River Itchen, Warwickshire
Encyclopedia
The River Itchen flows through east Warwickshire
in England
. It is a small river, about 12 miles (19.3 km) long, and its general course is from south to north.
The River Itchen rises near Wormleighton
at and flows into a broad valley to the northeast of a range of ironstone
hills which border Warwickshire and Northamptonshire
. The infant river is fed by several small brook
s and skirts the village of Bishop's Itchington
(to which it gives its name) before passing below the former Great Western Railway
London
to Birmingham
railway (now operated by Chiltern Trains
).
A mile-and-a-half north of Bishops Itchington, the River Itchen passes under Deppers Bridge which gives its name to the neighbouring hamlet. A mile further on it passes under the A425
main road west of the town of Southam
. Immediately after the bridge, it flows through Stoneythorpe Park and passes the hamlet of Bascote
. A mile north of Bascote, the Grand Union Canal
crosses the Itchen valley on a half-mile long embankment
and is carried over the river on an aqueduct
.
The River Itchen reaches the large village of Long Itchington
(again named from the river) and passes close to the church. West of the village, the river swings to the west briefly and its meandering course is bridged twice by the course of the disused Leamington to Weedon railway line, now a footpath and cycleway.
The River Itchen turns north again and three miles (5 km) further on it reaches Marton
where it flows into the River Leam
at .
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
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 is a small river, about 12 miles (19.3 km) long, and its general course is from south to north.
The River Itchen rises near Wormleighton
Wormleighton
Wormleighton is a village in the county of Warwickshire, England.Although founded in the 15th century, it was abandoned after the English Civil War when the Spencer family home Wormleighton Manor was burned down in 1645. The village, however, refounded in the 19th century...
at and flows into a broad valley to the northeast of a range of ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
hills which border Warwickshire and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. The infant river is fed by several small brook
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s and skirts the village of Bishop's Itchington
Bishop's Itchington
Bishop's Itchington is a village and civil parish about southeast of Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England.The village is on the B4451 road about southwest of Southam, and about northeast of Junction 12 on the M40 motorway...
(to which it gives its name) before passing below the former Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
railway (now operated by Chiltern Trains
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
).
A mile-and-a-half north of Bishops Itchington, the River Itchen passes under Deppers Bridge which gives its name to the neighbouring hamlet. A mile further on it passes under the A425
A425 road
The A425 road is an A road in England, which runs between Daventry in Northamptonshire and Warwick in Warwickshire via Staverton, Lower Shuckburgh and Southam.At Southam it links with the A426 as well as the A423....
main road west of the town of Southam
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
. Immediately after the bridge, it flows through Stoneythorpe Park and passes the hamlet of Bascote
Bascote
Bascote is a very small village in rural Warwickshire, England. The nearest town is Southam, 1.5 miles away. Bascote consists of a small number of large houses, a post box, and a telephone box....
. A mile north of Bascote, the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
crosses the Itchen valley on a half-mile long embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
and is carried over the river on an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
.
The River Itchen reaches the large village of Long Itchington
Long Itchington
Long Itchington is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,161. The village is named after the River Itchen which flows to the south and west of the village....
(again named from the river) and passes close to the church. West of the village, the river swings to the west briefly and its meandering course is bridged twice by the course of the disused Leamington to Weedon railway line, now a footpath and cycleway.
The River Itchen turns north again and three miles (5 km) further on it reaches Marton
Marton, Warwickshire
Marton is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. The village is part of the borough of Rugby and in the 2001 census had a population of 484....
where it flows into the River Leam
River Leam
The River Leam is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 25–30 miles long. The town of Leamington Spa lies on, and is named after, the River Leam....
at .