Sladesbridge
Encyclopedia
Sladesbridge is a small village located near Wadebridge
in Cornwall
, England
, UK. It is situated at the confluence of the River Allen
and the Croan Stream about 1 km upstream of the confluence with the River Camel
. The surrounding area is in the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and the floodplain
is a Special Area of Conservation
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
and a County Wildlife Site.
s, salmon
, kingfisher
s, water rail
and snipe
are often seen in and around the river and the reedbeeds either side. A footpath runs along the western edge of the river allowing the general public to view the wildlife.
to promote a flood defence scheme for the area, including the hamlet of Clapper on the edge of Wadebridge.
The car park of the pub was the site of the opening of the Environment Agency's £1.8million scheme in April 2004 by the outgoing chairman of the South West Regional Flood Defence Committee, Deborah Clark. The scheme itself, designed by Halcrow Group Limited
and built by Mowlem Civil Engineering
and the Environment Agency's own in-house workforce, was a finalist in the following year's Prime Minister's Better Public Building Awards and was awarded a plaque by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
(CABE). It was also a finalist in the British Construction Industry Awards
Small Civil Engineering category and made the final three of the BCIA Best Practice Awards at the same time. The scheme was designed to fit into its surroundings with all walls built with slate to look like the local Cornish hedge
s and a 9 hectare wetland
created to allow the rivers to reclaim their floodplain. A new cycle track was created with the view to potentially linking the village with the Camel Trail
. Over 4000 native trees and shrubs were planted as well and the completed scheme now protects all the properties and businesses in the village against a flood with a 1.3% chance of occurring in a year.
Wadebridge
Wadebridge is a civil parish and town in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, 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...
, UK. It is situated at the confluence of the River Allen
River Allen, Cornwall
The River Allen in north Cornwall is one of two rivers of the same name in Cornwall in southwest England which share this name.The River Allen is a major tributary of the River Camel. It springs norrtheast of Camelford and flows south-southwest through the Allen Valley passing St Teath and St Kew...
and the Croan Stream about 1 km upstream of the confluence with the River Camel
River Camel
The River Camel is a river in Cornwall, UK. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and together with its tributaries drains a considerable part of North Cornwall. The river issues into the Celtic Sea area of the Atlantic Ocean between Stepper Point and Pentire Point having covered a distance of...
. The surrounding area is in the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
and the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
is a Special Area of Conservation
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...
, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and a County Wildlife Site.
Economy
It has a number of businesses including Slade's House Country Inn, Trelawney Garden Leisure, Knevitt Consulting Engineers, Wood Design Furniture and Kestle Quarry.Flora and fauna
OtterOtter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, water rail
Water Rail
The Water Rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range...
and snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
are often seen in and around the river and the reedbeeds either side. A footpath runs along the western edge of the river allowing the general public to view the wildlife.
Flooding
The village flooded very badly in June 1993 when the fire service had to rescue people from their properties. It had flooded to a lesser extent many other times over the years so following the Autumn 2000 floods, defra made additional funding available to enable the Environment AgencyEnvironment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
to promote a flood defence scheme for the area, including the hamlet of Clapper on the edge of Wadebridge.
The car park of the pub was the site of the opening of the Environment Agency's £1.8million scheme in April 2004 by the outgoing chairman of the South West Regional Flood Defence Committee, Deborah Clark. The scheme itself, designed by Halcrow Group Limited
Halcrow Group Limited
Halcrow Group Limited is an engineering consultancy company, based in the United Kingdom.Halcrow is one of the UK's leading consultancies, with a pedigree stretching back to 1868. The UK-based consultancy specialises in the provision of planning, design and management services for infrastructure...
and built by Mowlem Civil Engineering
Mowlem
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.-History:Founded by John Mowlem in 1822, the company was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1902 and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. It acquired SGB Group in...
and the Environment Agency's own in-house workforce, was a finalist in the following year's Prime Minister's Better Public Building Awards and was awarded a plaque by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Communities and Local Government.-Function:CABE was the...
(CABE). It was also a finalist in the British Construction Industry Awards
British Construction Industry Awards
The British Construction Industry Awards were launched by the New Civil Engineer magazine and Thomas Telford Ltd - both owned by the Institution of Civil Engineers - in 1998....
Small Civil Engineering category and made the final three of the BCIA Best Practice Awards at the same time. The scheme was designed to fit into its surroundings with all walls built with slate to look like the local Cornish hedge
Cornish hedge
A Cornish hedge is a style of hedge built of stone and earth found in Cornwall, south-west England. Sometimes hedging plants or trees are planted on the hedge to increase its windbreaking height. A rich flora develops over the lifespan of a Cornish hedge...
s and a 9 hectare wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
created to allow the rivers to reclaim their floodplain. A new cycle track was created with the view to potentially linking the village with the Camel Trail
Camel Trail
The Camel Trail is a disused and resurfaced railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that provides a recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders...
. Over 4000 native trees and shrubs were planted as well and the completed scheme now protects all the properties and businesses in the village against a flood with a 1.3% chance of occurring in a year.