The River Spen or Spen Beck, in West Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Calder. It rises north of Cleckheaton, runs through Liversedge and flows into the Calder to the south of Dewsbury at Ravensthorpe. The average rainfall for the river valley of between 600–1000mm per annum when combined with the steep narrow river channel, makes the Spen susceptible to regular flooding.[2] It is referred to in the name of the local parliamentary constituency, Batley and Spen, to account for the villages and suburbs of Batley in the Spen Valley, such as Liversedge and Gomersal.
The River Spen is formed at the confluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton. The river flows south past industrial premises parallel to a dismantled railway line before turning south east on the outskirts of Liversedge. It continues south east through the industrial centre of the town before returning southwards along the edge of Heckmondwike. On the outskirts of Ravensthorpe, the river turns south east again before joining the River Calder.
Natural historyEdit
The Spen is mainly an urban waterway and has been polluted by sewage effluent and industrial waste, though levels of pollutants and mine water discharges have decreased since 1999. Heavy rain can cause pollutant levels to rise and the river suffers from tipping and urban litter.[3]
The disused railway line adjacent to the riverbank is part of the Spen Valley Greenway (National Cycle Route 66) from Dewsbury to Oakenshaw near Bradford. The greenway is home to a collection of artworks, including A Flock of Swaledale Sheep, constructed from recycled industrial scrap by Sally Matthews, and Rotate by Trudi Entwistle which comprises 40 giant steel hoops set in a circle.[5]
river, spen, spen, beck, west, yorkshire, england, tributary, river, calder, rises, north, cleckheaton, runs, through, liversedge, flows, into, calder, south, dewsbury, ravensthorpe, average, rainfall, river, valley, between, 1000mm, annum, when, combined, wit. The River Spen or Spen Beck in West Yorkshire England is a tributary of the River Calder It rises north of Cleckheaton runs through Liversedge and flows into the Calder to the south of Dewsbury at Ravensthorpe The average rainfall for the river valley of between 600 1000mm per annum when combined with the steep narrow river channel makes the Spen susceptible to regular flooding 2 It is referred to in the name of the local parliamentary constituency Batley and Spen to account for the villages and suburbs of Batley in the Spen Valley such as Liversedge and Gomersal River SpenSpen River running east through Millbridge Liversedge into HeckmondwikeLocationCountryEnglandPhysical characteristicsSource locationConfluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton coordinates53 43 59 N 1 43 05 W 53 73306 N 1 71806 W 53 73306 1 71806 Source of River Spen elevation81 metres 266 ft Mouth locationRiver Calder at Dewsbury coordinates53 40 49 N 1 39 4 W 53 68028 N 1 65111 W 53 68028 1 65111 Mouth of River Spen elevation42 metres 138 ft Length8 kilometres 5 0 mi Basin size46 3 square kilometres 17 9 sq mi 1 Contents 1 Course 2 Natural history 3 Leisure 4 Lists 4 1 Tributaries 4 2 Settlements 4 3 Crossings 5 Sources 6 ReferencesCourse EditThe River Spen is formed at the confluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton The river flows south past industrial premises parallel to a dismantled railway line before turning south east on the outskirts of Liversedge It continues south east through the industrial centre of the town before returning southwards along the edge of Heckmondwike On the outskirts of Ravensthorpe the river turns south east again before joining the River Calder Natural history EditThe Spen is mainly an urban waterway and has been polluted by sewage effluent and industrial waste though levels of pollutants and mine water discharges have decreased since 1999 Heavy rain can cause pollutant levels to rise and the river suffers from tipping and urban litter 3 Several non native species of plant are found along the river including giant hogweed Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed Bistort wild garlic nettles and dandelions are found in abundance in the meadows between the conurbations 4 Leisure EditThe disused railway line adjacent to the riverbank is part of the Spen Valley Greenway National Cycle Route 66 from Dewsbury to Oakenshaw near Bradford The greenway is home to a collection of artworks including A Flock of Swaledale Sheep constructed from recycled industrial scrap by Sally Matthews and Rotate by Trudi Entwistle which comprises 40 giant steel hoops set in a circle 5 Lists EditTributaries Edit Finching Dike Canker DykeSettlements Edit Cleckheaton Liversedge Heckmondwike RavensthorpeCrossings Edit A643 Cleckheaton Thornton Street Cleckheaton A638 Rawfolds Bridge Cleckheaton Cartwright Street Cleckheaton Primrose Lane Cleckheaton Radulf Gardens Liversedge Knowler Hill Liversedge Valley Road Liversedge A62 Liversedge A649 Wakefiled Road Liversedge Wormald Street Liversedge Union Street Liversedge Beck Lane Liversedge Smithies Bridge Station Lane Liversedge A644 Huddersfield Road RavensthorpeSources EditOrdnance Survey Open Data https www ordnancesurvey co uk business government tools support open data supportReferences Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Spen Spen Statistics National River Flow Archives Centre for Ecology amp Hydrology Retrieved 18 February 2011 River flow PDF Retrieved 21 August 2011 Water quality Retrieved 21 August 2011 Biodiversity Retrieved 21 August 2011 Leisure activities Retrieved 21 August 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title River Spen amp oldid 1157717401, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
