Mardale Green- what happened to Cumbria’s sunken village?

Mardale Green is a sunken settlement that lies beneath Haweswater reservoir.

It’s possible that you have been hiking in the area, walking past Haweswater reservoir without even realising that there is an abandoned hamlet sitting at the bottom of it.

(Facebook/Lake District National Park)

It only becomes visible to the public in the summer months and in severe droughts when the water disperses.

The hump back bridge, first built in the 17th century, and the rough outline of the streets are the only recognisable remnants of the settlements.

While it may just look like mud and rocks at surface level, Mardale Green was once a thriving area that was used as a settlement right up until the 1930s.

Although it was small, Mardale had a strong and close knit community and it was occupied mainly by farmers.

There were thought to be 12 houses in the hamlet, as well as a church and an Inn called the Dun Bull.

According to the National Trust, the pub was famous for its “autumnal shepherds’ meet,” which was held on the third Saturday of each November.

(Instagram/rjwalters24)

In the 1920s, demand for water began to increase and companies were looking for more places to introduce water into the surrounding towns and cities.

The quaint settlement of Mardale Green met its watery demise in 1935 when the Manchester Corporation (now known as United Utilities) planned to turn it into a reservoir.

According to Visit Cumbria there was a public outcry at this decision as “the construction of the reservoir would mean that these villages would be flooded and lost, and the population would have to be moved.”

Also, the valley was considered to be one of the most “picturesque” in Westmorland and many believed that it should be left alone.

An old tree stump at the former village of Mardale Green

(Photo: cc-by-sa/2.0 - © James T M Towill - geograph.org.uk/p/5871985)

However, the public’s outcry was overruled and all evidence of human settlement were pulled down.

Coffins were also exhumed from the ground and buried elsewhere.

Haweswater is now one of the largest lakes in the Lake District, at four miles long and half a mile wide.

Still, people flock to see what is left of the demolished ‘ghost town’ when water levels get low.

Have you ever visited this Cumbrian ‘ghost town’? Tell us about your experience in the comment section.