Castle Mill Stream is a backwater

Backwater (river)

A backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current. It refers either to a branch of a main river which lies alongside it and then rejoins it or to a body of water in a main river which is backed up by an obstruction such as the tide or a dam.-Alternative channel:If a river has...

 of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in the west of Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, 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 is 5.5 km long.

Course

The stream leaves the main course of the Thames at the south end of Port Meadow, immediately upstream of Medley Footbridge

Medley Footbridge

Medley Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge across the River Thames near the village of Binsey in Oxford, England. It is also known as Rainbow Bridge, although there is another bridge of that name in the University Parks in Oxford....

. It then flows under the Cherwell Valley railway line

Cherwell Valley Line

The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...

 and turns south, parallel to the southern end of the Oxford Canal

Oxford Canal

The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...

. Fiddler's Island

Fiddler's Island

Fiddler's Island is an island in the River Thames at Oxford in England. It is situated south of Port Meadow on the reach above Osney Lock.The thin island sits between the Thames and Castle Mill Stream. On the south of the island a short stream known as the Sheepwash Channel divides the island from...

 is on the right (west) bank of the stream. At the southern end of the island the Isis Lock gives access to the canal from the stream, and the short Sheepwash Channel leads to the main stream of the Thames. The stream then flows under Hythe Bridge

Hythe Bridge

Hythe Bridge is a flat late 19th century cast iron beamed bridge on Hythe Bridge Street in the west of central Oxford, England. It spans the Castle Mill Stream, a backwater of the River Thames. Hythe Bridge forms part of the main arterial route west of Oxford...

 on Hythe Bridge Street

Hythe Bridge Street

Hythe Bridge Street is in the west of central Oxford, England, forming part of the A4144 road.- Location :The street links Frideswide Square and then Botley Road to the east and Worcester Street at the western end leading north, at the junction with George Street...

, and under a series of bridges: Pacey's Bridge on Park End Street

Park End Street

Park End Street is a street in central Oxford, England, to the west of the centre of the city, close to the railway station at its western end.-Location:...

, Quaking Bridge and Swan Bridge (once known as Castle Bridge), outside the original medieval city walls of Oxford, near Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...

. It then flows under Oxpens Road

Oxpens Road

Oxpens Road is a road in central Oxford, England, linking west and south Oxford. It is named after the marshy area of Oxpens, next to one of the branches of the River Thames in Oxford.- Locale :...

 and rejoins the Thames immediately upstream of the Gasworks Bridge.

History

The stream was considerably altered in Saxon and early Norman times. There was a mill here even before the castle existed. In the winter of 1142 there was a siege at the Castle. Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...

 (aka Queen Maud, 1102–1167), the daughter and dispossessed heir of Henry I

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

, was there during her power struggle with King Stephen

Stephen of England

Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...

 (1096–1154). The queen escaped from the castle after her guards lowered her over the walls. She was dressed in a white dress that camouflaged her against the snow. Matilda crept through the enemy lines and across the Castle Mill Stream to escape to freedom.

In the Middle Ages the stream was used for navigation, at least above Hythe Bridge. In the 16th century hay, wood, stone, and slate were unloaded at a wharf at Hythe Bridge. When the Oxford Canal was built it provided an easier route into the centre of Oxford, and in 1795-96 Daniel Harris

Daniel Harris (Oxford)

Daniel Harris was a builder, prison governor, civil engineer and architect who lived and practised in Oxford.-Family:Harris's birthplace is obscure but he was born about 1761, as the entry in St-Peter-le-Bailey's register for his death in 1840 records his age as 79. He married Elizabeth Tomkins of...

 built Isis Lock to allow Thames river traffic to access the canal wharves. The stream then fell out of use for navigation.

External links

• Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide: Oxford Old River