Wych Brook
Encyclopedia
The Wych Brook or Red Brook, formerly known as the River Elfe, is a small river in the north-west midlands of the United Kingdom
. It forms both the historic and present-day border between England
(Cheshire
) and Wales
(Maelor Saesneg, a detached portion of Flintshire
, now within Wrexham County Borough). It is a tributary of the River Dee.
border, and flows northward and westward through a steep-sided, wooded valley to Threapwood
, being joined by several smaller streams such as the Grindley Brook, which rises near the village of the same name
, and the Iscoyd Brook. Near the community
of Willington Worthenbury
it is joined by the Emral Brook, and runs northward to the Dee near Shocklach
. The Emral Brook itself rises near Penley
and is joined by a number of tributary streams which drain the central part of Maelor Saesneg.
The middle section of the river valley, which has eroded deeply into an underlying glacial drift of boulder clay
, sands and gravels, is the narrowest and deepest, particularly between Dymock's Mill and Lower Wych. The river landscape is characterised by ancient mixed ash
woodland, unintensively-farmed lowland pasture and rush pasture. The English side of the valley is designated as an Area of Special County Value.
The Wych Brook was formerly known as the River Elfe or Elf. The origin of the name "Elfe" is in this case unknown, though the name "Wych" is thought to derive from saline
springs in the area.
, common dace
, the gudgeon gobio gobio
, stone loach
and common minnow. There is an unusual isolated population of dormice
in the Wych Valley, as a result of an introduction of animals in 1996/7.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It forms both the historic and present-day border between 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...
(Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
) and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(Maelor Saesneg, a detached portion of Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, now within Wrexham County Borough). It is a tributary of the River Dee.
Course and landscape
The Wych Brook rises (as the "Red Brook") at Fenn's Moss on the Wrexham / ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
border, and flows northward and westward through a steep-sided, wooded valley to Threapwood
Threapwood
Threapwood is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is close to the villages of Shocklach, Worthenbury and Malpas...
, being joined by several smaller streams such as the Grindley Brook, which rises near the village of the same name
Grindley Brook
Grindley Brook is a small village in Shropshire, England, on the A41 trunk road around 1.5 miles north west of the market town of Whitchurch. It is the most northerly settlement in Shropshire and borders directly onto Cheshire, and is within the civil parish of Whitchurch Rural.It is also the name...
, and the Iscoyd Brook. Near the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Willington Worthenbury
Willington Worthenbury
Willington Worthenbury is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.It has an area of 2,146 hectares and a population of 730 . It contains the villages of Worthenbury and Tallarn Green.It is located on the eastern side of the River...
it is joined by the Emral Brook, and runs northward to the Dee near Shocklach
Shocklach
Shocklach is a village in the civil parishes of Church Shocklach and Shocklach Oviatt, Cheshire, England.St Edith's Church, Shocklach is a Grade I listed building.-External links:...
. The Emral Brook itself rises near Penley
Penley
Penley is a village in the County Borough of Wrexham, in Wales close to the border with Shropshire, EnglandThe village was, until 1974, in an exclave of the ancient county of Flintshire known as Maelor Saesneg. , sometimes called "Flintshire Detached", which was administered from Overton-on-Dee...
and is joined by a number of tributary streams which drain the central part of Maelor Saesneg.
The middle section of the river valley, which has eroded deeply into an underlying glacial drift of boulder clay
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
, sands and gravels, is the narrowest and deepest, particularly between Dymock's Mill and Lower Wych. The river landscape is characterised by ancient mixed ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
woodland, unintensively-farmed lowland pasture and rush pasture. The English side of the valley is designated as an Area of Special County Value.
The Wych Brook was formerly known as the River Elfe or Elf. The origin of the name "Elfe" is in this case unknown, though the name "Wych" is thought to derive from saline
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
springs in the area.
Ecology
The river is a habitat for a variety of fish including brown troutBrown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, common dace
Common dace
The common dace , also known as the dace or the Eurasian dace, is a fresh- or brackish-water fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. It is an inhabitant of the rivers and streams of Europe north of the Alps as well as in Asia. It is most abundant in France and Germany, and has also spread to...
, the gudgeon gobio gobio
Gobio
Gobio is the genus of typical gudgeons, ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. Members of the genus are usually small fish, rarely longer than 10 cm...
, stone loach
Stone Loach
The Stone loach, Barbatula barbatula, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Balitoridae family.It is found in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein,...
and common minnow. There is an unusual isolated population of dormice
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
in the Wych Valley, as a result of an introduction of animals in 1996/7.