About Pauline's Swamp
Pauline’s Swamp dates from the Fenlands times, with the original Parish records dating back to circa 1805. The Swamp was established in 2007 as resource for the Parish. It came into the possession of the Hawes family in 1992, latterly being looked after by Mr. Paul Hawes, who kindly donated it in A Deed of Trust to the Burwell Parish Council in 2007 in memory of his wife.
From 1885 to 1965 a railway used to run through the south of the swamp – you can still see the embankment. The site is managed by the Trustees of Pauline's Swamp, with the help of a group of professional advisors, and the Friends of Pauline's Swamp.
An area of approximately 750 square metres hosts a carr of mostly mature Aspen trees, under which there grows wild carrot, ransoms, and bluebells. Mixed evergreen and deciduous species grow on generally drier ground, stretching around the boundaries and Southern end of the Swamp along the old railway embankment.
The Swamp has a Wet Fen Meadow adjacent to the Seasonal Spring, a tall herb fen with running calcareous water of high quality. The mixed fen herbage grows up to 90cm tall. The primary structure is of soft rush and sedges with some larger notable wet fen species including fen marigold.
The calcareous stream - a seasonal There is an Open Meadow flowing watercourse fed from the Grassland, a grass rich meadow with limestone groundwater which flows into some early flowering species such as the pool to the south through a culvert daffodil, cowslip, lesser celandine, under the old railway line into Pauline’s and primrose. Later on cow parsley swamp. The stream indirectly feeds the dominates, followed by buttercups dipping pond at the top of the site, and and then meadowsweet. flows down the site through a series of restrictions, maintaining open water when flowing into a large shallow pool An area of approximately 750 square metres hosts a carr of mostly mature Aspen trees, under which there grows wild carrot, ransoms, and bluebells. Mixed evergreen and deciduous species grow on generally drier ground, stretching around the boundaries and Southern end of the Swamp along the old railway embankment. primarily vegetated by Soft Rush.
The Dipping Pond is approximately 40 square metres, with a seasonal depth range of 1.2-0.3m fed indirectly from the Seasonal Stream and possible direct groundwater. Due to the calcareous water supply the pond supports a large range of flora and fauna including calara and native water lillies.
An area of approximately 750 square metres hosts a carr of mostly mature Aspen trees, under which there grows wild carrot, ransoms, and bluebells. Mixed evergreen and deciduous species grow on generally drier ground, stretching around the boundaries and Southern end of the Swamp along the old railway embankment.
The Swamp has a Wet Fen Meadow adjacent to the Seasonal Spring, a tall herb fen with running calcareous water of high quality. The mixed fen herbage grows up to 90cm tall. The primary structure is of soft rush and sedges with some larger notable wet fen species including fen marigold.
The calcareous stream - a seasonal There is an Open Meadow flowing watercourse fed from the Grassland, a grass rich meadow with limestone groundwater which flows into some early flowering species such as the pool to the south through a culvert daffodil, cowslip, lesser celandine, under the old railway line into Pauline’s and primrose. Later on cow parsley swamp. The stream indirectly feeds the dominates, followed by buttercups dipping pond at the top of the site, and and then meadowsweet. flows down the site through a series of restrictions, maintaining open water when flowing into a large shallow pool An area of approximately 750 square metres hosts a carr of mostly mature Aspen trees, under which there grows wild carrot, ransoms, and bluebells. Mixed evergreen and deciduous species grow on generally drier ground, stretching around the boundaries and Southern end of the Swamp along the old railway embankment. primarily vegetated by Soft Rush.
The Dipping Pond is approximately 40 square metres, with a seasonal depth range of 1.2-0.3m fed indirectly from the Seasonal Stream and possible direct groundwater. Due to the calcareous water supply the pond supports a large range of flora and fauna including calara and native water lillies.