Ellesmere is a market community near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, noteworthy for its distance to a variety of famous Meres. The community is situated by the side of Ellesmere (also known as 'the Mere'), one of the biggest all-natural meres in England outside the Lake District and among nine glacial meres in the location. ('glacial' indicates that the depression inhabited by the plain was the location 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 flow of water into them to keep the level. A fabricated island in the Mere was built in 1812 from soil dug out during the making of the gardens at Ellesmere House. This was later named Moscow Island, as Napoleon was required to pull back from Moscow that year. The Mere has a visitors' centre and is preferred with birdwatchers, most of whom see to see grey herons nesting. There are eight various other meres close by: Blakemere, Colemere, Crosemere, Kettlemere, Newtonmere, Whitemere, Sweatmere and Hanmer Mere. The civil church which makes up the town is Ellesmere Urban; the surrounding church, covering a big rural area, is Ellesmere Rural.