Hornsea Mere is the largest freshwater lake in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England, and lies to the west of

Hornsea Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

. The mere was used as a base for the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

and then latterly, the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Description

It covers an area of , is long, at its widest point and at its deepest. The average depth of the lake is and the mere itself lies only above sea level. The mere is fed by several small streams and a sluice gate at the eastern end of the mere controls the outflow, which travels only eastwards to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. Hornsea Mere is a centre for bird-watching and a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

offering

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

, boat trips and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. It is a designated

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

and a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

for birds; it accommodates many species throughout the year, and is of international importance for a migratory population of

gadwall The gadwall (''Mareca strepera'') is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae. Taxonomy The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. DNA studies have shown that ...

. Its shallowness results in a diverse range of swamp and

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

plants. It was featured in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

television programme ''

Seven Natural Wonders ''Seven Natural Wonders'' is a television series that was broadcast on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. The programme takes an area of England each week and, from votes by the people living in that area, shows the 'seven natural wonders' of t ...

''. Hornsea Mere is owned by Wassand Hall, situated to the west of the mere, and was purchased by the Hall's estate for £50 in the 16th century. The mere is the base for Hornsea Sailing Club.

RNAS Hornsea Mere

A Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base was opened on the mere in September 1917. Initially, numbers 248 and 251 squadrons operated from RNAS Hornsea Mere with a headquarters at Killingholme. No. 251 Squadron operated non-water based aircraft so did not actually fly from Hornsea despite being based there. The RNAS base was located on Kirkholme Nab, a small peninsula that sticks out westwards from the eastern shore. The RNAS installed two

Bessonneau hangar The Bessonneau hangar was a portable timber and canvas aircraft hangar used by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'' and subsequently adopted by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War. M ...

s and two slipways from Kirkholme Nab which allowed a dozen seaplanes to be operated from the base. Various flights flew from here in coastal protection and submarine attack operations. These flights were eventually grouped together to form No. 248 Squadron who were commanded by No. 79 (Operations) Wing (who also commanded No. 251 Squadron, hence their allocation at Hornsea Mere). A number of brick buildings left behind by the RAF in 1919 are still in use today, employed by the boatyard and the cafe which operate there. Despite being vacated by the RAF, the mere and the former RNAS buildings were used as a starting point for aerial practice runs on the bombing range at

RAF Cowden RAF Cowden was a Royal Air Force bombing range, near to the village of Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site was used by the RAF and other air forces between 1959 and 1998, though the land part of the site was used by the army ...

on the

East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to th ...

coast.

References

Sources

External links

"Hornsea Mere"
East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Retrieved 27 June 2012 {{authority control Holderness Hornsea Special Protection Areas in England Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the East Riding of Yorkshire Protected areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire Lakes of the East Riding of Yorkshire