Holme Fen

Holme Fen
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location of Holme Fen.
Area of searchHuntingdonshire
Grid referenceTL 206 889[1]
InterestBiological
Area269.4 hectares[1]
Notification date1985[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Holme Fen is a 269.4-hectare (666-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Holme in Huntingdonshire.[1][2] It is also a National Nature Reserve[3] and a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I.[4] It is part of the Great Fen project, which aims to create a 3,700-hectare wetland wildlife area including Holme Fen, Woodwalton Fen and other areas.[5] It is home to a variety of birds, including the Eurasian siskin, nightingale and lesser redpoll, and around 450 species of fungi.[6]

Holme Fen is described by Natural England as the finest example of birch woodland in lowland Britain. Part of it was a mere which was drained in the nineteenth century, and some relict wetland plants survive such as saw sedge and fen wood-rush.[7] Two new lakes have been excavated.[5]

Holme Fen, specifically Holme Posts, is believed to be the lowest land point in the United Kingdom at 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) below sea level.[6][8]

History

On 22 November 1940, a Supermarine Spitfire, flown by Pilot Officer Harold Penketh, crashed into Holme Fen.

In October 2015, archaeological work to recover the Second World War Spitfire was undertaken. Led by Oxford Archaeology East's project director Stephen Macauley, the teams located and recovered artefacts from the crash. A film of the excavation was shown at the Great Fen's Countryside Centre, Ramsey Heights on 27 September 2019.[9]

On 27 July 2026 and again on 8 August 2026, after a series of nationwide heatwaves, firefighters were called to separate wildfires at the fen. 80 firefighters and 16 appliances attended at the height of the second fire.[10][11][12] Fire services from around the country sent appliances and crews to assist in battling the blaze, the size of which was likened to 60 football pitches. Fire damaged trees began to collapse which posed significant risk to firefighters. Due to the peat content, the fire burned underground and through root structures making the fire extremely complicated and difficult to extinguish.

Access

The reserve is open to the public throughout the year. Several footpaths cross the site.

Management

Holme Fen is at the south-western edge of the former Whittlesey Mere, which has been drained. The Great Fen Project aims to reconnect Holme Fen with nearby Woodwalton Fen, another vestigial fragment of wild fenland. Holme approximately marks the south-western limit of Stage 2 of the Great Fen Project.

See also

  • Ben Nevis – The highest point in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Designated Sites View: Holme Fen". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Map of Holme Fen". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Cambridgeshire's National Nature Reserves". Natural England. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  4. ↑ Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 56–57. ISBN 0521-21403-3.
  5. 1 2 "Great Fen". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Holme Fen NNR". 2008.
  7. ↑ "Holme Fen citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "UK's lowest spot is getting lower". BBC. 29 November 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  9. ↑ Fitton, Caroline (2019). "Great Fen Spitfire revisited". The Fens: Wisbech & Surrounding. 18: 32.
  10. ↑ Deady, Elliot (11 August 2026). "Why is Holme Fen wildfire lasting days?". BBC News.
  11. ↑ "Fire in the open - Holme - Huntingdonshire". Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue. 8 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Fire at Holme Nature Reserve at 'significant risk' of spreading". ITV News. 10 August 2026.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Holme Fen National Nature Reserve at Wikimedia Commons

52°29′10″N 0°13′26″W / 52.486°N 0.224°W / 52.486; -0.224

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