As well as being a popular local fishing site, Coopers Lake and the surrounding marshland are an important habitat for wildlife. Enjoy a stroll through the park, visit the wildlife pond just off the walking trail around the water, or set your little ones loose in the children’s play area.
At one time, quarries in this area accounted for over 70% of the world’s production of celestine (spar). This valuable mineral was first dug in the 1880s and was used primarily for refining sugar beet. It was later used in pyrotechnics, ares and more recently in the electronics industries. The extraction of celestine ended in 1994 when supplies were exhausted, leaving a series of ‘spar pools’. Most were eventually filled for safety reasons but the lake is a surviving reminder of the area’s mining past.