# The Wash > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Wash > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Wash.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wash > Source revision: 1339079781 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Bay and estuary on east coast of England}} {{other uses|Wash (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox settlement | name = The Wash | native_name = | native_name_lang = | settlement_type = [Site of Special Scientific Interest](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest) | image_skyline = Sunset at Hunstanton - geograph.org.uk - 39921.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Sunset in Hunstanton | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = The Wash England.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = The Wash, showing the position of the towns and major villages that are of significance and the neighbouring areas. | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_relief = y | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = {{nowrap|[Sovereign state](/source/Sovereign_state)}} | subdivision_name = {{nowrap|[United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom)}} | subdivision_type2 = {{nowrap|[Country](/source/Countries_of_the_United_Kingdom)}} | subdivision_name2 = [England](/source/England) | subdivision_type3 = [Regions](/source/Regions_of_England) | subdivision_name3 = {{nowrap|[East of England](/source/East_of_England)}}
{{nowrap|[East Midlands](/source/East_Midlands)}} | subdivision_type4 = [Counties](/source/Counties_of_England) | subdivision_name4 = [Lincolnshire](/source/Lincolnshire)
[Norfolk](/source/Norfolk) | subdivision_type5 = [Districts](/source/Districts_of_England) | subdivision_name5 = [East Lindsey](/source/East_Lindsey)
[Borough of Boston](/source/Borough_of_Boston)
[South Holland](/source/South_Holland_District)
{{nowrap|[King's Lynn and West Norfolk](/source/King's_Lynn_and_West_Norfolk)}} | area_footnotes = | area_urban_footnotes = | area_rural_footnotes = | area_metro_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | area_note = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank2_title = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_urban_km2 = | area_rural_km2 = | area_metro_km2 = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank2_km2 = | area_total_ha = | area_land_ha = | area_water_ha = | area_urban_ha = | area_rural_ha = | area_metro_ha = | area_blank1_ha = | area_blank2_ha = | length_km = | width_km = | dimensions_footnotes = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = [Greenwich Mean Time](/source/Greenwich_Mean_Time) | utc_offset1 = ±0 | timezone1_DST = [British Summer Time](/source/British_Summer_Time) | utc_offset1_DST = +1 | website = | footnotes = }} '''The Wash''' is a shallow natural rectangular [bay](/source/bay) and multiple [estuary](/source/estuary) on the east coast of [England](/source/England) in the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom). It is an inlet of the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea) and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK, as well as being the largest natural bay in England, and is the outflow for the rivers [Witham](/source/River_Witham), [Welland](/source/River_Welland), [Nene](/source/River_Nene) and the [Great Ouse](/source/River_Great_Ouse). It is also one of the most important conservation areas in Europe, with several nature reserves within this area. The coastline is partly in [Lincolnshire](/source/Lincolnshire) and partly in [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk%2C_England). The Lincolnshire side forms part of the only coastline of the [East Midlands](/source/East_Midlands) region, whilst the [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk) side forms the north-west corner of the [East Anglian](/source/East_Anglia) region. The coastline stretches from [Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire) just south of the seaside town of [Skegness](/source/Skegness) to Gore Point near the village of [Holme-next-the-Sea](/source/Holme-next-the-Sea), just east of the seaside town of [Hunstanton](/source/Hunstanton) in [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk). These two points are over {{convert|75|mi|km}} from each other by road, but only {{convert|11+1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} by sea. The bay comprises multiple estuaries, marshland, deep-water channels (particularly the Boston and Lynn Deeps), and shifting shallow-water channels, all surrounded by sandbanks. There are several large settlements near its coastline, the largest is the town of [King's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn) in Norfolk, followed by the two slightly smaller towns of [Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Lincolnshire) in Lincolnshire and [Wisbech](/source/Wisbech) in [Cambridgeshire](/source/Cambridgeshire). These are the three main [inland port](/source/inland_port)s in the Wash area; a fourth smaller port is also available for shipping on the River Nene at [Sutton Bridge](/source/Sutton_Bridge), and a small marina for pleasure craft is also accessible on the tidal River Welland at [Fosdyke Bridge](/source/Fosdyke). Nearby, on either side of the Wash at almost opposite ends to each other, are the seaside towns of [Skegness](/source/Skegness) which is located on the top of the Lincolnshire side just north of [Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire) and [Hunstanton](/source/Hunstanton) on the top of the Norfolk side north of the nearby royal estate of [Sandringham](/source/Sandringham_House). ==Geography== [[File:Boston Stump (38810540280).jpg |right|200px|thumb|[Boston Stump](/source/St_Botolph's_Church%2C_Boston) can be seen from virtually every part of the Wash, and locally is the oldest and most famous visible human-made landmark.]] [[File:Bentinck Dock at King's Lynn - geograph.org.uk - 228722.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The grain storage tower in [King's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn) can also be seen from many parts of the Wash]] right|200px|thumb|Sutton Bridge Power Station can be seen particularly from the eastern coastline of the Wash The Wash makes a large indentation in the coastline of [Eastern England](/source/Eastern_England) that separates Lincolnshire from the curved coast of [East Anglia](/source/East_Anglia). It is a large bay with three roughly straight sides meeting at right angles, each about {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=off|round=5}} in length. The western coast, which is roughly parallel to the east coast, runs from [Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire) to the mouth of the River Welland just north east of the village of [Fosdyke](/source/Fosdyke), and is entirely within Lincolnshire. The southern coast from Fosdyke to King's Lynn runs roughly north-west to south-east, connecting these two river mouths, and is punctuated by the mouth of a third river, the River Nene, which flows into the Wash just north of [Sutton Bridge](/source/Sutton_Bridge) with the county boundary between Lincolnshire and Norfolk (which is also the regional boundary between the [East Midlands](/source/East_Midlands) and the [East of England](/source/East_of_England)) meeting just beyond this point before it continues eastwards to Ongar Hill where it meets the mouth of the [River Great Ouse](/source/River_Great_Ouse). The eastern coast of the Wash is entirely within Norfolk, and initially extends from the mouth of the River Great Ouse just north of the town of King's Lynn north eastwards towards the small village of [Wolferton](/source/Wolferton) close to the [Sandringham estate](/source/Sandringham_House) before heading northwards from [Snettisham](/source/Snettisham) to the low lands of [Heacham](/source/Heacham), the town of Hunstanton, and the village of [Old Hunstanton](/source/Old_Hunstanton), before reaching its northern extremity at Gore Point near [Holme-next-the-Sea](/source/Holme-next-the-Sea), where the Norfolk coast turns eastwards. Inland from the Wash, the land is flat, low-lying and often marshy: these are [the Fens](/source/the_Fens) of Lincolnshire, [Cambridgeshire](/source/Cambridgeshire) and Norfolk. Deposition of sediment and [land reclamation](/source/land_reclamation) have markedly altered the coastline of the Wash in historical times. Several towns once on the coast of the Wash (notably King's Lynn) are now some distance inland. Much of the Wash itself is very shallow, with several large sandbanks, such as Breast Sand, Bulldog Sand, Roger Sand, and Old South Sand, which are exposed at low tide, especially along the south coast. These form hazards to navigation.See assembled [https://nbsg.wordpress.com/washing/ navigational guidance]. Three commercial shipping lane channels lead inland from the Wash: *the [River Nene](/source/River_Nene) leading to [Port Sutton Bridge](/source/Sutton_Bridge) in Lincolnshire and further inland to the [Port of Wisbech](/source/Port_of_Wisbech) in Cambridgeshire, *the River Great Ouse leading to [King's Lynn Docks](/source/King's_Lynn_Docks) in Norfolk, both via the large channel known as the Lynn Deeps. * The third shipping lane can be accessed via the narrower Boston Deeps channel to lead inland, via [The Haven](/source/The_Haven%2C_Boston) (River Witham) to the [Port of Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Lincolnshire). Each of the three shipping lanes has [maritime pilot](/source/maritime_pilot) stations to guide and navigate ships carrying cargo. Large boats can now only access the [River Welland](/source/River_Welland) as far as [Fosdyke Bridge](/source/Fosdyke) since the replacement of the old swing bridge which carries the [A17 road](/source/A17_road_(England)) over the river with a fixed bridge in 1990 following the decline of [Spalding](/source/Spalding%2C_Lincolnshire) as a port during the first part of the 20th century leaving only very small craft being able to use this route. A re-survey of the coastline of the Wash carried out by the Ordnance Survey in 2011 revealed that an estimated additional {{convert|3000|acres|ha|abbr=off}} on its coastline had been created by [accretion](/source/Accretion_(geology)) since previous surveys between 1960 and 1980. ==Water temperature== thumb|The Wash looking WSW from over Hunstanton. The Great Ouse and Nene are visible running south. The Wash varies enormously in water temperature throughout the year. Winter temperatures are brought near freezing by the cold North Sea flows. Summer water temperatures can reach {{convert|20|-|23|C|F|abbr=on}} after prolonged high ambient air temperature and sun. This effect, which typically happens in the shallow areas around beaches and often only in pockets of water, is exaggerated by the extensive sheltered [tidal reach](/source/tidal_reach). ==Wildlife== The Wash is made up of extensive [salt marsh](/source/salt_marsh)es, major inter-tidal banks of sand and mud, shallow waters, and deep channels. As understanding of the importance of the natural marshes has increased in the 21st century, the seawall at [Freiston](/source/Freiston) has been breached in three places to increase the salt-marsh area and provide extra [habitat](/source/habitat_(ecology)) for [bird](/source/bird)s, particularly [wader](/source/wader)s, and as a natural flood-prevention measure. The extensive creeks in the salt marsh and the vegetation that grows there help dissipate wave energy, thereby enhancing the protection afforded to the land behind the salt marsh. This is an example of recent exploration into the possibilities of [sustainable](/source/sustainable) [coastal management](/source/coastal_management) through [soft engineering](/source/soft_engineering) techniques, rather than through dykes and drainage. The same scheme includes a new [brackish](/source/Brackish_water) [lagoon](/source/lagoon) habitat. [[File:Snettisham-jetty.JPG|thumb|The jetty at [Snettisham RSPB reserve](/source/Snettisham_RSPB_reserve)]] On the eastern side of the Wash, low chalk cliffs with a noted red-chalk stratum are found at Hunstanton. The [gravel](/source/gravel) pits (lagoons) found at [Snettisham RSPB reserve](/source/Snettisham_RSPB_reserve) are an important roost for waders at high tide. This Special Protection Area (SPA) borders the North Norfolk Coast Special Protection Area. To the north-west, the Wash extends to Gibraltar Point, another SPA. The partly confined nature of the Wash habitats, combined with ample tidal flows, allows [shellfish](/source/shellfish) to breed, especially [shrimp](/source/shrimp), [cockle](/source/cockle_(bivalve))s and [mussel](/source/mussel)s. Some water birds, such as [oystercatcher](/source/common_pied_oystercatcher)s, feed on shellfish. It is also a breeding area for [common tern](/source/common_tern), and a feeding area for [marsh harriers](/source/western_marsh_harrier). Migrating birds such as [geese](/source/goose), [duck](/source/duck), and wading birds come to the Wash in large numbers to spend the winter, with an average total of around 400,000 birds present at any one time.''Waterbirds in the UK 2004/05: the wetland bird survey''. Banks, Collier, Austin, Hearn, and Musgrove. {{ISBN|1-904870-77-5}} It has been estimated that some two million birds a year use the Wash for feeding and roosting during their annual migrations. The Wash is recognised as internationally important for 17 bird species. They include [pink-footed goose](/source/pink-footed_goose), dark-bellied [brent goose](/source/brent_goose), [shelduck](/source/common_shelduck), [pintail](/source/northern_pintail), [oystercatcher](/source/Eurasian_oystercatcher), [ringed plover](/source/ringed_plover), [grey plover](/source/grey_plover), [golden plover](/source/Eurasian_golden_plover), [lapwing](/source/northern_lapwing), [knot](/source/red_knot), [sanderling](/source/sanderling), [dunlin](/source/dunlin), [black-tailed godwit](/source/black-tailed_godwit), [bar-tailed godwit](/source/bar-tailed_godwit), [curlew](/source/Eurasian_curlew), [redshank](/source/common_redshank) and [turnstone](/source/Ruddy_turnstone). ==History== [[File:Williamson p16 3.svg|thumb|The [Kingdom of East Anglia](/source/Kingdom_of_East_Anglia) during the early [Anglo-Saxon period](/source/Anglo-Saxon_period), showing the approximate coastline and [The Fens](/source/The_Fens) at the time]] [[File:"The Map of the marshland in Norfolk".jpg|thumb|"The Map of the marshland in Norfolk" from "The history of imbanking and drayning" by [William Dugdale](/source/William_Dugdale) (1662).]] ===Wash River=== At the end of the [latest glaciation](/source/Wisconsin_glaciation), and while the sea level remained lower than it is today, the rivers Witham, Welland, [Glen](/source/River_Glen%2C_Lincolnshire), Nene, and Great Ouse joined into a large river. The deep valley of the Wash was formed, not by an interglacial river, but by ice of the [Wolstonian](/source/Wolstonian_Stage) and [Devensian](/source/Last_Glacial_Period) stages flowing southwards up the slope represented by the modern coast and forming [tunnel valley](/source/tunnel_valley)s, of which the [Silver Pit](/source/Silver_Pit) is one of many. This process gave the Silver Pit its depth and narrowness. When the tunnel valley was free of ice and seawater, it was occupied by the river. This kept it free of sediment, unlike most tunnel valleys. Since the sea flooded it, the valley seems to have been kept open by tidal action. During the [Ipswichian Stage](/source/Eemian_Stage), the Wash River probably flowed by way of the site of the Silver Pit, but the tunnel valley would not have been formed at this stage, as its alignment seems inconsistent. In [Roman Britain](/source/Roman_Britain), embankments were built along the margins of the Wash to protect agricultural land from flooding. However, they fell into disrepair after the Roman withdrawal in 407 CE. From about 865 to about 1066, the Wash was used by the [Vikings](/source/Vikings) as a major route for invading [East Anglia](/source/East_Anglia) and the [Middle England](/source/English_Midlands). [Danes](/source/Danes) established themselves in [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge) in 875. Before the 12th century, when drainage and embankment efforts led by monks began to separate the land from the estuarine mudflats, the Wash was a tidal part of [the Fens](/source/the_Fens) that reached as far as [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge) and [Peterborough](/source/Peterborough). Local people put up fierce resistance against the [Normans](/source/Normans) for some time after the 1066 [Conquest](/source/Norman_Conquest_of_England). The name Wash may have been derived from [Old English](/source/Old_English) ''wāse'' meaning mud, slime, or ooze. The word ''Wasche'' is mentioned in the popular dictionary ''[Promptorium parvulorum](/source/Promptorium_parvulorum)'' of about 1440 as a water or a [ford](/source/ford_(crossing)) (''vadum''). A chronicle states that [King Edward VI](/source/Edward_VI_of_England) passed ''the Wasshes'' as he visited the town of [King's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn) in 1548. By then, documents began to refer to the ''Waashe'' or ''Wysche'', but only for the tidal sands and shoals of the rivers Welland and Nene. Sixteenth-century scholars identified the Wash as the ''Æstuarium Metuonis'' ("The Reaping/Mowing/Cutting-Off Estuary") mentioned by [Ptolemy](/source/Ptolemy) in Roman times. They claimed the word was still in occasional use. [William Camden](/source/William_Camden) characterized ''The Washes'' as "a very large arme" of the "German Ocean" (the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea)), "at every tide and high sea covered all with water, but when the sea ebbeth, and the tide is past, a man may pass over it as on dry land, but yet not without danger", as [King John](/source/John%2C_King_of_England) learned not without his loss (see below). Inspired by Camden's account, [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare) mentioned the ''Lincolne-Washes'' in his stage play ''King John'' (1616). During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Wash came to be used for the estuary itself. Drainage and reclamation works around the Wash continued until the 1970s. Large areas of salt marsh were progressively enclosed by banks and converted to agricultural land. The Wash is now surrounded by artificial sea defences on all three landward sides. In the 1970s, two large circular banks were built in the Terrington Marsh area of the Wash, as part of an abortive attempt to turn the entire estuary into a freshwater reservoir. The plan failed, not least because the banks were built using mud dredged from the salt marsh, which salinated the fresh water stored there. ===Hanseatic League=== From the 13th century, the market town and seaport of [Bishop's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn) became the first member trading depot (''[Kontor](/source/Kontor)'') in the [Kingdom of England](/source/Kingdom_of_England) of the [Hanseatic League](/source/Hanseatic_League) of ports. During the 14th century, Lynn was the most important port in England when the League dominated sea trade with Europe. It still retains two medieval Hanseatic League warehouses: Hanse House, built in 1475, and Marriott's Warehouse. ===King John's lost baggage at the Wash (1216)=== King [John of England](/source/John%2C_King_of_England) is reported to have lost part of his [baggage train](/source/baggage_train) at the Wash in 1216.{{Cite book |author=A. L. Poole |title=Domesday Book to Magna Carta, 1087-1216 |publisher=Oxford History of England |year=1955 |isbn=0-19-821707-2 |page=485}} According to contemporary accounts, the king travelled from [Spalding](/source/Spalding%2C_Lincolnshire), Lincolnshire, to [Bishop's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn), Norfolk, but fell ill and opted to return. While John took a longer route via [Wisbech](/source/Wisbech), his baggage train—comprising horse-drawn wagons—was sent across the mouth of the Wellstream, a passage navigable only at low tide. The convoy moved too slowly to avoid the incoming tide, resulting in the loss of several wagons. However, researcher Alan Marshall, using data from the [Royal Greenwich Observatory](/source/Royal_Greenwich_Observatory) and by the [Bidston Observatory](/source/Bidston_Hill) in [Birkenhead](/source/Birkenhead), contended that the tide had in fact been retreating. Through analysis of the reclaimed landscape, Marshall proposed that a reverse tidal surge—where the ebbing tide accelerated unexpectedly—was responsible for the incident.{{Cite book |author1=Neil Walker |author2=Thomas Craddock |title=The History of Wisbech and the Fens, by N. Walker and T. Craddock |publisher=R. Walker |url=https://archive.org/details/historywisbecha01cradgoog |year=1849 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historywisbecha01cradgoog/page/n234 211]–212}} http://www.desiderata-curiosa.co.uk/kingjohn.htm Scholars disagree on whether the royal regalia were among the baggage lost in the event.{{Cite book |author=John Steane |title=The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1SFAgAAQBAJ |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-64159-8 |page=33}} Some evidence indicates that the king’s ceremonial items remained intact after the journey.{{Cite book |author=Edward Francis Twining |title=A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvIOAQAAMAAJ |year=1960 |publisher=B. T. Batsford |page=114}} A later tradition suggests that John may have deposited his jewels in Lynn as security for a loan and subsequently arranged for their "loss". However, this theory is generally regarded as apocryphal. The loss is said to have occurred near [Sutton Bridge](/source/Sutton_Bridge) on the [River Nene](/source/River_Nene). John was recorded as staying the night of 12–13 October 1216 at [Swineshead Abbey](/source/Swineshead_Abbey) before continuing to [Newark-on-Trent](/source/Newark-on-Trent), where he died of illness on 19 October.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jMUelvP9vGwC&pg=PA89 |title=A Short History of England for Young People |author=E. S. Kirkland |publisher=Lightning Source Incorporated |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4437-7621-9 |page=89}} ===River and town names=== The name of the river changed as a result of the redirection of the [Great Ouse](/source/River_Great_Ouse) in the 17th century. Bishop's Lynn was renamed as King's Lynn in the 16th century as a result of King [Henry VIII](/source/Henry_VIII_of_England)'s establishment of the [Church of England](/source/Church_of_England). ==Air weapons training range== A [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) [Air Weapons Range](/source/Bombing_range) (AWR) Danger Area, supporting academic and operational exercises, lies along part of the Wash coastline. This designated zone is used by the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force), [Army Air Corps](/source/Army_Air_Corps_(United_Kingdom)), and [NATO](/source/NATO) allies for bombing and air weapons training. [RAF Holbeach](/source/RAF_Holbeach), active since 1926, was originally part of the former [RAF Sutton Bridge](/source/RAF_Sutton_Bridge) station.Airfield Focus 65: Sutton Bridge, Alastair Goodrum, 1997, {{ISBN|9781904514152}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/36994/holeach_air_gunnery_bombing_range.pdf|title=GOV.UK Publications, Ministry of Defence: Holbeach Air Gunnery and Bombing Range Bylaws; Statutory Rules and Orders 1939 No. 1608.}} Another range situated on the Wash—[RAF Wainfleet](/source/RAF_Wainfleet)—was active from 1938 until its decommissioning in 2010.{{cite web|title=Public information leaflet; Defence Training Estate East|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/43339/dte_info_leaflet_dteeast.pdf|website=www.gov.uk|publisher=Defence Estates|accessdate=13 January 2017|page=8|format=PDF}} ==Local tradition== Sailing from out of the South Lincolnshire Fens into the Wash, especially for shell-fishing, is traditionally known locally as "going down below". The origin of the phrase is unclear.{{Cite news |url=https://www.southhollandlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AOS-D-0045-When-Barges-worked-river.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063914/https://www.southhollandlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AOS-D-0045-When-Barges-worked-river.pdf |archive-date=2018-01-09 |url-status=live |title=When barges worked up the River Welland |newspaper=Lincolnshire Free Press |date=9 February 1993 |access-date=8 January 2018 }} ==Water channels etc== The bay comprises multiple estuaries, marshland, deep-water channels (in particular, the Boston and Lynn Deeps), and shifting shallow-water channels, all surrounded by sandbanks. Due to these features, it is considered one of the most challenging and hazardous places for sea navigation in the world. It is fed by the rivers [Witham](/source/River_Witham), [Welland](/source/River_Welland), [Nene](/source/River_Nene) and [Great Ouse](/source/Great_Ouse). It is a 620 km2 (240 sq. mi.) biological [Site of Special Scientific Interest](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest).{{Cite web |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1002591&SiteName=&countyCode=29&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: The Wash |series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=Natural England |access-date=22 June 2018}}{{Cite web |url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271002591%27 |title=Map of The Wash |series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=Natural England |access-date=22 June 2018}} It is also a [Nature Conservation Review](/source/Nature_Conservation_Review) site, Grade I,{{Cite book |editor-first=Derek |editor-last=Ratcliffe |title=A Nature Conservation Review |volume=2 |page=11 |publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press) |location=Cambridge, UK |year=1977 |isbn=0521-21403-3}} a [National Nature Reserve](/source/National_nature_reserve_(United_Kingdom)),{{Cite web |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=1006144&SiteName=the_wash&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: The Wash |series=National Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |access-date=2 June 2018}} a [Ramsar site](/source/Ramsar_site),{{Cite web| url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UK11072&SiteName=&countyCode=29&responsiblePerson=&unitId=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: The Wash |series=Ramsar Site |publisher=Natural England |access-date=2 June 2018}} a [Special Area of Conservation](/source/Special_Area_of_Conservation){{Cite web |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UK0017075&SiteName=&countyCode=29&responsiblePerson=&unitId=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: The Wash and North Norfolk Coast |series=Special Areas of Conservation |publisher=Natural England |access-date=1 June 2018}} and a [Special Protection Area](/source/Special_Protection_Area).{{Cite web |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UK9008021&SiteName=&countyCode=29&responsiblePerson=&unitId=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: The Wash |series=Special Protection Areas |publisher=Natural England |access-date=2 June 2018}} It is in the [Norfolk Coast](/source/Norfolk_Coast_AONB) [Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty](/source/Area_of_Outstanding_Natural_Beauty){{Cite web |url=http://www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk/mediaps/pdfuploads/pd001159.pdf |title=Norfolk Coast AONB Management Plan 2014-19: Other Conservation Designations within the AONB |publisher=Norfolk Coast AONB |access-date=25 May 2018 |archive-date=31 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161613/http://www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk/mediaps/pdfuploads/pd001159.pdf |url-status=dead }} and part of it is the Snettisham [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds](/source/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds) nature reserve.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/snettisham |title=Snettisham |publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |access-date=2 June 2018}} ==Landmarks== The four most distinctive artificial landmarks that can be seen from the bay are: * [St Botolph's Church](/source/St_Botolph's_Church%2C_Boston) in [Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Lincolnshire), the parish church of Boston is the most famous landmark to be seen in the bay. It has a tower known as the [Boston Stump](/source/Boston_Stump). This can be seen on clear days right across the bay and from the Norfolk side of the Wash, particularly from [Hunstanton](/source/Hunstanton). This dates from the 16th century and was often used by local fishermen as a navigation marker. * The Grain Storage Tower in [King's Lynn](/source/King's_Lynn) docks. * From the Norfolk side of the bay, [Sutton Bridge Power Station](/source/Sutton_Bridge_Power_Station) * The former lighthouse at [Old Hunstanton](/source/Old_Hunstanton) can also be seen from parts of the bay from the Lincolnshire side of the bay on clear days, particularly from [Skegness](/source/Skegness%2C_Lincolnshire) and also from [Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire). The [Outer Trial Bank](/source/Outer_Trial_Bank), a remnant of a 1970s experiment, lies some {{convert|2|mi|km|abbr=off|0|spell=on}} off the Lincolnshire coast near the mouth of the River Nene. The most notable natural feature is [Hunstanton Cliffs](/source/Hunstanton_Cliffs), comprising [strata](/source/strata) of orange, red, and white [chalk](/source/chalk). ==Proposed racetrack== In 1934, a proposal was made, supported by racing driver [Malcolm Campbell](/source/Malcolm_Campbell), to build a {{convert|15|mi|km|adj=mid|-long|abbr=off}} race track on reclaimed land from Boston to [Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire), near [Skegness](/source/Skegness). It would have been used as a road to Skegness when there was no racing. There was also to be a long lake for boat racing inside the track loop. The financial straits in the 1930s prevented the project from proceeding. ==See also== *[Boston Stump](/source/St_Botolph's_Church%2C_Boston) *[Centre Port](/source/Centre_Port), a plan to develop a tidal barrage and port in The Wash *[Gibraltar Point](/source/Gibraltar_Point%2C_Lincolnshire) *[Hunstanton](/source/Hunstanton) *[Norfolk Coast National Landscape](/source/Norfolk_Coast_National_Landscape) *[Outer Trial Bank](/source/Outer_Trial_Bank) *[RAF Holbeach](/source/RAF_Holbeach) *[Sandringham House](/source/Sandringham_House) *[Skegness](/source/Skegness) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== *J. Cook and N. Ashton, "High Lodge, Mildenhall", ''Current Archaeology'', No. 123 (1991) *{{Cite book |last =Waters |first =Richard |title=The Lost Treasure of King John: The Greatest Mystery of the Fens |edition=3rd |date=2014| orig-year=2003| location=Lincoln |publisher=Tucann |isbn=978-1-907516-33-7}} *R. G. West and J. J. Donner, "The Glaciation of East Anglia and the Midlands", ''Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London'', vol. 112 (1955) ==External links== *[http://www.lancewadplan.org/Cultural%20atlas/UK/Wash/the_wash.htm The Lancewad Plan Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508230220/http://www.lancewadplan.org/Cultural%20atlas/UK/Wash/the_wash.htm |date=2013-05-08 }} *[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/norfolks-national-nature-reserves/norfolks-national-nature-reserves#the-wash The Wash National Nature Reserve - GOV.UK] {{commons category|The Wash}} {{Coord|52|55|N|00|15|E|scale:500000|display=title}} {{SSSIs Norfolk}} {{River Nene}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wash, The}} Category:Estuaries of England Category:Landforms of Lincolnshire Category:National nature reserves in England Category:Landforms of Norfolk Category:Coastal features of Norfolk Category:Ramsar sites in England Category:Special Protection Areas in England Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Lincolnshire Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Norfolk Category:Nature Conservation Review sites Category:Inlets of the United Kingdom Category:Salt marshes of the United Kingdom Category:Natural regions of England Category:Bays of the North Sea --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Wash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wash) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wash?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.