'Drowned and forgotten' UK village 'reappears like lost city of Atlantis'

26 November 2023 , 17:45

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The old church at Mardale in Cumberland, already partially demolished, is apart of the ghostly remains of the village that can sometimes be seen when water levels are low (Image: Getty Images)

A British village, once drowned and forgotten, has re-emerged much like the mythical lost city of Atlantis.

Mardale Green was flooded to provide water for Manchester, but occasionally resurfaces when the weather is warm and water levels drop. The neighbouring settlements of Mardale and Measand were submerged to create the UK's largest reservoir, Haweswater Reservoir.

This was done to supply Manchester with drinking water for a century, with additional water from Thirlmere reservoir. In preparation, hundreds were forced to leave their homes, and 97 bodies were exhumed and re-buried in Shap village. The farms, houses, and the popular Dun Bull Inn were demolished. The loss of the inn, known for its hot buttered rum, was deeply felt by the local community.

Haweswater Reservoir - which covers up the sunken village (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The tiny Mardale Church, with seating for 50 or less, held its last service in August 1935. At the service, the Bishop of Carlisle spoke to 72 people inside, while outside hundreds stood in the fields and listened as the service was relayed over loudspeakers.

Renowned fell-walker Alfred Wainwright is said to have protested bitterly about the loss of Mardale, having first visited the village in 1930. In his last book, Wainwright in the Valleys of Lakeland (1996), he wrote pointedly of the "rape of Mardale."

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The Dun Bull Hotel - which was lost when Mardale was flooded (No credit)

Despite being demolished and submerged by the reservoir in the 1930s, when a prolonged period of hot weather occurs the water level can sink to such an extent that it's possible to walk among its ghostly village remains. The last time the village showed itself was in July 2022.

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Kieren Williams