Ornamental Lakes traces the history of lakes in England, from their appearance in the early eighteenth century, through their development in the 1750s, and finally to their decline in the nineteenth century.

Wendy Bishop. After a career in teaching, including Malawian secondary schools, and teaching children with behavioural difficulties, she received a stern health warning and retrained, doing degrees in garden design and garden history. This was followed by a PhD on ornamental lakes at the University of East Anglia. She is now an independent researcher. Alongside lakes, her research interests include the history of reservoirs and their evolving uses and modes of construction.

1. Introduction 2. The Ancestors of Lakes 3. The Emergence of Lakes 4. The Making of Lakes 5. The Lake Makers 6. Why Lakes Emerged 7. Lakes in the Nineteenth Century 8. Conclusion