River Heacham
Encyclopedia
| River Heacham | |
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| In Norfolk | |
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| Geography | |
| Origin: | In the village of Fring Fring, Norfolk Fring is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 94 in 41 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.... . |
| Grid reference: | |
| Terminates: | North Beach between Heacham and Hunstanton |
| Grid reference: | |
| Length: | 5.7 miles |
| fall: | 25 metres from source to the ponds behind North Beach |
| Catchment Area: | Unknown |
| Tributaries: | Unknown |
| Water Mills: | 1 |
The River Heacham is in the North West of the County of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Its source is in the village of Bircham Newton
Bircham Newton
Bircham Newton is the smallest of the three villages that make up the civil parish of Bircham, in the west of the English county of Norfolk. The village is located about 1 km north of the larger village of Great Bircham, 20 km north-east of the town of King's Lynn, and 60 km...
(Map reference TF 339 762), 25 metres above sea level. The river is 6.8 miles long from the source to the pools behind the tidal flaps
Coastal management
In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...
at North beach, Heacham
Heacham
Heacham is a village of 4,707 inhabitants, located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, to the south and Hunstanton, about to the north, on The Wash.- History :...
. The pools discharge into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
at low tide.
Source
From the source at FringFring, Norfolk
Fring is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 94 in 41 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
the river is crossed by Peddars Way
Peddars Way
The Peddars Way is a long distance footpath in Norfolk, England. It is 46 miles long and follows the route of a Roman road. It has been suggested by more than one writer that it was not created by the Romans but was an ancient trackway, a branch or extension of the Icknield Way, used and...
and the river runs across open countryside in a North Westerly direction. Over the years this part of the river has been heavily modified but without any significant flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
defence. After 2 miles the river runs through a shallow wooded valley south of the village of Sedgeford
Sedgeford
Sedgeford is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, about 6 km south of the North Sea and east of the Wash. It is approximately north east of Cambridge.It covers an area of and had a population of 540 in 224 households as of the 2001 census....
.
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Sedgeford
Sedgeford is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, about 6 km south of the North Sea and east of the Wash. It is approximately north east of Cambridge.It covers an area of and had a population of 540 in 224 households as of the 2001 census....
the river slowly curves North West towards Heacham
Heacham
Heacham is a village of 4,707 inhabitants, located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, to the south and Hunstanton, about to the north, on The Wash.- History :...
crossing under the B 1454 and the river turns west towards the only mill on the river. Just past the road bridge the river divides into two: one branch which once fed the millpond for the mill
Watermill
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 :...
, and the other for the river to run past the mill.
.jpg)
Heacham Watermill
Heacham
Heacham is a village of 4,707 inhabitants, located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, to the south and Hunstanton, about to the north, on The Wash.- History :...
watermill
Watermill
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 :...
or Caley Mill, as it is also known, looks very different from most other mills in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, being Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
revival in architectural style and built of local carr-stone. It was also unique in Norfolk for having its waterwheel on the outside of the building. Originally used to grind corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, the building is now owned and has been used by Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
Lavender for lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
production since 1932. See Links at the bottom of the page. After the mill the river passes under the A149 coast road
A149 road
The A149 is a major route in Norfolk, linking Kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth. It runs via the coast rather than on a more direct route such as the A47. The eastern section runs through The Broads.-Kings Lynn to Wells next the Sea:...
and then skirts around the northern side of the village of Heacham
Heacham
Heacham is a village of 4,707 inhabitants, located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, to the south and Hunstanton, about to the north, on The Wash.- History :...
. The river then flows through Heacham Park where the river has been dammed to form a small lake. After the lake the river goes north for a couple of hundred feet before turning west again crossing low-level meadows where the river ends up against the tidal flaps at North Beach between Hunstanton
Hunstanton
Hunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
and Heacham
Heacham
Heacham is a village of 4,707 inhabitants, located in north-west Norfolk, England, between King's Lynn, to the south and Hunstanton, about to the north, on The Wash.- History :...
, where the river fills a series of pools that run parallel to the coast. These pools discharge at low tide. The river supports a varied and diverse wildlife population including the water vole. There is also a small breeding trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
population in the upper reaches, while in the lower reaches eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s can be found.
