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River Stour, Dorset

January 01, 1970

The River Stour is a 61 mi (98 km) river[1][2][3][4][5] which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. The catchment area for the river and its tributaries is listed as 480 square miles (1,240 km2).[6]

River Stour
The Dorset Stour at Little Canford, just west of Canford Magna
Location
CountryEngland
CountyDorset, Wiltshire, Somerset
DistrictSalisbury, South Somerset, North Dorset, East Dorset, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch
TownsGillingham, Sturminster Newton, Blandford Forum, Wimborne Minster, Christchurch
Physical characteristics
SourceStourhead
 • locationSt Peter's Pump, Mere, Wiltshire
Mouth 
 • location
Christchurch Harbour, Christchurch, Dorset
 • coordinates
50°43′41″N 1°46′23″W / 50.72796°N 1.77295°W / 50.72796; -1.77295
Length61 mi (98 km)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftAllen, Moors River

Toponymy edit

It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from other rivers of the same name in Kent, Suffolk and the Midlands.[7][8] According to Brewer's Dictionary of Britain & Ireland, the name Stour rhymes with hour and derives from Old English meaning "violent", "fierce" or the "fierce one".[9]

History edit

The river burst its banks at Christchurch during the 2013–14 winter floods and 100 residents were evacuated.[10]

Prehistoric archaeology edit

The Stour valley has produced rich evidence for early human (Palaeolithic) activity. Gravel pits in the lower reaches of the river (many underlying modern day Bournemouth) produced hundreds of Lower Palaeolithic handaxes when they were quarried, particular during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.[11] Archaeological investigations around 2010 near Corfe Mullen suggested that some of the artefacts from those quarries may be around 400,000 to 500,000 years old.[12][13]

Course edit

The source of the river is fed from greensand springs at Stourhead, in Wiltshire,[14] where it forms a series of artificial lakes which are part of the Stourhead estate owned by the National Trust.[15] It flows south into Dorset through the Blackmore Vale and the towns of Gillingham and Sturminster Newton.[16]

At Marnhull the Stour is joined by the River Cale and then (two miles downstream) by the River Lydden.[17] At Blandford Forum the river breaks through the chalk ridge of the Dorset Downs, and from there flows south east into the heathlands of south east Dorset. At Wimborne Minster it is joined by the River Allen, and at its estuary at Christchurch it is joined by the River Avon before it flows through the harbour into the English Channel.[7]

From source to estuary, the river falls approximately 750 feet (230 m) over its 60 mi (97 km) length.[18]

For many miles the river is followed by the route of the now disused Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which bridged the river four times in a 9 mi (14 km) section between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum.[19]

Because much of the river's course is across clay soil, the river's waterlevel varies greatly. In summer, low water level makes the river a diverse and important habitat, supporting many rare plants. In winter, the river often floods, and is therefore bordered by wide and fertile flood plains.[20]

A number of towns and villages in Dorset are named after the river, including East Stour, West Stour, Stourpaine, Stourton Caundle, Stour Row, Stour Provost, Sturminster Newton, and Sturminster Marshall. Sturminster Newton is famous for its water mill and town bridge,[16] which still bears the notice warning potential vandals that damaging the bridge is punishable by penal transportation.

Ecology edit

The river flows through a myriad of differing settings and scenery (reed bed, open water, coastal, estuarine, river, streams, lowland heath) and as such is host to species such as the pipistrelle bat, harbour porpoise, great crested newt, medicinal leech, Desmoulin's whorl snail and the starlet sea anemone.[21]

There are many fish that live and use the river, which include; barbel, bream, chub, dace, grayling, perch, pike, roach, rudd, salmon, tench & trout.[14] The harbour at Christchurch has also been used to land oysters, crab, lobster and cuttlefish, all of which were fished from the harbour itself. Bass and mullet are known to use the estuary for feeding and as a nursery.[22]

Downstream of Blandford Forum, the Stour is host to an insect known as the Blandford Fly (Simulium posticatum) which is known for leaving painful bites on humans. Attempts have been made to rid the fly from the area with a special spray used on the larval habitats of the fly.[23]

Recreation and amenity edit

The harbour at Christchurch and the lower reaches of the Stour and the Avon are host to a multitude of marinas, boat clubs and landing stages. The Stour is navigable as far upstream as Tuckton (the tidal limit)[24] and whilst there is a low bridge at Iford, it is possible to navigate as far as the rapids which are 0.9 miles (1.5 km) upstream of Iford Bridge.[25] Spring tides have been known to penetrate a further 0.9 miles (1.5 km) upstream, as far as Blackwater Bridge (the A338 road).[26] Boats can be hired from several yards and landings in the harbour and estuary area[27] with kayaking and canoeing being popular on the river too.[28]

The Stour Valley Way is a designated long-distance footpath that follows almost all of the course of the river.[29]

White Mill, an 18th-century watermill on the river near Sturminster Marshall, is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.[30]

 
The River Stour passing under Crawford Bridge

Literary associations edit

Thomas Hardy wrote about Overlooking the River Stour,[31] while William Barnes similarly referenced the "darksome pools o' stwoneless Stour" in his The Water Crowvoot.[32]

The Stour also appears in more occasional fashion in The Faerie Queene.[33]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Stour (headwaters)". catchmentdataexplorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  2. ^ . catchmentdataexplorer. Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Stour (Middle u/s Pimperne Brook)". catchmentdataexplorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  4. ^ . catchmentdataexplorer. Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Stour (lower)". catchmentdataexplorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  6. ^ . Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Dorset Stour Catchment Flood Management Plan" (PDF). gov.uk. Environment Agency. June 2012. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  8. ^ Roberts, Steve. "The Dorset Stour". riverdays.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  9. ^ Ayto & Crofton 2005, p. 1059.
  10. ^ "UK floods: more than 100 people evacuated as river bursts banks". the Guardian. 25 December 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  11. ^ Davis, R.J. (2015). . Lithics: The Journal of the Lithic Studies Society. 35: 33–39. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  12. ^ McNabb, J.; Hosfield, R. (2009). "Re-investigations of Lower Palaeolithic archaeology and deposits at Corfe Mullen". Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 130: 195–198.
  13. ^ McNabb, J.; Hosfield, R.; Dearling, K.; Barker, D.; Strutt, K.; Cole, J.; Bates, M.; Toms, P. (2012). "Recent work at the Lower Palaeolithic site of Corfe Mullen, Dorset, England". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 78: 35–50. doi:10.1017/S0079497X00027092. S2CID 131700058.
  14. ^ a b Blackmore, Mike (2014). "River Stour at Stourhead" (PDF). wildtrout.org. The Wild Trout Trust. p. 4. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Stourhead". nationaltrust.org.uk. National Trust. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  16. ^ a b Ayto & Crofton 2005, p. 1069.
  17. ^ Chaffey, John (January 2008). "The Stour: Stourhead to Sturminster Newton". dorsetlife.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Dorset Stour - First Annual Review" (PDF). environmentdata.org. Environment Agency. December 1998. p. 2. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  19. ^ Hawkins, Mac (1999). The Somerset & Dorset; then and now (3 ed.). Somerset: Grang Books. p. 155. ISBN 1-84013-321X.
  20. ^ "The Rivers Stour; five contrasting rivers". cleanriverstruct.co.uk. Clean Rivers Trust. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Dorset Stour action plan" (PDF). environmentdata.org. Environment Agency. January 1998. p. 20(29). Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  22. ^ "Dorset Stour consultation report" (PDF). environmentadata.org. Environment Agency. January 1997. p. 63. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Dorset Stour consultation report" (PDF). environmentadata.org. Environment Agency. January 1997. p. 56. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  24. ^ "195" (Map). Bournemouth & Purbeck. 1:50,000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 9780319262931.
  25. ^ "The River Stour, Dorset. England". stourvalleyway.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  26. ^ "Dorset Stour Catchment Flood Management Plan" (PDF). gov.uk. Environment Agency. June 2012. p. 14. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  27. ^ Richards, Alexandra (2012). Slow Dorset. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. p. 278. ISBN 9781841623931.
  28. ^ Court, Maria (12 July 2014). "Paddle power: what it's like to explore the river Stour by kayak". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Stour Valley way (Dorset)". ldwa.org.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  30. ^ "White Mill". National Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  31. ^ D. Wright ed., Thomas Hardy: Selected Poems (Penguin 1978) p. 346
  32. ^ R. Nye ed., William Barnes: Selected Poems (Manchester 1988) p. 56
  33. ^ P. Cullen, Speser Studies 12 (1991) p. 207 and p. 211

Bibliography edit

  • Ayto, John; Crofton, Ian (2005). Brewer's Britain & Ireland. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-304-35385-X.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Stour, Dorset.

January 01, 1970
river, stour, dorset, river, stour, river, which, flows, through, wiltshire, dorset, southern, england, drains, into, english, channel, catchment, area, river, tributaries, listed, square, miles, river, stourthe, dorset, stour, little, canford, just, west, can. The River Stour is a 61 mi 98 km river 1 2 3 4 5 which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England and drains into the English Channel The catchment area for the river and its tributaries is listed as 480 square miles 1 240 km2 6 River StourThe Dorset Stour at Little Canford just west of Canford MagnaLocationCountryEnglandCountyDorset Wiltshire SomersetDistrictSalisbury South Somerset North Dorset East Dorset Poole Bournemouth ChristchurchTownsGillingham Sturminster Newton Blandford Forum Wimborne Minster ChristchurchPhysical characteristicsSourceStourhead locationSt Peter s Pump Mere WiltshireMouth locationChristchurch Harbour Christchurch Dorset coordinates50 43 41 N 1 46 23 W 50 72796 N 1 77295 W 50 72796 1 77295Length61 mi 98 km Basin featuresTributaries leftAllen Moors River vteRiver Stour Dorset Legend Source Garden Lake New Lake Bourton Mill A303 B3081 road Shreen Water B3081 road West of England Main Line River Lodden Stock Water West Brook Highbridge Mill Stour Provost Mill River Cale former route of the Cale West Mill Bibbern Brook Kings Mill River Lydden Cutt Mill River Divelish Sturminster Mill Weir B3092 road Fiddleford Mill Darknoll Brook Chivrick s Brook Manston Brook Fontmell Brook Cookwell Brook River Iwerne Durweston Mill A357 Pimperne Brook A354 The Tarrant River Winterbourne White Mill White Mill Bridge Old Mill B3078 road River Allen B3073 road A31 A348 A348 amp Longhams Bridge PS A348 A347 The Leaden Stour Throop Mill Moors River A338 Blackwater Bridge Spring tide limit Limit of navigation A35 Iford Bridge Normal tidal reach South West Main Line B3059 road River Avon Christchurch Harbour Contents 1 Toponymy 2 History 2 1 Prehistoric archaeology 3 Course 4 Ecology 5 Recreation and amenity 6 Literary associations 7 See also 8 References 8 1 BibliographyToponymy editIt is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from other rivers of the same name in Kent Suffolk and the Midlands 7 8 According to Brewer s Dictionary of Britain amp Ireland the name Stour rhymes with hour and derives from Old English meaning violent fierce or the fierce one 9 History editThe river burst its banks at Christchurch during the 2013 14 winter floods and 100 residents were evacuated 10 Prehistoric archaeology edit The Stour valley has produced rich evidence for early human Palaeolithic activity Gravel pits in the lower reaches of the river many underlying modern day Bournemouth produced hundreds of Lower Palaeolithic handaxes when they were quarried particular during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century 11 Archaeological investigations around 2010 near Corfe Mullen suggested that some of the artefacts from those quarries may be around 400 000 to 500 000 years old 12 13 Course editThe source of the river is fed from greensand springs at Stourhead in Wiltshire 14 where it forms a series of artificial lakes which are part of the Stourhead estate owned by the National Trust 15 It flows south into Dorset through the Blackmore Vale and the towns of Gillingham and Sturminster Newton 16 At Marnhull the Stour is joined by the River Cale and then two miles downstream by the River Lydden 17 At Blandford Forum the river breaks through the chalk ridge of the Dorset Downs and from there flows south east into the heathlands of south east Dorset At Wimborne Minster it is joined by the River Allen and at its estuary at Christchurch it is joined by the River Avon before it flows through the harbour into the English Channel 7 From source to estuary the river falls approximately 750 feet 230 m over its 60 mi 97 km length 18 For many miles the river is followed by the route of the now disused Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway which bridged the river four times in a 9 mi 14 km section between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum 19 Because much of the river s course is across clay soil the river s waterlevel varies greatly In summer low water level makes the river a diverse and important habitat supporting many rare plants In winter the river often floods and is therefore bordered by wide and fertile flood plains 20 A number of towns and villages in Dorset are named after the river including East Stour West Stour Stourpaine Stourton Caundle Stour Row Stour Provost Sturminster Newton and Sturminster Marshall Sturminster Newton is famous for its water mill and town bridge 16 which still bears the notice warning potential vandals that damaging the bridge is punishable by penal transportation Ecology editThe river flows through a myriad of differing settings and scenery reed bed open water coastal estuarine river streams lowland heath and as such is host to species such as the pipistrelle bat harbour porpoise great crested newt medicinal leech Desmoulin s whorl snail and the starlet sea anemone 21 There are many fish that live and use the river which include barbel bream chub dace grayling perch pike roach rudd salmon tench amp trout 14 The harbour at Christchurch has also been used to land oysters crab lobster and cuttlefish all of which were fished from the harbour itself Bass and mullet are known to use the estuary for feeding and as a nursery 22 Downstream of Blandford Forum the Stour is host to an insect known as the Blandford Fly Simulium posticatum which is known for leaving painful bites on humans Attempts have been made to rid the fly from the area with a special spray used on the larval habitats of the fly 23 Recreation and amenity editThe harbour at Christchurch and the lower reaches of the Stour and the Avon are host to a multitude of marinas boat clubs and landing stages The Stour is navigable as far upstream as Tuckton the tidal limit 24 and whilst there is a low bridge at Iford it is possible to navigate as far as the rapids which are 0 9 miles 1 5 km upstream of Iford Bridge 25 Spring tides have been known to penetrate a further 0 9 miles 1 5 km upstream as far as Blackwater Bridge the A338 road 26 Boats can be hired from several yards and landings in the harbour and estuary area 27 with kayaking and canoeing being popular on the river too 28 The Stour Valley Way is a designated long distance footpath that follows almost all of the course of the river 29 White Mill an 18th century watermill on the river near Sturminster Marshall is owned by the National Trust and open to the public 30 nbsp The River Stour passing under Crawford BridgeLiterary associations editThomas Hardy wrote about Overlooking the River Stour 31 while William Barnes similarly referenced the darksome pools o stwoneless Stour in his The Water Crowvoot 32 The Stour also appears in more occasional fashion in The Faerie Queene 33 See also editList of rivers of the United KingdomReferences edit Stour headwaters catchmentdataexplorer Environment Agency Retrieved 18 November 2016 Stour upper catchmentdataexplorer Environment Agency Archived from the original on 19 November 2016 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Stour Middle u s Pimperne Brook catchmentdataexplorer Environment Agency Retrieved 18 November 2016 Stour Middle d s Pimperne Brook catchmentdataexplorer Environment Agency Archived from the original on 18 November 2016 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Stour lower catchmentdataexplorer Environment Agency Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour Summary Catchment Data Explorer Environment Agency Archived from the original on 18 November 2016 Retrieved 18 November 2016 a b Dorset Stour Catchment Flood Management Plan PDF gov uk Environment Agency June 2012 p 6 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Roberts Steve The Dorset Stour riverdays co uk Retrieved 18 November 2016 Ayto amp Crofton 2005 p 1059 UK floods more than 100 people evacuated as river bursts banks the Guardian 25 December 2013 Retrieved 14 April 2022 Davis R J 2015 Concerning the earliest Acheulean occupation of Britain the geological context of a handaxe assemblage from Foxholes Bournemouth southern England Lithics The Journal of the Lithic Studies Society 35 33 39 Archived from the original on 19 July 2020 Retrieved 8 June 2022 McNabb J Hosfield R 2009 Re investigations of Lower Palaeolithic archaeology and deposits at Corfe Mullen Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 130 195 198 McNabb J Hosfield R Dearling K Barker D Strutt K Cole J Bates M Toms P 2012 Recent work at the Lower Palaeolithic site of Corfe Mullen Dorset England Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 78 35 50 doi 10 1017 S0079497X00027092 S2CID 131700058 a b Blackmore Mike 2014 River Stour at Stourhead PDF wildtrout org The Wild Trout Trust p 4 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Stourhead nationaltrust org uk National Trust Retrieved 18 November 2016 a b Ayto amp Crofton 2005 p 1069 Chaffey John January 2008 The Stour Stourhead to Sturminster Newton dorsetlife co uk Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour First Annual Review PDF environmentdata org Environment Agency December 1998 p 2 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Hawkins Mac 1999 The Somerset amp Dorset then and now 3 ed Somerset Grang Books p 155 ISBN 1 84013 321X The Rivers Stour five contrasting rivers cleanriverstruct co uk Clean Rivers Trust 24 March 2013 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour action plan PDF environmentdata org Environment Agency January 1998 p 20 29 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour consultation report PDF environmentadata org Environment Agency January 1997 p 63 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour consultation report PDF environmentadata org Environment Agency January 1997 p 56 Retrieved 18 November 2016 195 Map Bournemouth amp Purbeck 1 50 000 Landranger Ordnance Survey 2016 ISBN 9780319262931 The River Stour Dorset England stourvalleyway co uk Retrieved 18 November 2016 Dorset Stour Catchment Flood Management Plan PDF gov uk Environment Agency June 2012 p 14 Retrieved 18 November 2016 Richards Alexandra 2012 Slow Dorset Chalfont St Peter Bradt p 278 ISBN 9781841623931 Court Maria 12 July 2014 Paddle power what it s like to explore the river Stour by kayak Dorset Echo Retrieved 21 November 2016 Stour Valley way Dorset ldwa org uk Retrieved 18 November 2016 White Mill National Trust Retrieved 3 December 2021 D Wright ed Thomas Hardy Selected Poems Penguin 1978 p 346 R Nye ed William Barnes Selected Poems Manchester 1988 p 56 P Cullen Speser Studies 12 1991 p 207 and p 211 Bibliography edit Ayto John Crofton Ian 2005 Brewer s Britain amp Ireland Weidenfeld amp Nicolson ISBN 0 304 35385 X nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Stour Dorset Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title River Stour Dorset amp oldid 1176033662, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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