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Every so often, the lost village of Mardale Green presents itself.
It only occurs at certain points in the year and when the climate is just right; when the water levels fall and the rivers dry up.
Ancient brickwork and paved streets slowly appear, revealing a once-thriving settlement.
The former village is set in the beauty of the Lake District, tucked inside one of the park's glacial valleys.
It is as such both stunning and breathtaking, with sweeping views of the surrounding vale for miles around.
READ MORE The 'soulless' UK village where the King could drop in on you at short notice
The Haweswater Reservoir may seem natural but it is completely man-made (Image: GETTY)
How Mardale Green eventually succumbed to the elements, however, is tragic.
In 1935, the city of Manchester needed water. The authorities of the time saw no other option but to sacrifice the village and flood it to provide that water.
Around a hundred people were living there at the time; all were evicted and had their homes destroyed.
Historic establishments were also razed to the ground, including a school and a pub, the Dun Bull Inn, hinting at just how lively the village of Mardale Green was.
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Drought at Haweswater reservoir reveals the lost Mardale Green (Image: GETTY)
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Much of the destruction was carried out by the Royal Engineers, who used the opportunity for demolition practice.
The village church, too, was taken down. But rather than smashed to pieces was separated brick-by-brick and reused to build the water take-off tower situated along the Western shore of the reservoir.
Around 97 sets of remains were disinterred from the churchyard and transferred to Shap, a nearby village.
The dismantling of the settlement was a shame: Mardale Green is believed to have been inhabited since at least the early 13th century, a fact given away by a refugee fleeing King John of England, Sir Hugh Hulme, popularly known at the time as the King of Mardale.
The village has been referred to in art through the ages, too, mentioned in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's illustration of the name, Mardale Head.
An old bothy seen on the hill just above Haweswater reservoir (Image: GETTY)
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Once the dam had been completed, the village was flooded in 1937, and the lake of Haweswater was created to supply water to Manchester and other towns in Lancashire.
In an article posted to the FootlessCrow outdoors blog, the Scottish poet David Craig questioned whether the drowning of such a beautiful town as Mardale Green would happen in 21st-century Britain.
“The dam looms like a prison wall," he wrote.
The last time the village showed itself was in July 2022, when a drought hit and water levels plunged to a level low enough that if you listened closely, you could just about hear the faint clinking of glasses and laughs of the forgotten locals on the spot where the Dun Bull Inn once stood.
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