The lake may be pre-medieval but was largely dug in medieval times to extract peat for burning.[2][3] It came into use as a duck decoy, a site designed for the large-scale hunting of waterfowl.[3] Artificial water channels covered with net-tunnels were constructed around the lake. Ducks would be encouraged to swim down the channels using dogs or food and would be trapped on reaching the end. At one point, 21 such channels were in operation around the lake, four remained in operation in 1918.[4]
During the Second World War, a secret training facility was located at Fritton Lake. Its purpose was to train tank crews of DD tanks – amphibious versions of British Valentine Tanks and American-made Sherman tanks. Between April 1943 and May 1944 British, American, and Canadian units came to Fritton Lake to be trained in the use of these tanks.[5] One tank that sank during training remains in the lake.[3] The site remained in military use into the early 1950s as part of the Specialised Armoured Development Establishment,[6] during which further amphibious experiments and trials were undertaken. The waterline was raised in 1954 by the building up of a weir.[2]
Current uses and amenityedit
Nearby pub, the Decoy Tavern
Adjoining are a range of attractions:
The Fritton Arms, a large pub with outdoor areas (open to members and their guests and paying holidaymakers only)
Fritton Lake is a private members' club and holiday resort; non-members are not admitted other than as guests of members, or as holidaymakers staying in the retreats on site.
Eventsedit
Fritton Lake Triathlon includes an open-water swim in the lake. Unseen reeds in parts of the lake mean that unsupervised swimming has been flagged by the owners as dangerous and forbidden.[7][1]
fritton, lake, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, available, ass. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Fritton Lake or Fritton Decoy is a lake on the border of the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk close to the towns of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth It is located within the parishes of Fritton and St Olaves and Somerleyton Ashby and Herringfleet A private member s club operates on the Fritton side of the lake owned by the Somerleyton Estate 1 Fritton LakeView across Fritton Decoy The view is southwesterly towards Ashby Warren May 2008Fritton LakeShow map of NorfolkFritton LakeShow map of EnglandLocationNorfolk and Suffolk EnglandCoordinates52 32 35 N 1 39 32 E 52 543 N 1 659 E 52 543 1 659Peter Scott lived in a cottage rented from 2nd Lord Somerleyton on the north bank of Fritton Lake during the 1930s Contents 1 Past uses 2 Current uses and amenity 3 Events 4 References 5 External linksPast uses editThe lake may be pre medieval but was largely dug in medieval times to extract peat for burning 2 3 It came into use as a duck decoy a site designed for the large scale hunting of waterfowl 3 Artificial water channels covered with net tunnels were constructed around the lake Ducks would be encouraged to swim down the channels using dogs or food and would be trapped on reaching the end At one point 21 such channels were in operation around the lake four remained in operation in 1918 4 During the Second World War a secret training facility was located at Fritton Lake Its purpose was to train tank crews of DD tanks amphibious versions of British Valentine Tanks and American made Sherman tanks Between April 1943 and May 1944 British American and Canadian units came to Fritton Lake to be trained in the use of these tanks 5 One tank that sank during training remains in the lake 3 The site remained in military use into the early 1950s as part of the Specialised Armoured Development Establishment 6 during which further amphibious experiments and trials were undertaken The waterline was raised in 1954 by the building up of a weir 2 Current uses and amenity edit nbsp Nearby pub the Decoy TavernAdjoining are a range of attractions The Fritton Arms a large pub with outdoor areas open to members and their guests and paying holidaymakers only Fritton Lake Woodland Lodges 1 AdmittanceFritton Lake is a private members club and holiday resort non members are not admitted other than as guests of members or as holidaymakers staying in the retreats on site Events editFritton Lake Triathlon includes an open water swim in the lake Unseen reeds in parts of the lake mean that unsupervised swimming has been flagged by the owners as dangerous and forbidden 7 1 References edit a b c Somerleyton co uk Fritton Lake Activities in Suffolk UK Archived 2011 05 27 at the Wayback Machine website of the owning group related to Lord Somerleyton seated at nearby Somerleyton Hall a b Green v Lord Somerleyton amp Ors 2003 EWCA Civ 198 28 February 2003 Bailii org Retrieved 2022 09 07 a b c NHER Number 13527 Norfolk Heritage Explorer Norfolk Historic Environment Service Whitaker J 1918 British duck decoys of today 1918 London Burlington Pub Co pp 73 75 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2014 05 06 Retrieved 2014 05 05 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Public Record Office Kew WO 341 184 Fritton Lake Triathlon Archived from the original on 2011 02 06 Retrieved 2011 04 06 External links editFritton Lake tourism website 1 Duplex Drive Tank Website 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fritton Lake amp oldid 1142507099, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
