River Kennet
Encyclopedia
The Kennet is a river in the south of England, and a tributary
of the River Thames
. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal
and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol
and London
. The former local government district of Kennet in Wiltshire
was named after it.
The River Kennet has been assigned as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) from near its sources west of Marlborough down to Woolhampton
. This is primarily because it has an extensive range of rare
plants and animals that are unique to chalk
watercourses.
in the county of Wiltshire
, the other being a collection of tributaries to the North of Avebury
near the villages of Uffcott and Broad Hinton
which flow south past Avebury and join up with the waters from Swallowhead Springs. In these early stages it passes close by many prehistoric sites including for Avebury Henge and Silbury Hill
.
From there the river flows through Marlborough, Hungerford
and Newbury
before flowing into the Thames on the reach above Sonning Lock
at Reading
in Berkshire
.
The upper reaches of the River Kennet are served by two tributaries. The River Og
which flows into the Kennet at Marlborough and the River Dun which enters at Hungerford. The Kennet's principal tributaries below Marlborough are the River Lambourn
, the River Enborne
and the Foudry Brook
. For six miles (10 km) to the west of, and through, Reading, the Kennet supports a secondary channel, known as the Holy Brook
, which formerly powered the water mills of Reading Abbey
.
The River Kennet is navigable from the junction with the Thames at Kennet Mouth near Reading, upstream to Newbury where it joins the Kennet and Avon Canal.
The Horseshoe Bridge at Kennet Mouth, a timber-clad iron-truss structure, was built in 1891 as the method for horses towing barges to cross the river.
The first mile of the river, from Kennet Mouth to the High Bridge in Reading, has been navigable since at least the thirteenth century, providing wharf
age for both the townspeople and Reading Abbey
. Originally this short stretch of navigable river was under the control of the Abbey; today it, including Blake's Lock
, is administered by the Environment Agency
as if it were part of the River Thames.
From High Bridge
through to Newbury, the river was made navigable between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore
of Newbury. Known as the Kennet Navigation, this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways
as part of the Kennet and Avon Canal
. Throughout the navigation, stretches of natural riverbed alternate with 11 miles (17.7 km) of artificially created lock cuts, and a series of locks including; County
, Fobney
, Southcote
, Burghfield
, Garston
, Sheffield
, Sulhamstead
and Tyle Mill
overcome a rise of 130 feet (39.6 m).
(SSSI). The protection that this status affords the Kennet means that many endangered species of plants and animals can be found here. The white drifts of Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus
) in early summer are characteristic of chalk and limestone rivers; there are superb displays by the footbridge at Chilton Foliat
, and by the road bridge in Hungerford
.
Animal species such as the Water Vole, Grass Snake
, Reed Bunting
, Brown Trout
, and Brook Lamprey
flourish here, despite being in decline in other parts of the country. Crayfish
are very common in parts of the river. However, most, if not all, are now the alien American Signal Crayfish
, having escaped from crayfish farms, which has replaced the native White-clawed Crayfish in most southern rivers, although a small population still survives in the River Lambourn
. And not forgetting the foundation to supporting this varied wildlife food chain, there are the insects, many hundreds of species, common and rare, that can be found in and around the River Kennet. There are large hatches of mayflies
, whose long-tailed, short-lived adults are a favourite food of trout; many species of water beetle and insect larvae. caddisflies are also very numerous, especially in the late summer. Alongside the river, the reed beds, grasses and other vegetation support many other insect species, including the Scarlet Tiger Moth
, Poplar Hawk Moths and Privet Hawks.
, Burghfield
, Sulhamstead
, Aldermaston
, Thatcham
, Newbury
, and Hungerford
. Aside from the mills, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the river water was also used for the brewing and tanning industries of Ramsbury and Marlborough.
", though it is more likely derived from the nearby Roman settlement of Cunetio
(now Mildenhall
).
Following this idea it may be related with the "Cynetes
" a very ancient people.
In the "Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise" (dictionary of the gallic language), Xavier Delamare proposes : cuno meaning "dog", and knowing in insulary celtic otter is said "water dog", the name of Kennet could be "otter's lair".
e.g. : cuno ->Ki ,Breton Ki-dour, cornish dowr-gi, Welsh dyfr-gi
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...
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,...
. The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
and the Thames, links the cities of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and 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...
. The former local government district of Kennet in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
was named after it.
The River Kennet has been assigned as 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...
(SSSI) from near its sources west of Marlborough down to Woolhampton
Woolhampton
Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the London to Bath road between the towns of Reading and Newbury...
. This is primarily because it has an extensive range of rare
plants and animals that are unique to chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
watercourses.
Course
One of the Kennet's sources is Swallowhead Spring near Silbury HillSilbury Hill
Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site, and lies at ....
in the county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, the other being a collection of tributaries to the North of Avebury
Avebury
Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles which is located around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, south west England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain...
near the villages of Uffcott and Broad Hinton
Broad Hinton
Broad Hinton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the hamlet of The Weir. The village is about southwest of Swindon....
which flow south past Avebury and join up with the waters from Swallowhead Springs. In these early stages it passes close by many prehistoric sites including for Avebury Henge and Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site, and lies at ....
.
From there the river flows through Marlborough, Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
and Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
before flowing into the Thames on the reach above Sonning Lock
Sonning Lock
Sonning Lock is a lock and associated weir situated on the River Thames at the village of Sonning near Reading, Berkshire, England. The first lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773 and it has been rebuilt three times since then....
at Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
The upper reaches of the River Kennet are served by two tributaries. The River Og
River Og
The River Og is a short river in Wiltshire, England.It rises near the hamlet of Draycot Foliat, and flows south through Ogbourne St George, Ogbourne St Andrew and Ogbourne Maizey to Marlborough, where it joins the River Kennet....
which flows into the Kennet at Marlborough and the River Dun which enters at Hungerford. The Kennet's principal tributaries below Marlborough are the River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
, the River Enborne
River Enborne
thumb|left|250px|River Enbournethumb|left|250px|River Enbourne at Headley Ford, near Crookham Commonthumb|left|250px|River Enborne at Shalford bridge, near [[Brimpton]]thumb|left|250px|Oxford Bridge over a small tributary of the River Enborne, near Inwood Copse...
and the Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Hampshire village of Baughurst named as Beaumonts Stream or Beaumonts Brook.-Geography:...
. For six miles (10 km) to the west of, and through, Reading, the Kennet supports a secondary channel, known as the Holy Brook
Holy Brook
The Holy Brook is a channel of the River Kennet in the vicinity of the English town of Reading, Berkshire. While of considerable historical significance, the origin and nature of the brook is still unclear...
, which formerly powered the water mills of Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
.
Navigation
The Horseshoe Bridge at Kennet Mouth, a timber-clad iron-truss structure, was built in 1891 as the method for horses towing barges to cross the river.
The first mile of the river, from Kennet Mouth to the High Bridge in Reading, has been navigable since at least the thirteenth century, providing wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
age for both the townspeople and Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
. Originally this short stretch of navigable river was under the control of the Abbey; today it, including Blake's Lock
Blake's Lock
Blake's Lock is a lock situated on the River Kennet in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is on the short reach of the River Kennet which is administered as if it were part of the River Thames and is hence owned and managed by the Environment Agency....
, is administered by the Environment Agency
Environment 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:...
as if it were part of the River Thames.
From High Bridge
High Bridge, Reading
High Bridge is a bridge across the River Kennet in the town centre of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is the oldest surviving bridge that crosses the Kennet.- History :...
through to Newbury, the river was made navigable between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore
John Hore
John Hore was an English navigation engineer notable for engineering the River Kennet navigation in 1718.Born in Newbury, Berkshire to a line of maltsters, worked alongside his father. When his father acquired part-ownership of the River Kennet, he also invested...
of Newbury. Known as the Kennet Navigation, this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
as part of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
. Throughout the navigation, stretches of natural riverbed alternate with 11 miles (17.7 km) of artificially created lock cuts, and a series of locks including; County
County Lock
County Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in Reading town centre in the English county of Berkshire. It is now administered by British Waterways as part of the Kennet and Avon Canal...
, Fobney
Fobney Lock
Fobney Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in the Small Mead area of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.Fobney Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as...
, Southcote
Southcote Lock
Southcote Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Southcote within the town of Reading in Berkshire, England.Southcote Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as...
, Burghfield
Burghfield Lock
Burghfield Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Burghfield in the English county of Berkshire.Burghfield Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the Kennet...
, Garston
Garston Lock
Garston Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal. It is near the M4 motorway and near Reading, England.Garston Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the...
, Sheffield
Sheffield Lock
Sheffield Lock, at , is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, in the civil parish of Burghfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is also sometimes, incorrectly, known as Shenfield Lock....
, Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead Lock
Sulhamstead Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Sulhamstead in the English county of Berkshire.Sulhamstead Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the...
and Tyle Mill
Tyle Mill Lock
Tyle Mill Lock is a lock situated near the village of Sulhamstead on the Kennet and Avon Canal, England.Tyle Mill Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the...
overcome a rise of 130 feet (39.6 m).
Wildlife
The River Kennet is a haven for various plants and animals. Its course takes it through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the river between Marlborough and Woolhampton is designated a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite 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...
(SSSI). The protection that this status affords the Kennet means that many endangered species of plants and animals can be found here. The white drifts of Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus
Ranunculus
Ranunculus is a large genus of about 600 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine....
) in early summer are characteristic of chalk and limestone rivers; there are superb displays by the footbridge at Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat
Chilton Foliat is a village and civil parish on the River Kennet in Wiltshire. The parish is in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on the county boundary with West Berkshire and is about northwest of the Berkshire market town of Hungerford.-Parish church:The Church of...
, and by the road bridge in Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
.
Animal species such as the Water Vole, Grass Snake
Grass Snake
The grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...
, Reed Bunting
Reed Bunting
The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
, Brown Trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, and Brook Lamprey
Brook lamprey
The European brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater...
flourish here, despite being in decline in other parts of the country. Crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
are very common in parts of the river. However, most, if not all, are now the alien American Signal Crayfish
Signal crayfish
The signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, is a North American species of crayfish. It was introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the Scandinavian Astacus astacus fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, but the imports turned out to be a carrier of that disease...
, having escaped from crayfish farms, which has replaced the native White-clawed Crayfish in most southern rivers, although a small population still survives in the River Lambourn
River Lambourn
The River Lambourn is a chalk stream in the English county of Berkshire. It rises in the Berkshire Downs near its namesake village of Lambourn and is a tributary of the River Kennet, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-Perennial River:...
. And not forgetting the foundation to supporting this varied wildlife food chain, there are the insects, many hundreds of species, common and rare, that can be found in and around the River Kennet. There are large hatches of mayflies
Mayfly
Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera . They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies...
, whose long-tailed, short-lived adults are a favourite food of trout; many species of water beetle and insect larvae. caddisflies are also very numerous, especially in the late summer. Alongside the river, the reed beds, grasses and other vegetation support many other insect species, including the Scarlet Tiger Moth
Scarlet tiger moth
The Scarlet Tiger Moth is a colorful moth of Europe, Turkey, Transcaucasus, northern Iran. It belongs to the tiger moth family, Arctiidae....
, Poplar Hawk Moths and Privet Hawks.
Resource uses
Throughout its history the Kennet has been used as a source of power for various pre-industrial and industrial activities by the use of water mills. In places the river has been built up to provide additional head of water to drive them. Three mills remain in Ramsbury alone, and there are many disused or former mill sites, such as at SouthcoteSouthcote, Berkshire
Southcote is a suburb and local government ward of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.The suburb of Southcote is bounded to the north by the Bath Road and Prospect Park, to the west by the more recently developed suburb of Fords Farm, to the south by the Holy Brook and the water meadows of...
, Burghfield
Burghfield
Burghfield is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, close to the boundary with Reading.-Location:Burghfield is about southwest of Reading...
, Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...
, Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
, Thatcham
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
, Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, and Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
. Aside from the mills, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the river water was also used for the brewing and tanning industries of Ramsbury and Marlborough.
Etymology
It was formerly known as the "Cunnit". Local historian Michael Dames claims the name is related to the word "cuntCunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
", though it is more likely derived from the nearby Roman settlement of Cunetio
Cunetio
The Roman town of Cunetio, located across the river from the modern town of Mildenhall, Wiltshire was occupied from the second century a.d. until the end of the Roman period, early fifth century, when it was apparently abandoned. It's location was identified from arial photos of crop marks taken in...
(now Mildenhall
Mildenhall, Wiltshire
Mildenhall is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley in Wiltshire about east of the market town of Marlborough.-History:The toponym is derived from the Old English but the site has been occupied since the Roman occupation of Britain, when the fortress town of Cunetio stood at an...
).
Following this idea it may be related with the "Cynetes
Cynetes
The Cynetes or Conii were one of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, living in today's Algarve and Low Alentejo regions of southern Portugal before the 6th century BCE .They are often mentioned in the ancient sources under various designations, mostly Greek or Latin derivatives of their...
" a very ancient people.
In the "Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise" (dictionary of the gallic language), Xavier Delamare proposes : cuno meaning "dog", and knowing in insulary celtic otter is said "water dog", the name of Kennet could be "otter's lair".
e.g. : cuno ->Ki ,Breton Ki-dour, cornish dowr-gi, Welsh dyfr-gi
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
- Locks on the Kennet and Avon CanalLocks on the Kennet and Avon CanalThe Kennet and Avon Canal is a canal in southern England. The name may refer to either the route of the original Kennet and Avon Canal Company, which linked the River Kennet at Newbury to the River Avon at Bath, or to the entire navigation between the River Thames at Reading and the Floating...