History

Stone-age settlements; Roman villas; medieval water mills; the great Abbey of St Edmund; four hundred years of navigation and drainage projects; modern intensive agriculture, industry and housing: the Lark’s waters have been central to the history, culture, and economics of this region for thousands of years. Over that time, all but the most deeply incised of the headwater streams have been greatly altered by
human activity.

The changes that human activity has made to this river are stark. We have polluted it, encased it in concrete, treated it simply as a drain for the surrounding land, and by rerouting and straightening it, cut more than 4 miles from its original length.

Eastgate Weir, Bury St Edmunds. Although intended to keep water in the Abbey Gardens, the effect of this interruption to the flow is a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is a danger to fish and invertebrates in the water
Eastgate Weir, Bury St Edmunds. Although intended to keep water in the Abbey Gardens, the effect of this interruption to the flow is a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is a danger to fish and invertebrates in the water
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