Siston Brook
Encyclopedia
Siston Brook rises in two separate streams which issue from a ridge just north of the village of Siston
, South Gloucestershire
, England
. The brook is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) long and is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. Much of its course is through the eastern suburbs of Bristol
, although it remains outside the city boundaries. Tributaries include the Warmley Brook and an un-named tributary from Bridgeyate
.
The stream has provided power for watermills and battery mills in the past and some mill buildings still survive. Wildlife is supported by nature reserves through which the Siston Brook runs. Flooding has caused problems in the past, but modern measures to alleviate this include an attenuation reservoir and proposals to reinstate historic weirs and sluices. The name Siston is believed to derive from Anglo-Saxon, meaning Sige's Farmstead.
The Siston is then joined by the Warmley Brook, flowing down from Rodway Hill, on the right. It then flows through Warmley
, partly culverted, still in a generally southerly direction. Another un-named tributary joins from Bridgeyate Common
on the left and it then flows past Cadbury Heath
and on to Oldland
, between the village and Oldland Common. It enters another nature reserve at Willsbridge Mill
and then flows under the A431 road
and joins the Avon at Londonderry Wharf, which was originally used for loading coal from local mines.
s for grinding corn and, as the Industrial Revolution
developed, to supply power for many mining related industries. The eighteenth century industrialist William Champion
dammed the stream at Warmley to provide a 13 acres (5.3 ha) water feature for the ornamental gardens of his home, Warmley House. This also acted as a reservoir for supplying water power to Champion's brass battery mills
. The lake no longer survives.
Weirs, pools and sluices in the upper reaches have long been used as part of water management in the area and it is proposed to restore many of the to aid in future flood prevention.
An eighteenth-century water mill at Willsbridge was in operation until the 1960s. Originally used for milling hoop iron, it was converted in the early nineteenth century for flour production. It has been restored and now serves as a focus for a nature reserve managed by Avon Wildlife Trust. The mouth of the Siston Brook where it joins the Avon was turned into a wharf in the eighteenth century, providing a space for loading barges with coal for nearby collieries. The coal was brought down to the river from mines at Coalpit Heath
via a dramway a narrow gauge tramway, worked by gravity.
extensions in the 1990s, an attenuation reservoir was constructed in the Siston Common area to minimise flooding effects from surface run-off during rainstorms.
Siston
Siston is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England east of Bristol Castle, ancient centre of Bristol, recorded historically as Syston, Sistone, Syton, Sytone and Systun etc. The village lies at the confluence of the two sources of the Siston Brook, a tributary of the River Avon...
, South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
, 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...
. The brook is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) long and is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. Much of its course is through the eastern suburbs 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...
, although it remains outside the city boundaries. Tributaries include the Warmley Brook and an un-named tributary from Bridgeyate
Bridgeyate
Bridgeyate is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. Local celebrity David Wilcox lives there. It is also a Lech Poznań stronghold....
.
The stream has provided power for watermills and battery mills in the past and some mill buildings still survive. Wildlife is supported by nature reserves through which the Siston Brook runs. Flooding has caused problems in the past, but modern measures to alleviate this include an attenuation reservoir and proposals to reinstate historic weirs and sluices. The name Siston is believed to derive from Anglo-Saxon, meaning Sige's Farmstead.
Course
The source of Siston Brook is two springs which flow out of a ridge just north of the village of Siston. These join near to the village church of St Anne's. the river then flows in a south westerly direction through Overscourt Wood, a nature reserve and part of the Forest of Avon. A small un-named tributary joins on the left near Webb's Heath Farm. Another tributary joins on the right at Mill Farm and the brook then heads south through a steep valley to Warmley Forest Park. The upper stretches are sometimes referred to as Clack Mill Brook, but the location of Clack Mill is uncertain.The Siston is then joined by the Warmley Brook, flowing down from Rodway Hill, on the right. It then flows through Warmley
Warmley
Warmley is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, to the east of Kingswood on the outskirts of Bristol.In the mid 18th century it contained the Warmley Works of William Champion...
, partly culverted, still in a generally southerly direction. Another un-named tributary joins from Bridgeyate Common
Bridgeyate
Bridgeyate is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. Local celebrity David Wilcox lives there. It is also a Lech Poznań stronghold....
on the left and it then flows past Cadbury Heath
Cadbury Heath
Cadbury Heath is a suburb of Bristol, located in South Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom.-Banjo Island:Cadbury Heath contains the infamous council estate Park Estate aka 'Banjo Island'....
and on to Oldland
Oldland
Oldland is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The parish includes the villages of Cadbury Heath and Longwell Green, and part of Willsbridge. It does not include Oldland Common, which is in the parish of Bitton....
, between the village and Oldland Common. It enters another nature reserve at Willsbridge Mill
Willsbridge
Willsbridge is a village in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire, England, located on the outskirts of Bristol. Willsbridge Castle, situated on a prominent hillside site, was built c1730, with crenellations added in the nineteenth century....
and then flows under the A431 road
A431 road
The A431 is an A road running from Bristol to Bath in England. It runs parallel to, and about to the north of, the A4, the principal route between Bristol and Bath on the south side of the River Avon....
and joins the Avon at Londonderry Wharf, which was originally used for loading coal from local mines.
History
In common with other rivers of the area the brook was used used to power watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s for grinding corn and, as the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
developed, to supply power for many mining related industries. The eighteenth century industrialist William Champion
William Champion (metallurgist)
William Champion is credited with patenting a process in Great Britain to distill zinc from calamine using charcoal in a smelter.Champion came from a family who were already concerned in the metal trade at Bristol, his father being a leading partner in the Bristol Brass Company. As a young man he...
dammed the stream at Warmley to provide a 13 acres (5.3 ha) water feature for the ornamental gardens of his home, Warmley House. This also acted as a reservoir for supplying water power to Champion's brass battery mills
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
. The lake no longer survives.
Weirs, pools and sluices in the upper reaches have long been used as part of water management in the area and it is proposed to restore many of the to aid in future flood prevention.
An eighteenth-century water mill at Willsbridge was in operation until the 1960s. Originally used for milling hoop iron, it was converted in the early nineteenth century for flour production. It has been restored and now serves as a focus for a nature reserve managed by Avon Wildlife Trust. The mouth of the Siston Brook where it joins the Avon was turned into a wharf in the eighteenth century, providing a space for loading barges with coal for nearby collieries. The coal was brought down to the river from mines at Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath
Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...
via a dramway a narrow gauge tramway, worked by gravity.
Natural history
Nature Reserves at Overscourt Wood, Warmley Forest Park and Willsbridge provide shelter for amphibians, river birds and plant life.Etymology
Settlements at Siston have been known as Sistone, Syton, Sytone and Systun. It is believed that the name may be a derivative of Sige's Farmstead, indicating Anglo-Saxon origins.Hydrology
During the construction of the Avon Ring RoadA4174 road
The A4174 is a major road in England which runs around the northern and eastern edge of Bristol, mainly in South Gloucestershire, and through the southern suburbs of Bristol...
extensions in the 1990s, an attenuation reservoir was constructed in the Siston Common area to minimise flooding effects from surface run-off during rainstorms.