The
Middle Level Navigations are a network of waterways in
England, primarily used for land drainage, which lie in
The Fens between the
Rivers Nene and
Great Ouse, and between the cities of
Peterborough and
Cambridge. Most of the area through which they run is at or below sea level, and attempts to protect it from inundation have been carried out since 1480. The Middle Level was given its name by the Dutch Engineer
Cornelius Vermuyden in 1642, who subsequently constructed several drainage channels to make the area suitable for agriculture. Water levels were always managed to allow navigation, and Commissioners were established in 1754 to maintain the waterways and collect tolls from commercial traffic.