Description:This postcard view looks north-west towards Aqualate Mere from Broad Hill, near Gnosall.
The name ‘Mere’ comes from the large pool there, which is a natural, shallow lake formed following the retreat of ice after the last Ice Age, around 11,700 years ago, fed by the River Meese it is the largest natural sheet of water in Staffordshire and the West Midlands, about one mile in length by half a mile wide. In the Domesday Book, a fishery is recorded in the manor with 4,000 eels.
Today (August 2023) Aqualate Mere is a National Nature Reserve (NNR) centred at the heart of the private Aqualate Estate; it is designated under Ramsar as an internationally important wetland reserve for its habitats and overwintering wildfowl populations. This magnificent reserve is leased and managed by Natural England from the Aqualate Estate. Wildlife can be viewed in close quarters from the public observation hide at the eastern end of the Mere. Aqualate also supports a large heronry that has been on site for over 300 years.
This postcard was franked on 24 November 1930 in Gnosall and it was sent to: Miss Meadows, The Sister Dora” Convalescent Home, Milford, nr, Stafford, with the following message: “Dear Auntie Nellie, We shall all be very pleased to see you tomorrow. With much love from Margaret”.