The Story Of Mardale Green, Cumbria ~ Campervan Tales

Summary

The video follows two unnamed campervan vloggers on a trip to Haweswater Reservoir in Cumbria. In August 2025, the water level is unusually low, exposing walls, building remains, and what may be old roads from the submerged village of Mardale Green.

Mardale Green and the Reservoir

Haweswater is an artificial reservoir built to supply water to Manchester and surrounding communities. The vloggers say it provides roughly a quarter of the region’s drinking water, carried through a long aqueduct.

The video says the reservoir project took place during the 1930s, with the dam completed in 1940. It gives the dam’s height as about 36 metres and its length as about 1,200 feet.

Creating the reservoir meant flooding Mardale Green. Residents were paid £15 each to leave, a sum the vloggers reflect on as meagre. They imagine how painful it must have been for families who had lived and farmed in the valley for generations.

When the water is low, remains of the old settlement can become visible. The vloggers do not identify every ruin they see and suggest that an old map would help locate the buildings. They also question a story that the church spire can be seen when the reservoir is low: a photograph of Mardale Church shows it had a tower, not a spire.

Tracing the Village’s Connections

The vloggers visit Bampton to explore its links to Mardale Green. They explain that parts of the village pub were dismantled and moved, and that pub furnishings and other items from Mardale are now associated with Bampton’s Mardale Inn.

They describe the pub as an important community institution. Bampton residents formed a foundation to keep it in local hands rather than let it become a holiday rental; people from overseas also hold shares. A volunteer-run village shop is another example of community participation.

At Bampton Grange Church, they look for remnants of Mardale’s church. They say Mardale’s original bell and some graves were brought there, along with church fittings such as candlesticks and altar items. They also view a cemetery plan, memorial windows, and other inscriptions.

A photograph of Mardale Church and the relocated objects provide a tangible connection to the flooded village. The vloggers also read memorials that illustrate local history, including a list of residents who died in the First World War and a monument to Vice Admiral Sir Charles Richardson.

Other Observations

The hosts note that the valley’s dramatic scenery draws road-trip visitors, especially when low water reveals the ruins.

They briefly discuss efforts to protect red squirrels, including roadside signs asking drivers to slow down and report grey squirrels.

The video closes after a full day of sightseeing, with the vloggers parked beside a quiet road and visited by sheep.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Two unnamed campervan vloggers: One or both provide narration and take part in the on-camera conversation; their names are not given.
• Written and historical sources shown or read aloud: A Manchester Corporation Waterworks sign, a photograph of Mardale Church, a cemetery plan, church memorials, plaques, and stained-glass inscriptions.
• Bampton Local Historical Society: Mentioned as holding an archive, though no society representative speaks in the video.