The Long Preston Deeps
Historian Andrew Stachulski discovers a fascinating land management project that is bringing new life to a large floodplain
As you travel along the A65 between Long Preston and Settle, a remarkable prospect can be seen on your left. This area, unique along the Ribble, is an inundated region up to a mile wide at one point, almost a lake during wet spells especially in winter. Known locally as the Long Preston Deeps, this area stretches roughly from Cow Bridge near Wigglesworth to the A65 crossing. This has become the scene of a long-standing, major community endeavour, the Long Preston Floodplain Project, which seeks to encourage both varied wildlife and local farming and has just celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Before the end of the last ice age, the Deeps did indeed form a wide, shallow lake which burst through a moraine barrier (material left behind by a moving glacier) of present-day Rathmell when the glacier finally retreated. This was the birth of the Ribble as we know it today. Although the floodplain itself was too wet for settlement, the discovery of prehistoric flints and axes from the adjacent banks shows that the area was habited during this time, indeed probably farmed since the Bronze Age. There is strong evidence of crop growing in the Middle Ages – the land was shaped into a series of furrows and ridges, allowing drier elevated strips where the crops could be grown. Later, from around 1800, much of the flooded area was drained and artificial banks were installed, making the land more productive – especially for livestock farming – but losing much of the old wetland habitat and wildlife.
The programme of restorative work, much of which is now contracted out, has various aspects. The Ribble Rivers Trust has been especially active in this work. Some artificial flood banks previously created had a negative impact, by hindering natural processes, namely erosion and sediment deposition. Sediment deposition is important for the river’s health and is being assisted by improving river to floodplain connectivity. Woodland creation is also improving the balance of what was becoming an increasingly barren area.
There is a delicate balance to be kept during the restoration work. Concerning wildlife, the Deeps provide an ideal environment for many wading birds in particular, there are encouraging signs from a report in 2020 that the area is now seeing some recovery in bird numbers. Grassland management has been greatly reduced, allowing adjacent fields to retain water and maintain a bogland habitat – an important aspect of the overall land management. This encourages many species of visiting birds throughout the year. Inevitably this water retention also regulates the Ribble’s flow and reduces flooding downstream following heavy rainfall. Residents of Sawley and Ribchester, in particular, know well enough the power of the Ribble in flood.
The whole area boasts a rich variety of flora and fauna and is especially abundant in bird life. To name a few, you may enjoy the graceful wing folding of the lapwing, witness the sudden explosive rising of a snipe or hear the excited cries of the noisy but endearing redshank. Whooper swans are among the winter visitors, and where there are sandy banks kingfisher and sand martin, the latter in summer, are likely to be seen. Among animal species, otter may well be seen and the carnivorous mink, which some regard as unwelcome migrants, are probably responsible in part for the decline of some birds and fish. Other potentially threatening invasive species include certain plant life, notably Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed.
As the Ribble flows on south below Cow Bridge, it resumes a more familiar course with a narrower stream and well-defined banks. Yet the Deeps, though admittedly a small area in the bigger picture, help to impart an even more diverse character to our local river. What great variety it packs into its barely eighty miles’ journey to the sea.
Bibliography:
Andrew Stachulski is co-author with Helen Shelmerdine of ‘The Forest of Bowland’, published in 2015 by Merlin Unwin @£14.99.
Acknowledgements:
I am most grateful to the Ribble Rivers Trust and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust for their splendid help in preparing this article. Other bodies involved in the floodplain project are the Environment Agency, Natural England, North Yorkshire County Council, the RSPB and the YDNPA.
