Flooded fen

near Welney, Cambridgeshire UK. The fens are a rather flat area in north Cambridgeshire and southwest Norfolk. The whole area was often under water until Cornelius Vermuyden was commissioned by merchants to drain the fens so the land could be reclaimed, built on and farmed thus boosting trade and wealth. The work was done in the 1600s by hand and involved the construction of water channels and wind pumps (diesel powered now) for water to be moved to subtly higher levels and drained away inland or to the sea.