A very brief history of Potteric Carr

Potteric was part of the Humberhead Levels, a huge flat plain spanning over 2,000 square kilometres across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire which ultimately drained 20% of England’s landmass into the Humber Estuary.

A bittern, hiding in long grass with its long neck pointed up in the air.

A wildlife haven

Famed for its wetland birds, including 20% of Yorkshire’s breeding bitterns, marsh harriers, and Yorkshire’s first ever breeding black-winged stilts, Potteric Carr in Doncaster has much to offer from its position nestled between motorway and railway. It isn’t just important for birds; this year Potteric recorded just over a third of the UK’s dragonfly and damselfly species, including the willow emerald dragonfly for the first time, and is also home to great crested and palmate newts, water shrews, water voles, harvest mice and roe deer.

Whilst Doncaster today is a fairly well-developed low-lying area of land, it sits on the site of what was once a vast wetland stretching between the Trent and Don. This wetland was part of the Humberhead Levels, a huge flat plain spanning over 2,000 square kilometres across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire which ultimately drained 20% of England’s landmass into the Humber Estuary.

An aerial view of Potteric Carr from 2007

A long and rich history

Humans have been present around Potteric Carr since the last ice-age, living within the vast wet landscape most likely on a seasonal basis. Archaeological evidence can be seen on the reserve to this day. After the English Civil war in the mid-17^th century and in the face of increasing human influence, Potteric began to be slowly drained, allowing agriculture to expand and develop in the region, and was planted over with trees. This is a common practice that has continued up until very recently – 90% of England’s wetland habitats have been drained in the last 100 years to make space for infrastructure and agriculture.

Perhaps the most important development in the history of Potteric was the arrival of the railways – when in 1849, the Great Northern Railway cut through the area on its way south to London. Over the next 70 years further major railway developments further divided the land in response to the development of local industry and the demand for the rich local coal deposits.

This in turn created a number of land-locked ‘unusable’ areas of land, too small to be developed. As the low-lying geography of the area meant that underlying ground conditions were still fairly boggy in spite of historical drainage, these unusable land areas ended up proving beneficial to the survival of Potteric’s wetland habitat, allowing the small remaining oases of ancient fenland gain a foothold and be protected from development.

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A black wing stilt walking across a still lake. Its reflection is perfectly mirrored in the glass like water below.

A crucial site for nature

The value of the Potteric Car area had been recognised for many years by naturalists and scientists, and in 1968 this finally led to the establishment of Low Ellers nature reserve – the forerunner to Potteric Carr. Over the next 50 years the reserve expanded significantly through a series of planned (and unplanned) acquisitions and agreements, growing into the 200 hectare nature reserve we have today.

One of the most significant of these was the purchasing of a series of fields adjacent to the M18 and the subsequent creation of what is now Huxter Well Marsh, which achieved fame earlier this year when it was featured on Channel 4 News having dried out completely in the recent drought and representing the dangers of our changing climate.

A sunny view of Potteric Carr nature reserve. Blue skies and green grass.

Wilder Wetlands

Potteric Carr has continued to grow and expand beyond its original boundaries – ensuring that the existing mosaic of habitats can be protected against further development. All of our wetland nature reserves require extensive work to keep them happy and healthy – you can find out more about what we’re doing for our wetland sites here www.ywt.org.uk/wilder-wetlands.