This article is about the River Cole in the West Midlands, go to River Cole, Wiltshire

River Cole, Wiltshire

The River Cole is a tributary of the River Thames in England which flows through Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, where it forms part of the border between the two counties....

 for the other river.

The River Cole is a 27 miles (43.5 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the English Midlands

English Midlands

The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...

. It rises in Redhill, near Kings Norton

Kings Norton

Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...

, South of Birmingham. After flowing through Birmingham, it passes Coleshill

Coleshill, Warwickshire

Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...

, to which it gave its name. It joins the River Blythe

River Blythe

The Blythe is a river in the English Midlands which runs from Warwickshire, through the borough of Solihull and on to Coleshill. It runs along the Meriden Gap in the Midlands Plateau,...

, of which it is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

, near Ladywalk

Ladywalk Reserve

Ladywalk Reserve is a nature reserve on the River Tame, at its confluence with the River Blythe, at Hams Hall in north Warwickshire, England, owned by Powergen, but leased to, and operated by, the West Midland Bird Club since 1971....

, shortly before the Blythe meets the Tame

River Tame, West Midlands

The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...

. This then joins the Trent

River Trent

The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...

, whose waters reach 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...

 via the Humber Estuary

Humber

The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...

.

Eleven kilometres of the river in the Cole Valley is protected by the Kingfisher Country Park. A further seven kilometres, betewen Yardley Wood

Yardley Wood

Yardley Wood is an area of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and is located within the parliamentary constituency of Hall Green. The area is served by Yardley Wood railway station, and offers amenities including multiple schools, as well as a depot run by National Express West Midlands.Nearby...

 and Small Heath

Small Heath

Small Heath can refer to:* Small Heath, Birmingham, an area of Birmingham, England** Birmingham Small Heath ** Small Heath or Small Heath Alliance, former names of Birmingham City F.C....

, sit within Shire Country Park

Shire Country Park

The Shire Country Park is a country park in the south of Birmingham, England.It is named for Tolkien's ShireIt includes Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog and parts of the River Cole.-External links:**...

.

The Coldbath Brook, a tributary of the Cole, drives Sarehole Mill

Sarehole Mill

Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham City Council. It is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.Built in 1542 on...

, now a museum, which was one of the inspirations for J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

.

The river has the potential to flood during heavy rain and as a result, Babbs Mill Lake

Babbs Mill Lake

Babbs Mill Lake is a man-made lake located in the Kingfisher Country Park in the Kingshurst area of Solihull, England. The lake was created as a balancing feature in times of flooding from the River Cole which is located nearby....

 was created to balance the effect.

At Majors Green, near Shirley

Shirley, West Midlands

Shirley is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is a residential and shopping neighbourhood, and a suburb of Solihull.-History:...

, the river flows underneath an aqueduct of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England.The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the Grand Union Canal...

.

External links

• Watercourses of Yardley - lists many minor tributaries

The Shire Country Park Ranger Office can be found at Sarehole Mill. The Rangers look after 7 kilometres of the River Cole between Yardley Wood and the Ackers