A chalk cutting machine preserved from the site's days as a chalk quarry

College Lake is a 65 hectare nature reserve in a former chalk quarry in Pitstone in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire. It is one of the flagship reserves of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and it has an information centre, education facilities, a café, toilets and a shop.[1] It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[2] The area east of the lake is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest called Pitstone Quarry.[3][4]

The site has more than a thousand species of wildlife on the lake, marshland and grassland. Rare species include Lapwings, which nest on islands in the lake, and redwing. The marshes are an important habitat for breeding waders. The grassland has a variety of flowers, which support a variety of insects, birds and mammals.[1]

The visitor centre opened to the public in 2010.[1]

During the late 20th century College Lake was a working quarry and the chalk was excavated and made into cement for use in building construction. Many fossils, including ammonites and sea urchins, were uncovered during the excavations and fossils from the site are on display in the visitor centre .[5]

Entrance to the visitor centre, under construction in 2009

There is access from the Upper Icknield Way.

The site takes its name from College farm that existed here before quarrying started in the twentieth century.[6] The farm buildings were located on the rising ground on the north side of the present lake. The farm in turn took its name from Trinity College Cambridge which owned the land.[7]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "College Lake". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "College Lake Nature Reserve". Chilterns Conservation Board. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Pitstone Quarry citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Map of Pitstone Quarry". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Geology Rocks College Lake! | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust". www.bbowt.org.uk. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland . College farm shown on OS 6 inch to mile map of 1888 -1913". maps.nls.uk. 1913. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Information provided in Visitor Centre March 2023.

51°49′12″N 0°39′00″W / 51.8201°N 0.6501°W / 51.8201; -0.6501

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