Return to Speech House Lake

Three years ago I took a photograph from approximately this point on the edge of Speech House Lake in the Forest of Dean. On a recent walk that went by the lake I took another photograph in the same area. The reflections of the small islands of pines were better this time and the presence of clouds improved the shot considerably, as did the seasonally yellow tinge of the light. I had hoped to make more of the flock of mandarin ducks on the water but they quickly fled and were soon barely visible  (centre right).

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

A man-made lake

When I posted my first photograph of Speech House Lake in the Forest of Dean I speculated that, like other stretches of water in the Forest, this small lake was probably man-made and associated with either mine workings or the provision of water power. Some recent reading shows I was partly wrong. Apparently it was created at some point after 1974 because it does not appear on the Ordnance Suvey map of that time. Moreover, it was constructed, by damming a small stream, for the purposes of fishing. It continues to be used by fishermen today as well as offering a destination for walkers in the woodland.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Speech House Lake, Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean has a few small areas of open water. Most, if not all, of these are man-made, some connected with the powering of mills, others associated with workings that led to hollows filling with water. The Speech House Lake seems to have been created by the blocking of a stream for landscape or fishing purposes, though I may be wrong about that. What I can say with certainty is that it is one of the most picturesque of these stretches of water and I'm glad our first visit to it coincided with low morning sun and the remains of autumn leaves on the surrounding trees.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2