Ellesmere is a market community near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its distance to a variety of noticeable Meres. The community is located by the side of Ellesmere (aka 'the Mere'), among the largest natural meres in England outside the Lake District as well as one of nine glacial meres in the location. ('glacial' indicates that the anxiety inhabited by the plain was the place of a block of ice that lingered at the end of the last Glacial period). These meres are different from those in the Lake District in that they do not have a circulation of water right into them to preserve the level. A fabricated island in the Mere was created in 1812 from dirt removed during the production of the gardens at Ellesmere House. This was later named Moscow Island, as Napoleon was required to pull away from Moscow that year. The Mere has a visitors' centre and also is popular with birdwatchers, a number of whom check out to see grey herons nesting. There are 8 various other meres close by: Blakemere, Colemere, Crosemere, Kettlemere, Newtonmere, Whitemere, Sweatmere and also Hanmer Mere. The civil church which makes up the town is Ellesmere Urban; the bordering parish, covering a huge backwoods, is Ellesmere Rural.