Brinkworth Brook
Encyclopedia
The Brinkworth Brook, is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. It rises near Broad Hinton
in Wiltshire
in the West Country
of England
, and flows in a north and then westerly direction, joining the Bristol Avon at Great Somerford
.
. It flows first in a northerly direction, and then just south of Wootton Bassett it is joined by minor tributaries from Westlea in Swindon
and a reservoir at Tockenham Wick. The stream then passes under the M4 motorway
and turns to the west past Brinkworth
, joined on the right by the Thunder Brook near Dovey's Farm. At Somerford Bridge the Brinkworth Brook turns south and joins the Bristol Avon near Dauntsey House at Great Somerford.
, possibly on the Brinkworth Brook in the 16th century.
, Desmoulin's whorl snail
, the sedge Carex
and the reeds Phragmites
and Glyceria maxima
. In addition, "diverse fish assemblages, and [..] varied aquatic invertebrate fauna" are to be found.
.
Broad Hinton
Broad Hinton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the hamlet of The Weir. The village is about southwest of Swindon....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in the West Country
West of England
The West of England is a loose and locationally unspecific term sometimes given to the area surrounding the city and county of Bristol, England, and also sometimes applied more widely and in other parts of South West England.-Use in the Bristol area:...
of 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...
, and flows in a north and then westerly direction, joining the Bristol Avon at Great Somerford
Great Somerford
Great Somerford is a village within Dauntsey Vale, Wiltshire, England, situated next to the river Avon. It lies approximately west of London and west of Swindon.-Amenities:* Church of St. Peter & St...
.
Course
The Brinkworth Brook rises at Broadtown, just north of Broad Hinton, near Wootton BassettWootton Bassett
Royal Wootton Bassett , informally known as Wootton Bassett, is a small market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001...
. It flows first in a northerly direction, and then just south of Wootton Bassett it is joined by minor tributaries from Westlea in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and a reservoir at Tockenham Wick. The stream then passes under the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and turns to the west past Brinkworth
Brinkworth
Brinkworth could be*Brinkworth, South Australia*Brinkworth, Wiltshire, UK...
, joined on the right by the Thunder Brook near Dovey's Farm. At Somerford Bridge the Brinkworth Brook turns south and joins the Bristol Avon near Dauntsey House at Great Somerford.
History
The brook forms the southern and part of the western boundaries of the parish of Brinkworth. There is evidence of a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, possibly on the Brinkworth Brook in the 16th century.
Natural history
The Brinkworth Brook is typical of Wiltshire's chalk streams, with gravelled beds. Floating water crowfoot RanunculusRanunculus
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine....
, Desmoulin's whorl snail
Desmoulin's whorl snail
Desmoulin's whorl snail, scientific name Vertigo moulinsiana, is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Vertiginidae, the vertigo snails....
, the sedge Carex
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
and the reeds Phragmites
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
and Glyceria maxima
Glyceria maxima
Glyceria maxima Holmb. is a species of rhizomatous perennial grasses in the mannagrass genus native to Europe and Western Siberia and growing in wet areas such as riverbanks and ponds...
. In addition, "diverse fish assemblages, and [..] varied aquatic invertebrate fauna" are to be found.
Hydrology
The Brinkworth Brook suffers from pollution from highway run-off, specifically the M4 motorwayM4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.