River Arun
Encyclopedia
The Arun is a river
in the English
county of West Sussex
. Its source is a series of small streams (known locally as ghylls or gills) in the St Leonard's Forest
area, to the east of Horsham
. It flows through Horsham to the west and at Nowhurst is joined by North River (aka River Ockle), whose source is the heights of Leith Hill
and Holmbury Hill in Surrey.
It flows through Arundel
and past the castle
, and flows into the English Channel
at Littlehampton
. Its main tributary
is the western River Rother
. The Arun
local government district in West Sussex is named after it. The river runs for approximately 41 km (25.5 mi) from source to the sea, and is one of the faster flowing in England . The river is tidal as far inland as Pallingham Quay, 18.25 miles upstream from Littlehampton
.
's Geography, with later records substantiating the connection. Trisantonis is thought to be a Brythonic word for 'the trespasser', indicating the river's tendency to flood land near to the river. There is also a theory that the Arun may have been known as the Trisantonis in its lower reaches close to the sea, but known as the Arnus (from the Brythonic 'Arno' meaning run or flow). So the Arnus would mean 'the flowing one'. It is possible that the town of Arundel may mean Arno-dell, or dell of the flowing river. In the Middle Ages the river was known as the Tarrant, evidenced by Tarrant Street in modern Arundel, later becoming known as the Arun after the town or the Rape of Arundel.
The mouth of the river has not always been at Littlehampton
. Until the later fifteenth century it joined the River Adur
at Lancing
some ten miles to the east before entering the sea. This estuary became blocked with shingle
by the eastward drift of the tides, pushing the Adur towards Shoreham-by-Sea
, while the Arun broke out at Worthing
, Goring
and Ferring
at various times, until it formed its present estuary at Littlehampton
between 1500 and 1530. The Arun was linked to the canal
network by the Wey and Arun Canal
, opened in 1816 and closed in 1871, which is currently being renovated. The river had been made navigable to New Bridge on the A272 between Wisborough Green
and Billingshurst
by 1787, by the Arun Navigation Company. By 1791 ships of 200 tons could reach Arundel, where goods were transferred to sailing barges which could use wind and tide to travel upriver. There was no towpath on the river. The river was a toll-free navigation as far as Pallingham, by ancient royal charter, causing financial difficulties for the navigation company, which was obliged by act of parliament to maintain the river. The Rother Navigation
joined the Arun near Stopham Bridge, a fine medieval stone bridge built in AD 1423, which carried the heavy traffic on the A283 road until a new bridge was built beside it in the 1980s. The central arch was raised in 1822 to allow masted barges to pass. Littlehampton and its harbour were guarded from naval attack by Littlehampton Redoubt
on the western bank at the mouth of the river, completed in 1854, which is now screened from the open sea by Climping sand dunes
. This fort replaced a seven gun battery on the east bank built in 1759, which now has a recreational crazy golf course on top of it.
The river was abandoned as a navigation by a warrant issued as part of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act of 1888. The River Lark
in Suffolk was the only other river navigation abandoned at that time.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the English
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...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Its source is a series of small streams (known locally as ghylls or gills) in the St Leonard's Forest
St Leonard's Forest
St. Leonard's Forest is at the western end of the Wealden Forest Ridge which runs from Horsham to Tonbridge, and is part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies on the ridge to the south of the A264 between Horsham and Crawley with the villages of Colgate and Lower Beeding...
area, to the east of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
. It flows through Horsham to the west and at Nowhurst is joined by North River (aka River Ockle), whose source is the heights of Leith Hill
Leith Hill
Leith Hill to the south west of Dorking, Surrey, England, reaches above sea level, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge, and is the second highest point in south-east England, after Walbury Hill near Hungerford, West Berkshire, high....
and Holmbury Hill in Surrey.
It flows through Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
and past the castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
, and flows into the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
at Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
. Its main tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
is the western River Rother
River Rother (Western)
The River Rother is a river which flows for thirty miles from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. It should not be confused with the River Rother, in East Sussex....
. The Arun
Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
local government district in West Sussex is named after it. The river runs for approximately 41 km (25.5 mi) from source to the sea, and is one of the faster flowing in England . The river is tidal as far inland as Pallingham Quay, 18.25 miles upstream from Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
.
History
As early as 150 AD, the Arun was recorded as the Trisantonis in PtolemyPtolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
's Geography, with later records substantiating the connection. Trisantonis is thought to be a Brythonic word for 'the trespasser', indicating the river's tendency to flood land near to the river. There is also a theory that the Arun may have been known as the Trisantonis in its lower reaches close to the sea, but known as the Arnus (from the Brythonic 'Arno' meaning run or flow). So the Arnus would mean 'the flowing one'. It is possible that the town of Arundel may mean Arno-dell, or dell of the flowing river. In the Middle Ages the river was known as the Tarrant, evidenced by Tarrant Street in modern Arundel, later becoming known as the Arun after the town or the Rape of Arundel.
The mouth of the river has not always been at Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
. Until the later fifteenth century it joined the River Adur
River Adur
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...
at Lancing
Lancing, West Sussex
Lancing is a town and civil parish in the Adur district of West Sussex, England, on the western edge of the Adur Valley. It lies on the coastal plain between Sompting to the west, Shoreham-by-Sea to the east and the parish of Coombes to the north...
some ten miles to the east before entering the sea. This estuary became blocked with shingle
Shingle beach
A shingle beach is a beach which is armoured with pebbles or small- to medium-sized cobbles. Typically, the stone composition may grade from characteristic sizes ranging from two to 200 mm diameter....
by the eastward drift of the tides, pushing the Adur towards Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
, while the Arun broke out at Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, Goring
Goring by Sea
Goring-by-Sea is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England, about west of Worthing town centre. Since 1929 Goring has been part of the Borough of Worthing....
and Ferring
Ferring
Ferring is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is part of the built-up area of Worthing and is located on the A259 road west of the town. The parish has a land area of 430.6 hectares...
at various times, until it formed its present estuary at Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
between 1500 and 1530. The Arun was linked to the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
network by the Wey and Arun Canal
Wey and Arun Canal
The Wey and Arun Canal is a 23-mile-long canal in the south of England, between the River Wey at Shalford, Surrey and the River Arun at Pallingham, in West Sussex...
, opened in 1816 and closed in 1871, which is currently being renovated. The river had been made navigable to New Bridge on the A272 between Wisborough Green
Wisborough Green
Wisborough Green is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England miles west of Billingshurst on the A272.Newbridge where the A272 crosses the River Arun mile east of the village was the highest point of the Arun navigation, and the southern end of the Wey and Arun...
and Billingshurst
Billingshurst
Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies thirteen kilometres south-west of Horsham, and nine kilometres north-east of Pulborough....
by 1787, by the Arun Navigation Company. By 1791 ships of 200 tons could reach Arundel, where goods were transferred to sailing barges which could use wind and tide to travel upriver. There was no towpath on the river. The river was a toll-free navigation as far as Pallingham, by ancient royal charter, causing financial difficulties for the navigation company, which was obliged by act of parliament to maintain the river. The Rother Navigation
River Rother (Western)
The River Rother is a river which flows for thirty miles from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. It should not be confused with the River Rother, in East Sussex....
joined the Arun near Stopham Bridge, a fine medieval stone bridge built in AD 1423, which carried the heavy traffic on the A283 road until a new bridge was built beside it in the 1980s. The central arch was raised in 1822 to allow masted barges to pass. Littlehampton and its harbour were guarded from naval attack by Littlehampton Redoubt
Littlehampton Redoubt
Littlehampton Redoubt, usually known as Littlehampton Fort, was built in 1854 to protect the entrance to the River Arun at Littlehampton on the south coast of England, against possible attack by the French under the Emperor Napoleon III. There had been a previous battery on the east bank of the...
on the western bank at the mouth of the river, completed in 1854, which is now screened from the open sea by Climping sand dunes
Climping sand dunes
Climping Sand Dunes are a system of dunes at Climping in the Arun District of West Sussex, England located west of Littlehampton. The eastern end of the dunes adjoins the River Arun and Littlehampton Redoubt.-Vegetation at Climping:...
. This fort replaced a seven gun battery on the east bank built in 1759, which now has a recreational crazy golf course on top of it.
The river was abandoned as a navigation by a warrant issued as part of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act of 1888. The River Lark
River Lark
The River Lark is a river in England, which crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and...
in Suffolk was the only other river navigation abandoned at that time.
See also
- Rivers of the United Kingdom
- R.H. Goodsall, The Arun and Western Rother
- P.A.L. Vine, London's Lost Route to the Sea, Middleton Press, 1996
- P.A.L. Vine, London's Lost Route to Midhurst, The Earl of Egremont's Navigation
External links
- Submerged Palaeo-Arun River: Reconstruction of Prehistoric Landscapes Report by Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
and English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.