The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. It is a major waterway across the part of the Fens called South Holland, and is one of the Fenland rivers which were laid out with washlands. There are two channels between widely spaced embankments with the intention that flood waters would have space in which to spread while the tide in the estuary prevented free egress.
Introduction
River Welland
River Welland | Introduction
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where does the river welland start and finish
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The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke
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what is the total length of this watercourse?
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The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. It is a major waterway across the part of the Fens called South Holland, and is one of the Fenland rivers which were laid out with washlands. There are two channels between widely spaced embankments with the intention that flood waters would have space in which to spread while the tide in the estuary prevented free egress.
River Welland | Introduction
The Welland rises in the Hothorpe Hills in the parish of Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire and it issues at Spring Croft, Church Street. Sibbertoft sits astride one of the principal watersheds in England. Within , the small stream forms the border between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. It flows westwards, before looping round, passing through the grounds of Hothorpe Hall in Theddingworth, now a conference centre, to flow generally eastwards through Lubenham to Market Harborough. One of the driveways to Thorpe Lubenham Hall is carried over the river by an early nineteenth century ashlar bridge which is a Grade II listed structure. To the east of Lubenham, the river passes Old Lubenham Hall, part of an H-plan house built in the late sixteenth century and modified in the early eighteenth century.
River Welland | Course
The causeway has two large semi-circular passing places on its western side. The Welland passes to the north of Corby near Rockingham, and then to the south of Caldecott, where it becomes the county border between Northamptonshire and Rutland, and the Eye Brook, which has been dammed to form the Eyebrook Reservoir, joins from the north. As it flows past Harringworth, the river forms two channels, with the county border following the smaller, northern channel. It is crossed by the Welland Viaduct, with its 82 brick arches, which was completed in 1879, and carries the Oakham to Kettering Line over the valley.
River Welland | Market Harborough to Stamford
The underlying geology consists of Lias clays at the western end of the catchment, with Lincolnshire limestone in the centre, including the valleys of the Glen. The eastern third is mostly alluvial soils, and it is this part that relies on artificial pumping to prevent flooding. Rainfall over the area varies between per year, which is quite light, and because the land is efficiently drained during the winter months, there are few reserves, making the area prone to drought in the summer months. For much of its length the Welland forms the county boundary between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire or Rutland, and lower down between Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.
River Welland | Geography
Macmillan Way, a long distance footpath, crosses on its way from Abbotsbury in Dorset to Boston, Lincolnshire. Medbourne Brook joins from the north, after which the river approaches a dismantled railway and is joined by the Stoke Albany Brook, approaching from the south. The river remains on the south side of the railway, while the county border follows a meandering course to the north of it, but rejoins the river near the Bringhurst to Cottingham road. The bridge over the river is plain, but to the north of it is an eighteenth-century causeway, some long, which is made of stone and pierced by seven large arches and numerous smaller arches for drainage pipes.
River Welland | Market Harborough to Stamford
Vernatt's Drain passes through a sluice to join the river, while the sluice that protects the entrance to the River Glen is navigable, to allow boats to reach Tongue End, some upstream from its mouth. There are pumping stations for Sea Dike and Lords Drain, and the outfalls of the Risegate Eau and Five Towns drainage channels before the final bridge at Fosdyke is reached. After it is joined by the Holbeach River, it is bordered by salt marshes, and finally flows into The Wash at "The Cots" in "Fosdyke Wash". Beyond the river banks, much of the fertile arable land is composed of marine silt, which suits the bulb-growing for which Spalding is famous.
River Welland | Spalding to the Wash
The source of the River Welland is in the parish and it issues as a spring at Spring Croft, Church Street. Sibbertoft sits astride one of the principal watersheds in England and the plateau of land towards Naseby contains the sources of four rivers flowing west, south and east. Coombe Hill Hollow, north of the village, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Sibbertoft | Geography
Where it crosses the Maxey Cut, to the south of the original channels, there are a series of 14 arches which comprise Lolham Bridges. They are grouped into five structures to cross the channels in the area, and were funded by the County of Northamptonshire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The longest span is , and the cutwaters carry inscribed stones recording the County's involvement. To the north, an early nineteenth century stone rubble arched bridge carries the road over a drainage ditch near Lolham Mill, while an eighteenth-century bridge, probably rebuilt in the following century, crosses the mill stream.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
Beyond Stamford, the river passes the site and ruins of the Benedictine St Leonard's Priory. Hudd's Mill marks the point at which the Stamford Canal left the river. The present mill building dates from 1751 and 1771. The River Gwash, which the canal crossed on the level, joins from the north, and the remains of the canal follow the river on its north bank. Below Uffington, the county border follows the old course of the river, first to the south to Tallington and then to the north, while the main course now flows along the Maxey Cut to Peakirk. The old course consists of two streams, fed by sluices from the Maxey Cut, which meander to The Deepings.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
A limestone ashlar bridge with four arches crosses the river, dating from the fifteenth century but widened in 1919. After the river passes under a railway bridge at Ketton, its flow is swelled by the River Chater. The county border again leaves the river to the west of Stamford while below the town the river forms the border between Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.
River Welland | Market Harborough to Stamford
The River Gwash, a tributary of the River Welland, flows through the English counties of Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire. It rises just outside the village of Knossington in Leicestershire, near the western edge of Rutland. It is about long.
River Gwash | Introduction
Apart from viaducts carrying suburban lines into London, it is the longest railway viaduct to be built in Britain. Uppingham Brook flows eastwards from Uppingham to join on the north bank, and the Jurassic Way long distance footpath crosses the river at Turtle Bridge. This probably dates from the fourteenth century, although it was widened in 1793, and a parapet has been added subsequently. On the road from Barrowden to Wakerley, there is a medieval bridge with five pointed arches, which was widened in the eighteenth century. Fineshade Brook flows from the south to join the river near Duddington, where there is a well-known mill building of earliest known date 1664.
River Welland | Market Harborough to Stamford
Another pair of early nineteenth-century bridges, built of coursed limestone with ashlar dressings, carry the road over the northernmost channel. The bridge at Deeping Gate carries the date 1651, and is a Grade II* listed stone structure with three round arches. After the remains of Deeping High lock and Deeping Low lock, there is a junction where the old course, the Maxey Cut, the South Drain and the Folly River, also a drain, meet. The river is officially navigable below this point. Through Crowland and Cowbit to the edge of Spalding, the river is laid out with washlands, which were historically used as pasture, because the river was allowed to flood the land when tidal levels prevented the water discharging into the sea.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
The availability of a suitable geological feature on which to build this bank determined the shape of the washes, and its location can be traced back through antiquity. To quote Wheeler: The right bank of the Welland between Crowland and Spalding is placed at a distance from the channel of the river varying from a quarter to half a mile leaving an area of about 2500 acres which is covered with water whenever the Welland is in flood. The depth of water in this land in high floods is as much as 5 feet. Originally, no doubt, the land by the side of the Wellland was little better than a Morass, and the banks were placed on the nearest firm ground.
New River (Fens) | Introduction
The eastern stream supplied power to Lolham and Maxey mills, while the western stream did the same for Tallington Mill, which dates from around 1700, West Deeping mill, and Molecey's mill, which still retains its seventeenth-century undershot waterwheel, modified in the 19th century to Poncelet's improved design, and the only surviving waterwheel of its type in Lincolnshire. At the western edge of Market Deeping the two streams join, and they are also joined by the Greatford Cut, which has carried the diverted waters of the West Glen river since the early 1950s. This section is crossed by King Street, which follows the course of a Roman road.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
The river is bounded on the north and west by a bank, while the New River, a drainage channel to the south and east of it, is bounded by another bank. The land between the channels forms Crowland High Wash, Crowland Fodder Lots and Cowbit Wash. The southern bank is variously named Corporation Bank, Wash Bank and Barrier Bank. These wash lands were designed to be flooded "in extremis", although the building of the Coronation flood relief channel has made this purpose obsolete.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
The river, in its upper reaches, supports a wild brown trout population and the occasional grayling. Chub and perch dominate the middle reaches around Stamford, with pike, perch, zander, roach, bream, rudd, ruffe, gudgeon and eels inhabiting the lower lengths around Spalding. A collaboration between the Welland Rivers Trust, the Wild Trout Trust and the Environment Agency has resulted in the construction of a rock ramp, to allow migrating sea trout to pass up the river beyond the weir on the Maxey Cut, which was acting as a barrier. Some 300 tons of rock, with 50 tons of finer material forming a top layer, were used to create the ramp.
River Welland | Wildlife
The source of the river is just north-west of the village of Knossington, but the Gwash is formed of several small headwaters that come together near Braunston-in-Rutland before passing the site of Brooke Priory at and running westward to pass under the railway Northwest of Manton (). The Gwash then helps to fill the Rutland Water reservoir which was formed by damming its valley at Empingham. From the reservoir a controlled flow is released to maintain the flow around Tolethorpe Hall and Stamford and into the River Welland. The flow is enhanced by the Gwash's tributary, the North Brook, at in Empingham, which significantly helps maintain riverlife.
River Gwash | Course
Welland Viaduct, Harringworth Viaduct or Seaton Viaduct, crosses the valley of the River Welland between Harringworth in Northamptonshire and Seaton in Rutland, England. The viaduct is long and has 82 arches, each with a span. It is the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in the United Kingdom. Built by the contractor Lucas and Aird, a total of 30 million bricks were used in the viaduct's construction. Completed during 1878, it has since become a Grade II listed building. The Welland Viaduct is on the Oakham to Kettering Line between and Manton Junction, where it joins the Leicester to Peterborough line.
Welland Viaduct | Introduction
The river runs in a south-easterly direction from between the Cow Roast and Dudswell in Northchurch, through Berkhamsted, Bourne End and Boxmoor to where it joins the River Gade at Two Waters in Apsley near Hemel Hempstead. The current total length of the river is , from its source to its mouth it falls .
River Bulbourne | Course
At that time it was known as the Wellstream or Old Wellenhee, and parts of that course are marked by the Old Croft River and the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. After major inland flood events in the early 13th century it breached another watershed near Denver and took over the channel of the old Wiggenhall Eau, and so achieved a new exit and so joined the Wash at Kings Lynn. Parts of the old course were later used for the River Lark, which flows in the reverse direction along the section below Prickwillow, after the main river was moved further to the west.
River Great Ouse | History: drainage and navigation
Just before Stamford, the Great North Road, now labelled the A1, crosses the river, and a pumping station on the north bank at Stamford Meadows has pumped large quantities of water to the Rutland Water reservoir since its construction in 1975. Stamford was the lowest point at which the river could be forded so the Roman Ermine Street crossed the Welland there. The A16 road crosses the river by a three-arched stone bridge designed by Edward Browning in 1845. Below it, Albert Bridge is made of iron with stone piers, and was erected by Stamford Town Council in July 1881, to replace an earlier bridge which was washed away in a flood.
River Welland | Stamford to Spalding
Passing through Spalding, where most of the flow is diverted through the Coronation channel, the town is protected by Marsh Road sluice and a sea lock to the east. Below the town, it is approached by Vernatt's Drain, which runs parallel to the river carrying water pumped from Deeping Fen, and is crossed by the A16 road bridge. Nearby is Pinchbeck Marsh Pumping Station, which houses the last beam engine and scoop wheel to be used in the Fens for land drainage. It was built in 1833, and ran until 1952, when it was replaced by electric pumps. It now forms part of a museum of land drainage run by the Welland and Deepings Internal Drainage Board, in partnership with South Holland District Council.
River Welland | Spalding to the Wash
King Charles I is believed to have stayed there before the Battle of Naseby. Three arms of a square moat surround the house, and the site is a scheduled ancient monument.
River Welland | Course
However, after the floods of 1947, new works such as the Coronation Channel were constructed to control flooding in Spalding and the washes are no longer used solely as pasture, but may be used for arable farming. Significant improvements were made to the river in the 1660s, when a new cut with 10 locks was constructed between Stamford and Market Deeping, and two locks were built on the river section below Market Deeping. The canal section was known as the Stamford Canal, and was the longest canal with locks in Britain when it was built. The river provided the final outlet to the sea for land drainage schemes implemented in the seventeenth century, although they were not completely successful until a steam-powered pumping station was built at Pode Hole in 1827.
River Welland | Introduction
The finer material ensures that water mainly flows over the ramp, rather than through it. The ramp also enables young eels or elvers to move up the river, and provides habitat for stone loach and bullheads. Large numbers of swans and geese use the river around Crowland, and out to sea. Smaller populations of each can be seen around the Stamford Meadows, and further upstream.
River Welland | Wildlife
Hogard devised a scheme to cut a new channel from the junction of the Welland and the Glen to Wyberton, on the estuary of the River Witham below Boston. At the end of the cut, there would be a huge sluice and a navigation lock. The Adventurers asked Thomas Tofield for a second opinion, who suggested a shorter cut from Spalding to Fosdyke. They requested help from Grundy, who proposed a cut to Fosdyke, and that the outfall of Vernatt's drain should be moved downstream. Improvements to the drain were carried out under an act of parliament obtained in 1774, and an act was obtained in 1794 to sanction the Wyberton cut, although the work was not carried out, and Grundy's cut was built under a new act of 1801.
River Welland | Deeping Fen
The county border leaves the river on the west side of Market Harborough, as the town is wholly in Leicestershire, and picks it up again on the east side. The River Jordan joins the Welland in the centre of Market Harborough, flowing northwards to the railway station. Langton Brook and Stonton Brook join from the west near Welham. The county border meanders from side to side across relatively straight sections of the river, suggesting that the channel has been engineered. A three-arched bridge, built in 1881 of fine ashlar masonry, with a causeway to the south, carries the Welham to Weston by Welland road over the river, while a four-arched bridge dating from the early nineteenth century carries the Ashley to Medbourne road.
River Welland | Market Harborough to Stamford
The total length of the river is about ten miles. It is the haunt of dippers and red kites can often be seen circling overhead.
Afon Llyfnant | Introduction
The total length of the river is 37.0 miles (59.5 km) from the junction of the Town and Matfield Rivers in Bridgewater to the mouth of the Quequechan River in Fall River. It has a watershed of 562 square miles (1,456 km²). The river's watershed includes the Hockomock Swamp, the largest freshwater wetland in the state. The Taunton River is one of the flattest rivers in New England, dropping only about twenty feet (6 m) in elevation over its length. The river is tidal as far north as Taunton.
Taunton River | Description
The area of the headwaters of the Tweed would have been frequented by wild boar in Anglo-Saxon times. The other example of wella in the watershed is "Twitchell". Brook Farm, west of Stoke Golding takes its name from the unnamed stream running north towards the Tweed at the foot of Ambion Hill.
River Sence | Names related to the watercourses
Today the watercourse starts roughly where the Ellesmere Road (the A528) crosses the old course of the Severn, and runs through the marshy area at first in a southeasterly direction, then a southerly direction. This area has been designated as an SSSI under the name Old River Bed, Shrewsbury.
Bagley Brook | Introduction
The River Welland, with its tributaries, form a river system with a catchment area of . Within this area, of waterway are designated as "main river", and are therefore managed for flood control by the Environment Agency under the River Welland Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). Of this total, the below Spalding are tidal, and have sea walls to protect the adjacent land from flooding, while are fresh water, but run through low-lying land, and are therefore embanked. Within the catchment area, are below sea level, and would be flooded without such defences. The basin runs in a broadly south-west to north-east direction, with an extension to the north around the West Glen and East Glen rivers.
River Welland | Geography
The millstream or leat separates the town from the Meadows at Bath Row, rejoining the River Welland just before the town bridge. The embankment for the upper reaches of the mill stream forms Melancholy Walk overlooking the upper meadows, where cattle are still sometimes grazed. The weir and sluice for the leat were replaced when the large pumping station for Rutland Water was built near the modern A1 bridge over the Welland. The line of the leat follow part of the line of the town walls.
Kings Mill, Stamford | Introduction
He sold one-third of the land to finance the project, and began work in 1730. Cowbit sluice on the Welland had six wide gates which were operated by chains connected to a treadwheel. At high tide, water was penned in Cowbit Wash, between banks which were set well back from the main channel. The bed of the river below the sluice was loosened by dragging wooden rollers with iron spikes over it. At low tide, the sluice gates were opened, and the flow scoured out the silt for some downstream. A navigation lock was constructed beside the sluice, so that vessels could still gain access to the river above.
River Welland | Deeping Fen
In the fourteenth century, Spalding was charged with failing to scour and repair the river, causing damage to the king's liege people, but argued that because it was tidal at this point, it was an arm of the sea, and so they were not responsible. The river was one of the earlier rivers to be granted an act of parliament for improvements, to allow navigation to Stamford. The act was granted in the reign of Elizabeth I in 1571, and detailed how Stamford had prospered as a result of the river, but also stated that mills built between Stamford and Deeping had resulted in it no longer being navigable, as they had diverted the water.
River Welland | History
The Wellow Brook is a small river in Somerset, England. It rises near Ston Easton Park in the village of Ston Easton and flows east to Midsomer Norton. West of Radstock, it is joined by the River Somer and a tributary from Kilmersdon (formed itself from Snails Brook and Kilmersdon Brook) to the south. It then flows through Wellow before joining the Cam Brook at Midford to form Midford Brook, before joining the River Avon close to the Dundas Aqueduct. The Environment Agency does not recognise the Midford Brook, instead identifying the Wellow Brook as continuing to the Avon. On this basis the length of the Wellow Brook, from Radstock to the Avon, is .
Wellow Brook | Introduction
The watercourse starts at the eastern edge of the A629 Keighley to Halifax road in Denholme. Here, several springs feed Denholme beck which flows into Doe Park Reservoir. Doe Park is also fed by Stubden and Thornton Moor reservoirs via Stubden Beck. The outflow from the reservoir flows northwards into Hewenden Reservoir, where it in turns flows north eastwards as Hewenden Beck as far as Hallas Bridge where it becomes Hallas Beck. On entering Goit Stock Wood, the course becomes Harden Beck at the confluence of Cow House Beck and Hallas Beck. Form here it flows mostly eastwards with Midgram Beck and Mytholmes Beck joining the course adjacent to Ruin Bank Wood.
Harden Beck | Description of route
The river as far as Stamford was used by the Romans for navigation, as it formed part of a system including the Car Dyke, which ran along the western edge of the Fens and crossed the river near the modern Folly River. Navigation to Stamford was improved by the canal. Boats used on the canal were small lighters, around wide, capable of carrying from seven to fourteen tons, and normally worked in trains of four vessels. With the arrival of the railways, river trade declined. The Midland Railway reached Peterborough in 1846, and opened their line to Melton Mowbray, passing through Stamford, in 1848.
River Welland | Navigation
The source is at Well Head, at the foot of Noar Hill, to the south of Selborne. The initial section towards Selborne is known as the Well Head Stream, the route was diverted in 1894 to provide a supply of water to the village in memory of Gilbert White. At Dorton, on the north side of Selborne, it is joined by the Gracious Street Stream. From Selborne, now known as the Oakhanger Stream, it passes through the village of Oakhanger then skirts the east side of Shortheath Common and on towards Kingsley Mill where it joins with the Kingsley Stream to form the Rver Slea.
Oakhanger Stream | Course
The Adur begins as two separate branches, the western Adur and the eastern Adur, which meet 2 km west of Henfield. The western Adur rises at Slinfold from where it flows around Coolham and then through Shipley, where it meets Lancing Brook and flows on to West Grinstead and Knepp Castle. The western Adur is tidal as far north as Bines Bridge near Bines Green, south of West Grinstead. The eastern Adur rises at Ditchling Common, in East Sussex, from where it crosses into West Sussex and meets Herrings Stream at Twineham (). At Shermanbury, the eastern Adur is fed by the Cowfold Stream.
River Adur | Watercourse
Its source is a spring called "Boiling Well" on the dissected plateau of the Long Mynd, adjacent to a number of Long barrows. From this point it flows south east through the V shaped valley known as Ashes Hollow, to reach the village of Little Stretton. After passing through Little Stretton, the watercourse heads south towards Marshbrook and Strefford. To the north of Strefford, it is joined by its main tributary the Byne Brook. The now larger brook is forded at Strefford from where it flows south-westerly to The Grove and Berrymill cottage, south of Wistanstow, where it joins the River Onny.
Quinny Brook | Course
All rivers discharging into The Wash and the North Sea between King's Lynn and Cleethorpes at the mouth of The Humber. Nene catchment Welland catchment
List of rivers of England | Lincolnshire Coast and The Wash
The catchment area is the Langsett Moors to the west and this covers an area of 5,203 acres (2,105 hectares). The embankment is 1,156 feet (352 metres) long with a height of 117 feet (35 metres) from the bottom of the old river bed. The embankment is 720 feet (219 metres) wide at the bottom tapering to 36 feet (11 metres) at the top and contains 900,000 cubic yards of infill in the puddle wall and concrete trench, making it one of the largest earth embankments in Great Britain. The minor road (Midhope Cliff Lane) which runs across the embankment is thought to be the longest single carriageway of any reservoir in Great Britain.
Langsett Reservoir | Construction and statistics
Its construction by damming the Gwash valley near Empingham was completed in 1975. During its construction, it was known as Empingham Reservoir. It flooded six or seven square kilometres of the Gwash valley as well as the side valley at the head of which lies Oakham. Nether Hambleton and most of Middle Hambleton were demolished and their wells were plugged as part of the ground preparation. Their neighbouring village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the Hambleton Peninsula. The Gwash makes a net input to the lake but its flow downstream is maintained. Most of the stored water is extracted from the River Welland at , between Tinwell and Stamford and from the River Nene upstream from Peterborough, a city which is a major user of the water.
Rutland Water | Construction
Over the centuries many channels have been dug to divide the River Lea and drain the westernmost land. These channels flow southward across Cheshunt Marsh and part of Waltham Abbey parish;
Waltham Abbey | Watercourses
It rises to the north-west of Desborough in Northamptonshire before flowing through Braybrooke and into Leicestershire at Little Bowden within Market Harborough before joining the River Welland at Rockingham Road, Market Harborough, close to the railway station and bridge.
River Jordan, Northamptonshire | Course
The river's flow is measured at several points along its course, at a number of gauging stations. At Stoke-on-Trent in the upper reaches, the average flow is only , which increases considerably to , at Great Haywood, as it includes the flow of the upper tributaries draining the Potteries conurbation. At Yoxall, the flow increases to due to the input of larger tributaries including the Sow and Blithe. At Drakelow upstream of Burton the flow increases nearly three-fold to , due to the additional inflow from the largest tributary the Tame. At Colwick near Nottingham, the average flow rises to , due to the combined inputs of the other major tributaries namely the Dove, Derwent and Soar.
River Trent | Discharge
The Wells River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Vermont. The Wells River begins at the outlet of Ricker Pond at the southern boundary of Groton State Forest in the town of Groton. The river flows generally southeast through the towns of Ryegate and Newbury, reaching the Connecticut River at the village of Wells River. U.S. Route 302 follows the river for most of its length.
Wells River (Vermont) | Introduction
The Green Lanes Stream is 2.1 miles (3.4 km) long and starts as a run-off from Stamford Green Pond on the eastern edge of Epsom Common. Other smaller streams from the common join the main stream a few metres from the pond as it goes underground. It runs near Manor Green Road and is above the ground in places, for example by the bridges under Christ Church Mount (a crescent road off Manor Green Road). Shortly afterwards, it flows underground again and this is where it runs under Epsom Primary School on Hook Road at the junction with Longmead Road.
Hogsmill River | Green Lanes Stream
The river then passes through water-meadows where it is joined by small streams from the springs and reduced ponds of the north of Black Dam. These had to drain under a wide bend of canal embankment. Basingstoke Upper Mill stood south, 14 metres west of Redbridge Lane, still a corn mill in 1873, fields by 1932, now woodland by a multi-lane roundabout. Where the flows meet is woodland that was "the" peat moor, at this point watercress was latterly grown such as in 1961. The Basingstoke Union Workhouse and added workhouse infirmary, stood where the Hampshire Clinic stands, a private hospital.
River Loddon | Course
At Tongue End the waters of the Bourne Eau join. The river below here is navigable for its last , and there was once a navigable connection to the Bourne Eau, but the Tongue End pumping station now sits between the two rivers, to aid drainage of the land to the west. The Weir Dyke drain runs along the north bank of the Bourne Eau and then the west bank of the Glen, to join the South Forty-Foot Drain near Guthram Gowt. For some distance either side of Tongue End, the Counter Drain runs a considerable distance to the east of the channel, creating washlands between them which can be flooded if water is not able to dischange from the river into the Welland estuary, as a result of the state of the tides.
River Glen, Lincolnshire | Course
Navigation on the upper river, including the Stamford Canal, had ceased by 1863, but Spalding remained an active port until the end of the Second World War. The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the river, which is navigable as far upstream as Crowland, and with very shallow draught to West Deeping Bridge, where further progress is hindered by the derelict lock around the weir. The traditional head of navigation was Wharf Road in Stamford. The management of the lower river has been intimately tied up with the drainage of Deeping Fen, and the river remains important to the Welland and Deepings Internal Drainage Board, for whom it provides the final conduit to the sea for pumped water.
River Welland | Introduction
From Doulting, the Sheppey flows south west to Charlton, where parts of its course have been culverted. The river has been diverted underground for much, though not all, of its passage through Shepton Mallet. It reappears at Darshill and then flows south west through Croscombe to Dinder where it flows through the grounds of Dinder House which was built in 1801 and under a bridge which pre-dates the house. It then continues west past Dulcote, Woodford and Coxley. At Coxley it is joined by the Keward Brook which carries the water from the springs in Wells which fill the moat of the Bishop's Palace.
River Sheppey | Route
Hobson's Conduit was originally formed by diverting the water from Vicar's Brook. From its source in chalkland springs at Nine Wells, near Great Shelford, this stream flows east of Trumpington under bridges on Long Road and Trumpington Road until reaching Coe Fen, where it forms the first tributary of the River Cam above Cambridge. The man-made channel Hobson's Brook branches off from Vicar's Brook between the two bridges and initially runs parallel to Vicar's Brook, enclosing a stretch of common ground, now used for allotments. A public footpath, formerly known as Finch's or Senior Wrangler's Walk, follows this portion of the watercourse.
Hobson's Conduit | Hobson's Brook from Nine Wells to the conduit head
Wildlife in the river varies along its length, the faster headwaters being a habitat for trout and the slower lower reaches for perch. The estuary conditions and flat landscapes beyond Fosdyke favour wading birds and migratory species.
River Welland | Introduction
The river is about 21 miles (34 km long), rising at a height of about 920 feet (280m) on Bodmin Moor and flowing into the Tamar Estuary near Plymouth. It has four main tributaries, the largest of which is the River Tiddy. The smaller tributaries include Deans Brook, Withey Brook, Marke Valley and Darleyford streams and Kelly Brook.
River Lynher | Geography
To connect the Glen to the Welland requires a new tidal lock at the Surfleet Sluices and reconstruction of the tidal Fulney Lock in the River Welland, leading to Spalding. Another major innovation will be a new cut between the Welland, probably at Peakirk and the River Nene downstream of Peterborough, costing at least £20m and probably using the "Folly River" and part of either Car Dyke or Cat's Water Drain, entering the Nene near Flag Fen. From here the link will follow the existing Middle Levels through Whittlesey Dyke, King's Dyke and Vermuyden's Drain (Forty Foot Drain) to Chatteris.
Fens Waterways Link | New Cuts
The course continues through Rushford, Thetford, Brandon, and Hockwold before the river joins the Great Ouse north of Littleport in Cambridgeshire. The total length is about . The river is currently navigable from the Great Ouse to a point above Brandon.
River Little Ouse | Introduction
The upper reaches of the Fowey are mainly moorland giving way to woodland and farmland, predominantly livestock. This means that 63.6% of the catchment is grassland, with a further 18.3% woodland and 10.7% arable land. Of the remaining 7.5%, 2.6% is urban or built-up areas, 2.5% is mountain, heath and bog and the remainder is inland waters. The catchment area of the River Fowey covers a total of 41,800 acres (65.3 sq. miles) consisting of kaolinised granite on Bodmin Moor, Devonian slates and grits, and valley gravels. Data collected by the National Water Archive shows that average flow at the Restormel monitoring station is 4.78 cubic m/s and is affected by the reservoirs at Colliford and Sibleyback and by abstraction of water for public supply.
River Fowey | Geology and hydrology
Except where otherwise unannotated, rivers and other watercourses in this list are taken from the various sheets of the 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:63,360 scale map series of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain.
List of rivers of England | References
The cut, known as the Stamford Canal, is one of the earliest post-Roman canals in England. It opened in 1670, around 100 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution which brought about the "golden age for canals" in Britain. When built, it was the longest canal with locks in Britain, and was very busy with barges carrying flour, malt, coal, timber and limestone.
River Welland | History
From its central gathering the flow is westwards (or WSW) until merger with the Wrythe. On its route the early Wandle surfaces to receive springs at a long lake "Waddon Ponds" beside Mill Lane, Croydon. The Coulsdon Bourne and linked Caterham Bourne south of Croydon town centre ran in wet seasons. They have been culverted since before 1900. When the water table is medium or high these waters meet at Purley, run in a culvert the length of the Brighton Road, South Croydon, and merge into the surface water drains and culverts in the town centre (which become much of the above stream).
River Wandle | Intermittently visible watercourses
The North Brook is a small watercourse in Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is a tributary of the River Gwash and part of the River Welland catchment.
North Brook, Rutland | Introduction
The River Nene is the tenth-longest river in the United Kingdom. From its source at Arbury Hill to Northampton, the river falls a total of in . For the remainder of its course, the Nene falls less than . It has a catchment area of and a mean flow of . The final from Northampton to the Wash is navigable. The river's most westerly source can be found near the village of Badby, near Daventry. On the eastern slope of Arbury Hill, and in pools between Arbury Hill and Sharmans Hill, there are three tributaries that converge at Dodford mill to form the upper reaches of the Daventry Nene.
River Nene | Course
Its name appears as "Old Twenty Foot Drain" alongside Twenty Drove, in plans in the Exeter Estate book of 1826/27. In the Lindsey Level system, the Twenty Foot drain ran from south of the site of Twenty station (), two degrees west of north to Dowsby Fen. There (), it swept eastwards to drain to the estuary of the River Welland, nowadays at , by way of Gosberton High Fen, Risegate Eau and Bicker Haven. Its course can still easily be traced upstream from the former Dowsby Cross (which stood on the B1397 road where its line crosses the South Forty Foot Drain at but it is not marked on modern maps), its course in the modern drainage pattern, is now fragmented.
Twenty, Lincolnshire | 17th century
Opened in 2005, the 35 mile long Wherryman's Way follows the route of the historic Broads trading wherries between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It winds through existing footpaths, open marshes, reedbeds, grazing meadows and riverside villages along the banks of the River Yare. The path passes numerous information panels, sculptures and audio posts which seek to bring to life the characters and history of the route.
River Yare | Wherryman's Way
The origin of the name for the river is unknown but appears to be Pre-English. In Old English the form was "Weolud" and may have changed to the Middle English form due to folk-etymology or Scandinavian influence. The Welland ("Weolud") is first mentioned in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" for 921 AD. Richard de Rulos, who was Lord of Deeping Fen during the reign of William the Conqueror erected a strong embankment to prevent flooding of the meadows adjoining the river, which then became fertile fields and a pleasure garden. During the reign of Henry III (1207–1272), complaints were made that of the two channels below Crowland, the one to Spalding was more favourable to the passage of barges, but the Abbot of Crowland had obstructed and narrowed its course by planting willow trees.
River Welland | History
Among the medieval forms of the name 'Welland' is Weolod; the river could have thus been named from its silty nature. In contrast, the Glen flowed from clays and limestone. Areas with clay-based soils tended to remain as woodland whilst the limestone areas provided grassland for pasture. Consequently, the River Glen did not carry much sediment. The modern Welsh for clean is "glân". The relative amounts of silt deposited in the fens around Maxey and around Thurlby respectively, by the two rivers, support this view.
River Glen, Lincolnshire | Naming
The river is about long. Its source is at Beverton Pond. Over its first it follows a south-easterly course and drops around before discharging into Clatworthy Reservoir, which also impounds the waters of 5 other streams. The river continues as the outflow from the main dam of the reservoir, passing to the west of the village of Clatworthy before following a southerly course which passes to the east of Huish Champflower. The river enters a steeply wooded section at Washbattle bridge. The B3227 road from Wiveliscombe crosses from the east to the west side of the valley at Waterrow bridge.
River Tone | Course
The buildings there were erected in 1862. All of these watercourses converge on Pilfrey Junction, from where three parallel channels, called Three Rivers, flow to a pumping station at Keadby. The Hatfield Waste Drain crosses under the North Engine Drain before the junction, and then becomes the north channel. The centre channel is formed by the North Engine Drain and the River Torne, while the south channel carries the waters of the South Engine Drain and the Folly Drain. Bull Hassocks pumping station was designed to handle water from the South Idle drains, but prior to 1970 also had to handle water from the Folly Drain.
Hatfield Chase | Watercourses
The River Soar together with its tributaries and canalisations constitutes the principal river basin of the county, although the River Avon and River Welland through Harborough and along the county's southern boundaries are also significant. The Soar rises between Hinckley and Lutterworth, towards the south of the county near the Warwickshire border, and flows northwards, bisecting the county along its north–south axis, through 'Greater' Leicester and then to the east of Loughborough where its course within the county comes to an end. It continues north marking the boundary with Nottinghamshire in the Borough of Rushcliffe for some before joining the River Trent at the point where Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire meet.
Leicestershire | Geography
Longden End Brook is a watercourse in Greater Manchester. It rises near Windy Hill, and flows down Rakewood Valley and underneath the M62 motorway at Rakewood Viaduct, before arriving at Hollingworth Lake, where it is the main feeder stream.
Longden End Brook | Introduction
The river now passes under a viaduct that carries the Midland Main Line, which links London St. Pancras International to Sheffield Midland station in northern England via Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Chesterfield. Passing Irthlingborough on its north-western bank, the Nene now flows past Nene Park, the former ground of Rushden and Diamonds F.C.. Further on, the river is crossed by the disused track bed of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway which was constructed in 1845. The river is now characterised by large curving meanders as it passes the villages of Little Addington, Great Addington, Woodford and Denford.
River Nene | Wellingborough
Its major watercourses are the rivers Aln, Till, Coquet, Fallowlees Burn, Font and Rede.
Northumberland Sandstone Hills | Introduction
The third route, Salt Street, entered the watershed from the north-west near Norton-juxta-Twycross, passed through Twycross and crossed the Sence by Temple Mill. Thence it crossed Wellsborough Hill to Far Coton, skirting the larger tributaries of the River Saint and Tweed, probably to Barwell. A branch towards Leicester ran through Measham, possibly through Heather, Ibstock and Bagworth.
River Sence | Salt Street: No Man’s Heath–Barwell
After the demise of the furnace, a watermill was built on the site, and lasted until 15 April 1909, when it was destroyed in a fire. The river continues to the south east to reach Hundredhouse Bridge on Hundredhouse Lane. By the time it passes Billingham Wood, it is below the contour. The valley floor now opens out, and is crossed by numerous drainage ditches. The course turns briefly to the north east, and passes a series of lakes near Marley Farm, once the upper limit of navigation. It then forms a large loop, on which a westerly extension to Rye was built after the Second World War.
River Tillingham | Route
The brook flows in an easterly direction and is joined by other streams including Cuffley Brook, Cattlegate Brook and the Small River Lea. Along its course it flows through Cuffley, Crews Hill Golf Club, Clay Hill, Whitewebbs Park, Forty Hill and Albany Park before merging with the River Lee Navigation below Enfield Lock.
Turkey Brook | Watercourse
The river is formed as the Upper East Lyn at Malmsmead from two minor tributaries, the Oare Water and Badgworthy Water. It flows for several miles, past Brendon and makes confluence with Hoar Oak Water at Watersmeet, where Watersmeet House is situated. The river then passes through a narrow gorge section, before flowing downstream for a further until the river meets with the West Lyn River and flows into the Bristol Channel at Lynmouth.
East Lyn River | Watercourse
The Hackney Brook was the largest natural internal watercourse, entering Hackney in the NW, at the foot of the southern foot of Stamford Hill and exiting in the south-east, however this watercourse was fully culverted in the 19th century. The boundaries of Hackney take in the sub-districts of Homerton, Dalston (including Kingsland and Shacklewell), De Beauvoir Town, Upper and Lower Clapton, Stamford Hill, Hackney Central, Hackney Wick, South Hackney and West Hackney. The Lea and Hackney Marshes are underlain by alluvium soils; and the higher ground between Homerton and Stamford Hill is formed on a widening bed of London Clay.
Hackney, London | Geography
Plans to re-route the outfall along a new channel which would meet the River Witham at The Scalp, near Boston, were authorised in 1794, but the money could not be raised at the time, due to the financial crisis caused by the French Wars. Grundy's shorter channel had been finished by 1810, improving both drainage and navigation. James Walker reported in 1835 on further improvements, making the recommendation that the river below Spalding should be constrained between high banks, so that the scouring action of the water would dredge its own channel. Rather than excavating, which he estimated would cost £70,000, he suggested using fascines made of thorn branches, around which silt would be deposited.
River Welland | The Outfall
Ambion is the name of a deserted village by a headwater of the Saint rising in Cadeby. It is recorded as Anabein (ca 1270), Anne Beame in the Hollinshead Chronicle (1576), Anbein (1622) and Amyon by John Hutton (1788). The name seems to derive from Old English Āna-bēam, a One-Beam bridge, probably the hamlet's means of crossing the stream towards Market Bosworth. It is claimed as the traditional site of the Battle of Bosworth. Barwell, Barwalle (1043), Barewelle (1086), sometimes pronounced ‘Barrull’. The first element is Old English bār, ‘boar’. Old English wella signifies a spring or stream In west Leicestershire, it seems to mean the stream issuing from a spring rather than the spring itself.
River Sence | Names related to the watercourses
The village is near the mouth of the River Welland, and the parish extends across the river to include both ends of the hamlet of Fosdyke Bridge. Fosdyke Wash, the marshy area at the mouth of the Welland, is shown by Ordnance Survey as the nearest coastal location to Coton in the Elms in Derbyshire, which is the furthest point from the sea in Great Britain, away. Fosdyke is one of eighteen civil parishes which, together with Boston, form the Borough of Boston local government arrangement, in place since a reorganisation of 1 April 1974 which resulted from the Local Government Act 1972.
Fosdyke | Geography
The Colne Brook splits off as a distributary between New Denham and Uxbridge. After this, at West Drayton, the Frays rejoins and the Wraysbury River, the second main anabranch, and Duke of Northumberland's River divide off. Soon after, at Longford the intake is given to the Longford River, a artificial channel created in 1610 for King Charles I to supply the water features in Bushy Park and the rectangular lakes in Hampton Court Park.
River Colne, Hertfordshire | Route
The River Welland flows north from Crowland, through Spalding and passing the village and port of Fosdyke before leading out to the Wash, bisecting Spalding from east to west; the town has developed as a linear settlement around the river. Land had been reclaimed from the wetlands in the area since mediaeval times, and Spalding was subject to frequent flooding. The Coronation Channel, opened in 1953, diverted the excess waters around Spalding and ended the flooding. The area around the banks has been developed for residential and business use. Although this area has become heavily built up, there is much recreational use of the river and fishing is still popular.
Spalding, Lincolnshire | Draining of the Fens
The other main watercourses are the Basingstoke Canal, the Kennet & Avon Canal, the Wey, Whitewater, Pang and Mole.
Thames Basin Heaths | Drainage
The Eye Brook rises between Tilton on the Hill and Skeffington in Leicestershire and flows east through a narrow valley towards East Norton. Near where it crosses the A47, it starts to form the county boundary between Leicestershire and Rutland, with Belton-in-Rutland to the north, and Allexton to the south. It then proceeds south-eastwards, passing the village of Stockerston. Between Stoke Dry and Caldecott it has been dammed to form the Eyebrook Reservoir. Shortly after the reservoir outfall, it joins the River Welland (here forming the border with Northamptonshire).
Eye Brook | Course
At the eastern end, water flows out of the lake via a sluice in the dam, forming a small ornamental waterfall at the Dell. The outflow has not historically maintained the waterfall, and re-circulation pumps were installed in the Dell, below the dam, to sustain this feature. The restoration work in 2012 restored the flows into the Serpentine and this waterfall is now restored as originally designed. Historically the river flowed due south from this point, marking the boundary between Westminster and Kensington, but since 1850 it has been diverted into a culvert, running underground to reach the Thames near Chelsea Bridge.
The Long Water | Geography
The longer tributary, the Granta, starts in the parish of Debden to the east the village of Widdington in Essex. After initially running south west to descend from the hills of Uttlesford, it turns north just west of the village of Henham. From there until Great Shelford it largely follows the course of the West Anglia Main Line railway. Its northward journey passes first through Newport, where it is joined by the streams known as Wicken Water and Debden Water. A couple of miles later it forms a picturesque addition to views of the stately home as it flows past the front of Audley End House, and is also joined by the stream known as Fulfen Slade.
River Cam | Granta
The total navigable length is some 3½ miles. Fishing is permitted between Loddon and Hardley Cross, bream and roach being the most common catch.
Mundham | River Chet
The river rises near the village of Ashe, 10 km to the west of Basingstoke (at ), and flows west through the villages of Overton, Laverstoke, and the town of Whitchurch, before joining with the Bourne Rivulet at Testbourne and turning in a more southerly direction. It then proceeds through the villages of Longparish and Middleton to Wherwell and Chilbolton, where the Rivers Dever and Anton join. From Chilbolton the river goes through the villages of Leckford, Longstock, Stockbridge and Houghton to Mottisfont and Kimbridge, where the River Dun joins the flow. From here the village of Timsbury is passed, then through the grounds of Roke Manor before reaching the town of Romsey.
River Test | Course
The source of the river is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup. To the east bank lays Hawkswick Moor and on the west bank lays Darnbrook Fell, Hawkswick Clowder and Pen-y-ghent Fell. The river meanders consistently south-east for approximately to the confluence with the River Wharfe.
River Skirfare | Course
The river is about in length. It originates from East Brimfield Lake and ponds northwest of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, flows generally southeast and south through Connecticut (Putnam, Danielson, Plainfield, Canterbury and Jewett City), the river joins Aspinook pond which begins in Canterbury and ends in Jewett City. The river then continues to the Shetucket River northeast of Norwich. That river flows from there into the Thames River and drains into the Long Island Sound. It is dammed in its upper reaches at East Brimfield Dam, Westville Dam, and West Thompson Lake all for flood control, as well as numerous mill dams which powered mills along the river's course.
Quinebaug River | Course
The river is about long. It rises in Upwey, where the spring forms Upwey Wishing Well, at the foot of the South Dorset Downs, a ridge of chalk hills that separate Weymouth from Dorchester. Most of the course is in the built-up area of Weymouth, running through the former villages (now suburbs) of Upwey, Broadwey, Nottington, and Radipole, through Radipole Lake and into Weymouth Harbour. From source to mouth it falls around .
River Wey, Dorset | Course
The river's course turns to the north-east, passing the town of Wellingborough on its north bank and the village of Little Irchester to the south. At Wellingborough, the river passes through Victoria Mills. Founded in 1886 by the Whitworth family, they are still run by the firm today, producing fine flours for the bakery trade. In front of the mill, there remains a jetty from the days when the river was used for transportation of goods to and from the mills. A little further on, the river is joined from the north by the River Ise. On the opposite bank are the remains of the Roman town of Irchester.
River Nene | Wellingborough
The river flows via Colchester on its 39-mile journey to the sea.
Great Yeldham | Introduction
Furthermore, the springs at the site flow throughout the year, whereas those at the official source of Thames Head are only seasonal. The Churn/Thames may therefore be regarded as the longest natural river flow in the United Kingdom, beating its nearest rival, the River Severn by 9 miles – if much saltwater which well may be more of the sea than river, as place names like Southend-on-Sea, attest is taken as being river. If this is deemed to be correct, it would also be longer than the River Shannon (), making it the longest river in the British Isles. The stream from Seven Springs is joined within Coberley by a still longer, slightly less reliable tributary, which gives the longest headwater of the Thames river system.
Seven Springs, Gloucestershire | Source of the Thames
The by-pass project was a massive undertaking: 16.2 km² (4,000 acres) of land was expropriated for the construction. Approximately 50 million cubic metres of material was excavated. The new channel is wide, as compared to the width of the old channel. The channel's minimum depth is . Two tunnels, the Main Street Tunnel and the Townline Tunnel, were constructed to allow vehicles and trains to pass beneath the canal. To complement this, an aqueduct, to convey the Welland River under the new canal alignment, was built. The aqueduct's design is what is known as a four-tube inverted-syphon culvert, long, wide, and extending below the navigation channel.
Welland By-Pass | Construction
The New River is a drainage system in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. near Crowland it flows very roughly eastwards, following the general line of the River Welland but a little to the south. It skirts the settlements of Crowland and Cowbit before flowing into the Welland at near Little London. The land enclosed between the Welland and the New River is referred to as "Washland", and being the principal areas. Washland was designed to be sacrificially flooded as a relief of high river levels. The current land usage, and the rights of the drainage authorities to flood it can be traced back at least to an act of parliament of George III, and amended in 1847.
New River (Fens) | Introduction
A related surface water drain underneath Buckingham Palace. In its depression run key (lateral) sewers which connect to Bazalgette's west-to-east Interceptor sewers. Marylebone Lane, Jason Street, Gees Court, South Molton Lane then Bruton Lane — three of which defy the grid of streets, reflect where the stream ran. From its source at the Shepherd's Well near Fitzjohns Avenue in Hampstead its successor is Scholar's Pond Sewer southward along that avenue through the Swiss Cottage part of South Hampstead under Avenue Road to Regent's Park. To enter the park's perimeter the part-foul (combined) run is carried enpiped over the Regent's Canal then culverted.
River Tyburn | Course