Earith

It was in Victorian times on the Old Bedford River near Earith that a most bizarre experiment took place. A wager had been placed on whether or not the earth was flat, and the Old Bedford River was chosen to prove or disprove the theory, as it was the longest, straightest stretch of calm water in the country. The experiment was performed using three boats with masts of equal height moored along the length of the river. When sighted through a telescope, the masts were found not to be in line, and the Flat-Earther who had instigated the experiment was discredited.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Photographic Memories".

Earith is where the two great drainage cuts of Fenland, the Old and New Bedford Rivers, take off from the Great Ouse. The drains run north-east, roughly parallel for approximately twenty miles. During the winter, the strip of land known as the Ouse Washes in between is allowed to flood, and is consequently a major haven for wildlife.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Photographic Memories".

It is a calm summer evening, and someone is fishing. Moored at the jetty are a number of boats; on the banks are reeds, rushes and alders, good nesting places for small birds, ducks and swans.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Villages Photographic Memories".

The houses on the right back onto the Ouse. The old house with the parapet gable (right) has been divided into three cottages - one is a shop. Opposite is a pair of brick cottages with doors and windows in a pretty segmental arch, and on the pavement outside are some children’s tricycles.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Villages Photographic Memories".

These boats moored in the Cut show how the commercial river trade of earlier times has now given way to pleasure boating. Messing about on the water has always been popular at Earith, with the Riverside Hotel, the Crown Hotel and the new marina all offering facilities for boating and fishing enthusiasts.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Living Memories".