Peat Restoration and wetland creation works at Wicken Fen

In November 2024, William Morfoot Ltd were contracted by National Trust to undertake works at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. The aim of the works was to install two underground clay bunds to help retain groundwater within the site and wet up the peaty soils. This will help to preserve the peat – an important store of CO2 – but also improve the wetland habitat of the site.  The work involved digging trenches to precise levels and subsequently filling the trenches with clay sourced from a borrow pit on the site.

As the clay was laid, it was tightly compacted by specialist equipment to create a water tight bund that was formed.

Our team worked closely with the National Trust’s Project Manager, Ellis Selway, to ensure the project delivered exactly what was required. The team also liaised with Cambridge Archaeological Unit, enabling them to check and document any underlying archaeology before full excavations were carried out. The picture below shows an historic land drainage system, believed to be 18^th Century.

Our team was also responsible for installing 2 new water control structures on the site to help to manage water levels.

With our skills and expertise, we completed the project on time and within budget to the client’s requirements.

Little over a month after completing the project, it was clear that the bunds were doing their job, with significant areas of surface water starting to form. Our Environmental Projects Manager, Chris Bielby (an ecologist by training), was delighted to see snipe and lapwing feeding around the pools and a marsh harrier circling above.

Since then, crane have been using the site which is incredibly exciting.