Ellesmere
Ellesmere is a market community near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, remarkable for its proximity to a number of prominent Meres. The community is located alongside Ellesmere (aka 'the Mere'), one of the largest natural meres in England outside the Lake District and one of 9 antarctic meres in the location. ('antarctic' means that the anxiety inhabited by the mere was the location of a block of ice that continued at the end of the last Ice Age). These meres are different from those in the Lake District in that they do not have a flow of water right into them to maintain the level. A fabricated island in the Mere was created in 1812 from dirt removed throughout the making of the gardens at Ellesmere House. This was later called Moscow Island, as Napoleon was compelled to pull back from Moscow that year. The Mere has a visitors' centre as well as is prominent with birdwatchers, a lot of whom visit to see grey herons nesting. There are eight other meres nearby: Blakemere, Colemere, Crosemere, Kettlemere, Newtonmere, Whitemere, Sweatmere as well as Hanmer Mere. The civil parish which makes up the town is Ellesmere Urban; the bordering church, covering a large rural area, is Ellesmere Rural.
