River Windrush
Encyclopedia
The River Windrush is a river in the English
Cotswolds
, forming part of the River Thames
catchment
.
The Windrush starts in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire
northeast of Taddington, which is north of Guiting Power
, Temple Guiting, Ford
and Cutsdean
. It flows for about 40 miles (64.4 km) through Bourton-on-the-Water
, and the village of Windrush, into Oxfordshire
and through Burford
, Witney
, Ducklington
and Standlake
. It meets the Thames at Newbridge
upstream of Northmoor Lock
.
The river is host to fish, including trout, grayling, perch, chub, roach and dace. It held good populations of native crayfish until at least the 1980s. River waters were used in cloth and woollen blanket making in Witney
from mid 17th century.
In 2007, the Windrush was one of many rivers in the area to flood
. Towns and villages along the entire length of the river were affected, but particular problems were caused in Witney, which was cut in half by the closure of the only bridge across the river.
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...
Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, forming part 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,...
catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
The Windrush starts in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
northeast of Taddington, which is north of Guiting Power
Guiting Power
Guiting Power is a small Gloucestershire village in the Cotswolds, England.-Location:It is situated on the slopes above a small valley . There was a late Anglo-Saxon settlement on this site, when it was called Gyting Broc...
, Temple Guiting, Ford
Ford, Gloucestershire
Ford is a hamlet in Gloucestershire, England.Ford lies on the B4077 road where it crosses the upper reaches of the River Windrush between Tewkesbury and Stow-on-the-Wold. The nearest village is Cutsdean a mile to its north.- External links :*...
and Cutsdean
Cutsdean
Cutsdean is a small village in the Cotswolds, located close to the Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham. The River Windrush runs through the village.-External links:...
. It flows for about 40 miles (64.4 km) through Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, and the village of Windrush, into Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and through Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
, Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
, Ducklington
Ducklington
Ducklington is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush south of Witney in West Oxfordshire.-History:Ducklington is one of the first Saxon parishes to be recorded in Oxfordshire. In a charter of AD 958 King Edgar the Peaceable granted at Ducklington to his Minister, Eanulf...
and Standlake
Standlake
Standlake is a village and civil parish about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Brighthampton. The River Windrush flows past the village and with its tributary Medley Brook it forms much of the eastern boundary of the parish. The western boundary has been...
. It meets the Thames at Newbridge
Newbridge, Oxfordshire
Newbridge is a 13th century bridge carrying the A415 road over the River Thames in Oxfordshire, between Abingdon and Witney, close to the Thames' confluence with the River Windrush...
upstream of Northmoor Lock
Northmoor Lock
Northmoor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, on the northern bank about a mile from Northmoor.The lock was built in 1896 by the Thames Conservancy to replace a flash lock at Hart's Weir, also known as Ridge's Weir, about a mile upstream and another at Ark Weir downstream...
.
The river is host to fish, including trout, grayling, perch, chub, roach and dace. It held good populations of native crayfish until at least the 1980s. River waters were used in cloth and woollen blanket making in Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
from mid 17th century.
In 2007, the Windrush was one of many rivers in the area to flood
2007 United Kingdom floods
The 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007. The most severe floods occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire,...
. Towns and villages along the entire length of the river were affected, but particular problems were caused in Witney, which was cut in half by the closure of the only bridge across the river.
See also
- Tributaries of the River ThamesTributaries of the River ThamesThis article lists the tributaries of the River Thames, in England. It also includes significant backwaters and waterways which also have confluences with the main stream of the River Thames.Most of the tributaries are natural, but a few were man-made...
- List of rivers in England
- MV Empire WindrushMV Empire WindrushThe Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury on 22 June 1948, carrying 493 passengers from Jamaica wishing to start a new life in the United Kingdom. The passengers were the first large group of West Indian immigrants to the UK after the Second World War.Before 1948, the ship, under the name of Monte...
, a ship of historic note