Secret Lake Stories
Secret Lake Stories is a slow, immersive audio piece created by composer and sound designer Emily Zurowski.
For Secret Lake Stories, Emily gathered the voices of people who know and love the Secret Lake – local walkers, swimmers, fishers and others – weaving interviews, field recordings and soundscapes into an intimate portrait of this semi-hidden place on the Levenshulme-Reddish border.
Listen
You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
The Secret Lake
Hidden between railway lines, cycle paths, housing and a rubbish tip, the Secret Lake is one of Levenshulme’s most distinctive spaces. Once part of a Victorian reservoir system that once fed a bleach works, it was decommissioned and gradually reclaimed by nature. Today it exists as a rewilded, semi-official green space – unmarked on many maps, but well known to local walkers, fishers, swimmers, birdwatchers and those in search of a quiet moment.
Despite the semi-officialness of its status, the lake has become a much-loved part of the local landscape, particularly over the past decade. Recently however, a new development was proposed for the land surrounding it, raising questions within the community about the future of the site.
How to listen
This is best listened to with headphones. If you know the Secret Lake, you might choose to listen while walking nearby – but it is designed to work just as well wherever you are, letting the place come to life through sound.
Credits
Created by Emily Zurowski
Produced by Levenshulme Old Library
With thanks to everyone who shared their voices and time.
This project is supported by Levenshulme Old Library as part of our ongoing commitment to digital storytelling, oral histories and creative responses to our neighbourhood.