River Dour, Kent
Encyclopedia
The River Dour is a river in the county of Kent
, in England
. It flows from the villages of Temple Ewell
and River
, through the village of Kearsney, to Dover
. It is roughly 4km long.
It originally had a wide estuary
on the site of modern Dover, The estuary was a natural harbour for the Bronze Age
settlers and traders in the area. The remains of a Bronze Age seagoing boat (from 3,500 years ago), was found in 1992, and it can be seen in Dover Museum.
The Dour Estuary was then used as a port for the Roman town
,as a natural harbour for the Roman fleet.
But this was silted up in the medieval period, necessitating the construction of various artificial harbours
for Dover instead.
The river has been used since AD 762 to power various watermills along its route. These included 8 Corn Mills and 5 paper mills. Buckland Mill (near Buckland Bridge) was one of the first corn mills, it has now been converted into flats. Crabble Mill (is now a restaurant), Old Mill (in Kearsney - is now a private house) and others (also converted into various uses).
Other industries on the river included, iron foundaries, saw mills (demolished) and a tannery (also converted).
Kearsney, Kent and Kearsney Abbey (a former Grand House) is also beside the River.
The River Dour Trail is a new walking trail (set up by the White Cliffs Countryside Project). It follows the Dour from Temple Ewell to Wellington Dock on the seafront.
The trail is about 4miles long and takes 2.5 hours to walk fully.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in 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 flows from the villages of Temple Ewell
Temple Ewell
Temple Ewell is a civil parish and historic village in the county of Kent, England. The village is part of the Dover district of Kent, and forms part of the Dover urban area, it is situated three miles North West of the town of Dover....
and River
River, Kent
River is a village and civil parish in Kent, England, United Kingdom, situated between the historic town of Dover and the neighbouring village of Temple Ewell. "Village" is a somewhat loose term for River; it is a community of several thousand and is probably more usefully regarded as a suburb of...
, through the village of Kearsney, to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. It is roughly 4km long.
It originally had a wide estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
on the site of modern Dover, The estuary was a natural harbour for the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
settlers and traders in the area. The remains of a Bronze Age seagoing boat (from 3,500 years ago), was found in 1992, and it can be seen in Dover Museum.
The Dour Estuary was then used as a port for the Roman town
Dubris
Dubris or Portus Dubris was a town in Roman Britain. It is now Dover, Kent, England.As the closest point to continental Europe and the site of the estuary of the Dour, the site chosen for Dover was ideal for a cross-channel port...
,as a natural harbour for the Roman fleet.
But this was silted up in the medieval period, necessitating the construction of various artificial harbours
Port of Dover
The Port of Dover is the cross-channel port situated in Dover, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just away, and one of Europe's largest passenger ports, with 14 million travellers, 2.1 million lorries, 2.8 million cars and motorcycles and 86,000 coaches passing...
for Dover instead.
The river has been used since AD 762 to power various watermills along its route. These included 8 Corn Mills and 5 paper mills. Buckland Mill (near Buckland Bridge) was one of the first corn mills, it has now been converted into flats. Crabble Mill (is now a restaurant), Old Mill (in Kearsney - is now a private house) and others (also converted into various uses).
Other industries on the river included, iron foundaries, saw mills (demolished) and a tannery (also converted).
Kearsney, Kent and Kearsney Abbey (a former Grand House) is also beside the River.
The River Dour Trail is a new walking trail (set up by the White Cliffs Countryside Project). It follows the Dour from Temple Ewell to Wellington Dock on the seafront.
The trail is about 4miles long and takes 2.5 hours to walk fully.
External links
- http://www.ccmt.org.uk/ Crabble Mill page
- http://www.bucklandmill.co.uk/ Buckland Mill page