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Wiltshire's own lost city of Atlantis: the mystery of Mannings Hill
Such was Capability Brown's desire to create a perfect pastoral scene that he flooded an entire village. So the folklore said. Now, 230 years on, the truth has been revealed. By Emily Dugan
Published: 20 July 2007
At first sight, the lake in the Wiltshire village of Bowood is a scene of almost total tranquillity. Nestled in the lush, verdant banks of the surrounding countryside, its surface broken only by the occasional and leisurely circling of a bevy of swans, it looks as if nothing has disturbed its perfect serenity in all its 250 years.
But nothing, as any Bowood resident familiar with the lake's eventful and complex past would tell you, could be further from the truth. Beneath its still waters lurks a centuries-old mystery that has fascinated and perplexed archaeologists for years, a story of raging controversy and historic drama that belies its apparent calm.
It was the decision of the legendary landscape gardener Capability Brown to transform the area with his trademark innovative zeal that changed the face of this rural corner of Wiltshire for ever. It was down to his determination to create a grand new design for the surroundings that the settlement of houses that then existed was sacrificed on the whim of the eccentric, whose ambition knew no bounds and whose nickname was earned by repeated - often ingenuous - assurances to clients that their gardens had "great capability" for landscape development.
In his overweening desire to create the perfect centrepiece to his new pastoral vision, Brown decided in 1776 to move tenants of the village of Mannings Hill out of their houses and flood the valley to create, in one fell swoop, a 45-acre lake. After damming the nearby Whetham stream, water in the valley built up until nothing of the village that had once stood there could be seen. It was believed that the cottages were taken apart and removed to another site before the dam was made, and that the tenants were rehoused in a neighbouring hamlet.
The story of the lake's troubled and, some would say, tragic birth has enthralled residents of modern-day Bowood for generations and has gradually slipped into local folklore. Crowds of history enthusiasts have gathered on the banks to stare into the depths of the murky waters and teams of divers have tried in vain to uncover some sign of the existence of the lost village that could still lurk at the bottom. In the balmy months of summer, some have even claimed to have seen the very tip of an ancient church steeple pierce the surface of the lake.
For years their efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery have all proved futile and even the most devout believers in the remnants of Mannings Hill had begun to lose hope of finding anything. But now, for the first time, they have been vindicated. Wiltshire's answer to the lost city of Atlantis has been discovered languishing in the silt of the lake-bed.
The astonishing find was amde by a group of amateur divers based in the village who refused to give up their search for the lost settlement. Jon Dodsworth, an IT consultant and underwater explorer whose life, he admits, "revolves around diving", made the landmark discovery at the weekend along with a team of divers from his amateur club.
With the help of sonar, Mr Dodsworth, 28, was able to find the first concrete evidence of the mystery settlement. "It seemed to be the foundations and wall of a cottage, as well as the remains of a dry stone wall that was probably the boundary for the garden or to divide a field", he said.
The discovery followed months of planning and research with the Calne Sub-Aqua Club, whose meetings had been relocated to their local pub, the Talbot Inn, after their sports centre was closed. The amateur crew were thrilled with their successes as they had not had high hopes for their rather ramshackle expedition. "Our club is really small, with just 15 members", said Mr Dodsworth. "We quite often thought there was no chance of us finding anything, so it was a really pleasant surprise."
The long sought-after proof that the lost village does exist has also caused great excitement to Lord Lansdowne, a descendant of the first Marquess of Lansdowne, who originally commissioned the lake as part of Capability Brown's redesign. At the time, the landscape gardener's high-profile commissions included the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Kew Gardens; by the 18th century his parks were so fashionable that not even the most influential patrons argued with his grandiose plans.
A keen diver himself, the current lord set off into the lake more than 25 years ago in search of the ruins, but found nothing. "I couldn't see a thing", he said. "I went from one end to the other, but I couldn't see past the silt. I didn't have a sonar so I was just feeling my way." Lord Lansdowne, 67, who has lived at Bowood since he was a teenager, said he was "delighted" that the team had found signs of the village. "That's lovely", he said. "I look forward to a report from the dive team, as we are very keen to know what they found and in what location so we can pinpoint where they found these buildings."
Mr Dodsworth said he was not surprised that Lord Lansdowne had not found the site the first time. "That's understandable", he said. "I saw nothing too. I just felt my way around; it was pitch black. The depth was only three metres, but I couldn't see my hand in front of me. It was the worst diving conditions I've ever seen, and it didn't help that we were digging in the silt. But we scanned the whole lake using sonar, so at least we had seen that there would be something in that area."
So powerful was the rumour of the church steeple's summertime appearances that when the dive team failed to find any sign of it underwater they started to lose heart. "After we had scoured the lake for the church and not found anything, I wasn't expecting much", said Mr Dodsworth. "I was going by touch, and I couldn't believe it when we found it." The silt was so thick that at times underwater navigation became near impossible, he said. "We couldn't even see our gauges. It was so dark down there that quite often I'd come to the surface and found I'd been swimming round in circles."
In the first of three dives at the weekend, the crew discovered four rocks that gave a clue to the dwellings. Simply by feeling under the water with his hands, Mr Dodsworth was able to pull out a selection of stone building blocks from the silt that appeared to come from the outside of a cottage, and a dry stone wall.
Nick Chamberlain, a map-maker and sub-aqua club member, was responsible for the team's initial research into the lost village.
He said: "I found this map of the grounds just by using Google", he explained. "It showed the lake after it had already been there 80 years, with an arrow pointing to where the village had been, so we were already pretty sure we would find something. Then, when we saw an old map at Bowood House which predated the lake and had a village marked, we were really excited. But we knew how difficult it would be to find it."
Mr Chamberlain was manning the boat on the dive, but after his hours of historical research he was watching the divers eagerly for signs of a find. "We were sitting on a boat, and we couldn't see what they were doing because it was so dark" he said. "I kept trying to look in, but with all the silt it was impossible. Then suddenly this hand came out of the water with a rock in it. I was so pleased."
The rock, which the divers later replaced, was the first piece of the underwater puzzle. Smooth on one side, it had obviously been painted. The divers had not noticed the paint until they had set it on shore to dry. "We put the rocks we found on the side, and it was when one of them started to dry out that the crew noticed the paint coating on the smooth side", said Mr Dodsworth. Another diver, Trevor Whitney, a construction worker and JCB driver, confirmed they were building blocks after recognising them by touch.
Mr Dodsworth said: "He knew instantly that they were building blocks, just by their feel and shape. The first one was the smooth one. Trevor recognised it straight away as a facing stone, like the ones you still see on the front of cottages. It was all squared off nicely, and it had a square face to it that was obviously done by hand. That's when we knew we were in the right place, which was when it got really exciting because we realised we were pulling up bits of someone's home."
It was on the second dive that Mr Dodsworth discovered the foundations, using an unconventional tool to probe the silted ruins. Armed with a gardening cane more likely to be used for propping up runner beans, he set about prodding the murky depths of the lake bed.
"Suddenly it hit against something that I thought was a rock," Mr Dodsworth explained. "Everything I hit was mud because the land had previously been fields. Then all of a sudden there was this sharp tap. As I felt along I realised that I was hitting flat foundations that were concreted together."
The foundations gave the final confirmation that they had found the fabled lost village, but they wanted to be sure that what they had discovered was not ordinarily in the make-up of the lake.
So a third and final dive was undertaken on the other side of the lake to confirm that the block-shaped stones were not typical of the lake-bed as a whole. Mr Dodsworth was relieved to discover that what they had found was only in the area that they believe is the site of the village. "There was nothing there that looked remotely like what we found on the other side. Just a load of mud and freshwater mussels. It was pretty clear that what we'd found was unique to that area," he said.
The relief when the divers - who plan to revisit the site in October - realised their underwater search had been successful was made all the greater after several false alarms. Mr Dodsworth, the dive master, said: "We collided quite a few times because it was so dark. I tried to pull a flipper off Trevor's foot because I thought I'd found something. I was pulling it and pulling it and then it just whipped off."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2785470.ece
kenb
Wiltshire's own lost city of Atlantis: the mystery of Mannings Hill
Such was Capability Brown's desire to create a perfect pastoral scene that he flooded an entire village. So the folklore said. Now, 230 years on, the truth has been revealed. By Emily Dugan
Published: 20 July 2007
At first sight, the lake in the Wiltshire village of Bowood is a scene of almost total tranquillity. Nestled in the lush, verdant banks of the surrounding countryside, its surface broken only by the occasional and leisurely circling of a bevy of swans, it looks as if nothing has disturbed its perfect serenity in all its 250 years.
But nothing, as any Bowood resident familiar with the lake's eventful and complex past would tell you, could be further from the truth. Beneath its still waters lurks a centuries-old mystery that has fascinated and perplexed archaeologists for years, a story of raging controversy and historic drama that belies its apparent calm.
It was the decision of the legendary landscape gardener Capability Brown to transform the area with his trademark innovative zeal that changed the face of this rural corner of Wiltshire for ever. It was down to his determination to create a grand new design for the surroundings that the settlement of houses that then existed was sacrificed on the whim of the eccentric, whose ambition knew no bounds and whose nickname was earned by repeated - often ingenuous - assurances to clients that their gardens had "great capability" for landscape development.
In his overweening desire to create the perfect centrepiece to his new pastoral vision, Brown decided in 1776 to move tenants of the village of Mannings Hill out of their houses and flood the valley to create, in one fell swoop, a 45-acre lake. After damming the nearby Whetham stream, water in the valley built up until nothing of the village that had once stood there could be seen. It was believed that the cottages were taken apart and removed to another site before the dam was made, and that the tenants were rehoused in a neighbouring hamlet.
The story of the lake's troubled and, some would say, tragic birth has enthralled residents of modern-day Bowood for generations and has gradually slipped into local folklore. Crowds of history enthusiasts have gathered on the banks to stare into the depths of the murky waters and teams of divers have tried in vain to uncover some sign of the existence of the lost village that could still lurk at the bottom. In the balmy months of summer, some have even claimed to have seen the very tip of an ancient church steeple pierce the surface of the lake.
For years their efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery have all proved futile and even the most devout believers in the remnants of Mannings Hill had begun to lose hope of finding anything. But now, for the first time, they have been vindicated. Wiltshire's answer to the lost city of Atlantis has been discovered languishing in the silt of the lake-bed.
The astonishing find was amde by a group of amateur divers based in the village who refused to give up their search for the lost settlement. Jon Dodsworth, an IT consultant and underwater explorer whose life, he admits, "revolves around diving", made the landmark discovery at the weekend along with a team of divers from his amateur club.
With the help of sonar, Mr Dodsworth, 28, was able to find the first concrete evidence of the mystery settlement. "It seemed to be the foundations and wall of a cottage, as well as the remains of a dry stone wall that was probably the boundary for the garden or to divide a field", he said.
The discovery followed months of planning and research with the Calne Sub-Aqua Club, whose meetings had been relocated to their local pub, the Talbot Inn, after their sports centre was closed. The amateur crew were thrilled with their successes as they had not had high hopes for their rather ramshackle expedition. "Our club is really small, with just 15 members", said Mr Dodsworth. "We quite often thought there was no chance of us finding anything, so it was a really pleasant surprise."
The long sought-after proof that the lost village does exist has also caused great excitement to Lord Lansdowne, a descendant of the first Marquess of Lansdowne, who originally commissioned the lake as part of Capability Brown's redesign. At the time, the landscape gardener's high-profile commissions included the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Kew Gardens; by the 18th century his parks were so fashionable that not even the most influential patrons argued with his grandiose plans.
A keen diver himself, the current lord set off into the lake more than 25 years ago in search of the ruins, but found nothing. "I couldn't see a thing", he said. "I went from one end to the other, but I couldn't see past the silt. I didn't have a sonar so I was just feeling my way." Lord Lansdowne, 67, who has lived at Bowood since he was a teenager, said he was "delighted" that the team had found signs of the village. "That's lovely", he said. "I look forward to a report from the dive team, as we are very keen to know what they found and in what location so we can pinpoint where they found these buildings."
Mr Dodsworth said he was not surprised that Lord Lansdowne had not found the site the first time. "That's understandable", he said. "I saw nothing too. I just felt my way around; it was pitch black. The depth was only three metres, but I couldn't see my hand in front of me. It was the worst diving conditions I've ever seen, and it didn't help that we were digging in the silt. But we scanned the whole lake using sonar, so at least we had seen that there would be something in that area."
So powerful was the rumour of the church steeple's summertime appearances that when the dive team failed to find any sign of it underwater they started to lose heart. "After we had scoured the lake for the church and not found anything, I wasn't expecting much", said Mr Dodsworth. "I was going by touch, and I couldn't believe it when we found it." The silt was so thick that at times underwater navigation became near impossible, he said. "We couldn't even see our gauges. It was so dark down there that quite often I'd come to the surface and found I'd been swimming round in circles."
In the first of three dives at the weekend, the crew discovered four rocks that gave a clue to the dwellings. Simply by feeling under the water with his hands, Mr Dodsworth was able to pull out a selection of stone building blocks from the silt that appeared to come from the outside of a cottage, and a dry stone wall.
Nick Chamberlain, a map-maker and sub-aqua club member, was responsible for the team's initial research into the lost village.
He said: "I found this map of the grounds just by using Google", he explained. "It showed the lake after it had already been there 80 years, with an arrow pointing to where the village had been, so we were already pretty sure we would find something. Then, when we saw an old map at Bowood House which predated the lake and had a village marked, we were really excited. But we knew how difficult it would be to find it."
Mr Chamberlain was manning the boat on the dive, but after his hours of historical research he was watching the divers eagerly for signs of a find. "We were sitting on a boat, and we couldn't see what they were doing because it was so dark" he said. "I kept trying to look in, but with all the silt it was impossible. Then suddenly this hand came out of the water with a rock in it. I was so pleased."
The rock, which the divers later replaced, was the first piece of the underwater puzzle. Smooth on one side, it had obviously been painted. The divers had not noticed the paint until they had set it on shore to dry. "We put the rocks we found on the side, and it was when one of them started to dry out that the crew noticed the paint coating on the smooth side", said Mr Dodsworth. Another diver, Trevor Whitney, a construction worker and JCB driver, confirmed they were building blocks after recognising them by touch.
Mr Dodsworth said: "He knew instantly that they were building blocks, just by their feel and shape. The first one was the smooth one. Trevor recognised it straight away as a facing stone, like the ones you still see on the front of cottages. It was all squared off nicely, and it had a square face to it that was obviously done by hand. That's when we knew we were in the right place, which was when it got really exciting because we realised we were pulling up bits of someone's home."
It was on the second dive that Mr Dodsworth discovered the foundations, using an unconventional tool to probe the silted ruins. Armed with a gardening cane more likely to be used for propping up runner beans, he set about prodding the murky depths of the lake bed.
"Suddenly it hit against something that I thought was a rock," Mr Dodsworth explained. "Everything I hit was mud because the land had previously been fields. Then all of a sudden there was this sharp tap. As I felt along I realised that I was hitting flat foundations that were concreted together."
The foundations gave the final confirmation that they had found the fabled lost village, but they wanted to be sure that what they had discovered was not ordinarily in the make-up of the lake.
So a third and final dive was undertaken on the other side of the lake to confirm that the block-shaped stones were not typical of the lake-bed as a whole. Mr Dodsworth was relieved to discover that what they had found was only in the area that they believe is the site of the village. "There was nothing there that looked remotely like what we found on the other side. Just a load of mud and freshwater mussels. It was pretty clear that what we'd found was unique to that area," he said.
The relief when the divers - who plan to revisit the site in October - realised their underwater search had been successful was made all the greater after several false alarms. Mr Dodsworth, the dive master, said: "We collided quite a few times because it was so dark. I tried to pull a flipper off Trevor's foot because I thought I'd found something. I was pulling it and pulling it and then it just whipped off."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2785470.ece
kenb
