Bourn Brook, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Bourn Brook is a minor tributary of the River Cam
in Cambridgeshire
, England
.
It has its source just to the east of the village of Eltisley
, 10 miles west of Cambridge
, where the hills rise to around 60 metres above sea level. Minor tributaries known as the Eastern Brook, Hay Dean, Crow Dean and Gascote Dean merge just to the west of Caxton
before it flows through Caxton, crossing the Roman road Ermine Street
at its junction with the Bourn and Gransden roads.
A footpath then follows its course to the outskirts of Bourn, where it is forded by the Caxton End road, and then bisects the village of Bourn. The village takes its name from the brook − "bourn" being another word for a brook.
Flowing south-east from Bourn, it runs through Bourn Golf Course where it merges with the Dean Brook. Upon meeting the B1046 it turns east and runs alongside the former Varsity Line
railway that closed in 1968. From this point until it reaches the River Cam it also forms the boundary between neighbouring parishes. Firstly it forms the northern parish boundary of Kingston
then Great Eversden
and the southern boundary of Caldecote
and Toft
, though at points it deviates slightly from the boundaries, indicating that its flow has altered since early medieval times.
After skirting the southern edge of Toft village, it crosses the Prime Meridian
still following the former railway line that is now used as part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
. Here it forms the southern boundary of Comberton
and then Barton
and the northern boundary of Little Eversden
, Harlton
, and Haslingfield
parishes, though it flows some distance away from the villages themselves.
Finally it crosses the M11 motorway
and forms the boundary between Grantchester
and Haslingfield before flowing into the River Cam
at Byron's Pool a few hundred metres south of Grantchester village, where the poet Lord Byron is reputed to have swum.
, dace
and perch
.
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It has its source just to the east of the village of Eltisley
Eltisley
Eltisley is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, on the A428 road about 5.5 miles east of St Neots and about 11 miles west of the city of Cambridge. The population in 2001 was 421 people.-History:...
, 10 miles west of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, where the hills rise to around 60 metres above sea level. Minor tributaries known as the Eastern Brook, Hay Dean, Crow Dean and Gascote Dean merge just to the west of Caxton
Caxton, Cambridgeshire
Caxton is a small rural village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is 9 miles west of the county town of Cambridge. In 2001, the population of Caxton parish was 480 people. Caxton is most famous for the Caxton Gibbet.-History:...
before it flows through Caxton, crossing the Roman road Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
at its junction with the Bourn and Gransden roads.
A footpath then follows its course to the outskirts of Bourn, where it is forded by the Caxton End road, and then bisects the village of Bourn. The village takes its name from the brook − "bourn" being another word for a brook.
Flowing south-east from Bourn, it runs through Bourn Golf Course where it merges with the Dean Brook. Upon meeting the B1046 it turns east and runs alongside the former Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
railway that closed in 1968. From this point until it reaches the River Cam it also forms the boundary between neighbouring parishes. Firstly it forms the northern parish boundary of Kingston
Kingston, Cambridgeshire
Kingston is a small village and parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. Situated 7 miles to the west of Cambridge, the population at the time of the 2001 census was 214....
then Great Eversden
Great Eversden
Great Eversden is a village 6 miles south-west of Cambridge, England. The Prime Meridian runs through the parish just to the east of the village, separating it from Little Eversden.Great Eversden is a small village of about 85 houses...
and the southern boundary of Caldecote
Caldecote, Cambridgeshire
Caldecote is a village in Cambridgeshire, in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It is located south of the A428, approximately six miles west of Cambridge and three miles east of Cambourne....
and Toft
Toft, Cambridgeshire
Toft is a village situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately six miles to the west of Cambridge, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary...
, though at points it deviates slightly from the boundaries, indicating that its flow has altered since early medieval times.
After skirting the southern edge of Toft village, it crosses the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
still following the former railway line that is now used as part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile Telescope, 5-km Ryle Telescope, and the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager...
. Here it forms the southern boundary of Comberton
Comberton
Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, just east of the Prime Meridian.-History:Archaeological finds, including a Neolithic polished stone axe and a Bronze Age barrow , suggest there has been a settlement here for thousands of years. A Roman villa was discovered...
and then Barton
Barton, Cambridgeshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is about south-west of Cambridge, near junction 12 of the M11 motorway.- History :...
and the northern boundary of Little Eversden
Little Eversden
Little Eversden is a village approximately south-west of Cambridge, England. It has two main roads: Harlton Road which goes through Little Eversden and joins the A603, and High Street, which is a dead end....
, Harlton
Harlton
Harlton is a village and civil parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The village is south-west of Cambridge.-History:...
, and Haslingfield
Haslingfield
Haslingfield is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. The village is about six miles south-west of Cambridge, between Harston, Barton and Barrington. The population in the 2001 census was 1,550 people living in 621 households. The main streets in the village are called High...
parishes, though it flows some distance away from the villages themselves.
Finally it crosses the M11 motorway
M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
and forms the boundary between Grantchester
Grantchester
Grantchester is a village on the River Cam or Granta in Cambridgeshire, England. It is listed in the Domesday Book as Grantesete and Grauntsethe...
and Haslingfield before flowing into the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
at Byron's Pool a few hundred metres south of Grantchester village, where the poet Lord Byron is reputed to have swum.
Usage
Bourn Brook is used for angling, though there are few fish in its waters. The fish most commonly seen are small roachRoach (fish)
The Common Roach is a freshwater and brackish water fish native to most of Europe and western Asia...
, dace
Common dace
The common dace , also known as the dace or the Eurasian dace, is a fresh- or brackish-water fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. It is an inhabitant of the rivers and streams of Europe north of the Alps as well as in Asia. It is most abundant in France and Germany, and has also spread to...
and perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
.