November 2008, several hundred Lombardy Poplar trees in the South Car Park were chopped down by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is the local authority for the Welwyn Hatfield non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. Welwyn Hatfield is located in the centre of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region...
despite widespread local protest.