Afternoon light on Diss Mere
These days Diss Mere is a very pleasant inland lake in the middle of the town.
Diss takes its name from this body of water – Dic or Disce is the Saxon word for ‘ditch of standing water’ – and describes what is said to be one of the deepest natural inland lakes in the country.
The real depth is said to be from about 17 to nearly 20 feet, and beneath the deep water lies an estimated 23 metres of mud. Its muddy bottom, formerly the receptacle of all the town sewage, has been described as swarming with eels in times gone by.
The Mere was, in Victorian times, polluted by the hatters and dyers who dumped their mercury-rich waste into the water which, when added to the town’s sewage, made for a potent brew.
I rely on the Eastern Daily Press for this information.
Afternoon light on Diss Mere
These days Diss Mere is a very pleasant inland lake in the middle of the town.
Diss takes its name from this body of water – Dic or Disce is the Saxon word for ‘ditch of standing water’ – and describes what is said to be one of the deepest natural inland lakes in the country.
The real depth is said to be from about 17 to nearly 20 feet, and beneath the deep water lies an estimated 23 metres of mud. Its muddy bottom, formerly the receptacle of all the town sewage, has been described as swarming with eels in times gone by.
The Mere was, in Victorian times, polluted by the hatters and dyers who dumped their mercury-rich waste into the water which, when added to the town’s sewage, made for a potent brew.
I rely on the Eastern Daily Press for this information.