Qualla: Redgrave and Lopham Fens https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens en-us © 2026 Bendyline Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:34:11 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Redgrave and Lopham Fens https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens Redgrave and Lopham Fens: Introduction https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens/ Photo credit John Went, CC BY-SA 2.0. In 1959, a borehole was drilled at Redgrave and Lopham Fens to supply drinking water to the local population. It could draw 3,600 cubic metres a day from the underlying aquifer. Within a few years, the fens began to dry out. The springs that fed the wetland were being drained away, and by the early 1960s the site was cycling between summer drought and winter flood where there had previously been a stable year-round water supply. Scrub invaded. A 127-hectare fen that had been shaped by centuries of human use, and recognised since 1954 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, was deteriorating.

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Image: John Went | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/u129-redgrave-and-lopham-fens-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Redgrave and Lopham Fens: England's Largest River Valley Fen https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens/ Photo credit Alethe, CC BY-SA 3.0. Redgrave and Lopham Fens occupies the headwaters of two rivers: the Waveney, which runs northeast to the Norfolk Broads, and the Little Ouse, which runs west toward the Fens. The site straddles the Suffolk-Norfolk border between Thelnetham and Diss. It is the largest remaining ar...

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Image: Alethe | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/u129-redgrave-and-lopham-fens-englands-largest-river-valley-fen.mp3 0:06 2 full Redgrave and Lopham Fens: The Fen Raft Spider https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens/ Photo credit Andrew Hill, CC BY-SA 2.0. One of only three sites in the United Kingdom where the fen raft spider — Dolomedes plantarius — is known to survive, Redgrave and Lopham hosts what is considered a nationally important population. The spider is large, semi-aquatic, and hunts on the surface of still water; it req...

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Image: Andrew Hill | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/u129-redgrave-and-lopham-fens-the-fen-raft-spider.mp3 0:06 3 full Redgrave and Lopham Fens: Restoring the Water https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens/ Photo credit Stavros1, CC BY 3.0. The restoration project, funded in part by the European Commission's LIFE Fund, cost over £3.4 million and divided into three elements: borehole relocation, river restoration, and fen restoration. Finding a new borehole location that could supply the same water needs without draw...

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Image: Stavros1 | CC BY 3.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/u129-redgrave-and-lopham-fens-restoring-the-water.mp3 0:06 4 full Redgrave and Lopham Fens: Managing a Living System https://qualla.com/redgrave-and-lopham-fens/ Photo credit Alethe, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Suffolk Wildlife Trust manages the reserve with a combination of professional staff and volunteers. Hebridean sheep and beef cattle graze the drier margins; in 1995 the trust introduced a herd of Polish Konik ponies — chosen for their hardiness and ability to graze in very we...

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Image: Alethe | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/2/9/redgrave-and-lopham-fens-wp/u129-redgrave-and-lopham-fens-managing-a-living-system.mp3 0:06 5 full