Wantsum Channel
Encyclopedia
The Wantsum Channel is the name given to a now silted-up watercourse separating the Isle of Thanet
and what was the mainland of the English
county of Kent
. The "river" Wantsum
is now little more than a drainage ditch lying between Reculver
and the River Stour
.
From prehistory until the Middle Ages
, the Wantsum Channel was joined by the River Stour
, which entered it at Stourmouth
close to its midpoint; it was a two-mile-wide (3.2 km) strait. The southern end of the channel met the sea at Richborough
(Roman name, Rutupiae
), downstream of Sandwich
, while the northern end met the Thames Estuary
at Reculver
(Roman name, Regulbium
). That the Romans chose both sites for forts indicates the significance of the route, which their shipping commonly used to travel between London and the continent
; and which Vikings used to raid Canterbury
in 839 AD.
Deposition of shingle at Stonar, at the southern end of the Channel, gradually caused it to silt up; and shipping heading for Canterbury, formerly using the northern entrance, brought Fordwich
into prominence as its outport. The silting up continued, particularly during the 12th and 13th centuries, when Augustinian monks entered into land reclamation; eventually, by the 16th century, the Wantsum Channel had dried up apart from the large drainage ditch down the centre of the erstwhile channel and its feeder ditches: the wider parts often referred to as the River Wantsum
. However, that is only the northern section for, where the River Stour formerly emptied also to the north, its southern estuary could also be considered part of the Wantsum
Efforts made by the monks of Minster-in-Thanet
to manage the Wantsum in the Middle Ages are reflected in two names for parts of the Channel/Stour, Abbot's Wall, and Monk's Wall. During the 18th century, silting threatened the rich port of Sandwich and efforts were made to create sluices and channels to control the waters. These ultimately failed, and as a result Sandwich is now some distance from the sea. In time, coastal erosion washed away most of the fort at Reculver, though parts of the western wall can still be seen close to the church towers. This church was founded in about 669 AD, long after the Romans had departed, the two towers being added in the 12th century. By the time Bede
wrote his Ecclesiastical History of the English People
, in about 731 AD, the northern outlet of the Wantsum had become known as the "river Yenlade". The church was demolished in the early 19th century, leaving just the towers as an aid to shipping. The towers and the remains of the fort are essential viewing for the tourist.
Some information used in this article is partly taken from the Kentish Stour Countryside Project notes on "The 'Life and Times of the Wantsum Channel"
The North Sea flood of 1953
had the effect of making the Isle of Thanet an island again, if only for a few days.
The Wantsum Channel is part of three walks: the Wantsum Walk, the Saxon Shore Way
and the Stour Valley Walk
.
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
and what was the mainland of the English
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...
county of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The "river" Wantsum
River Wantsum
The River Wantsum is a tributary of the River Stour, in Kent, England. Formerly, the River Wantsum and the River Stour together formed the Wantsum Channel, which separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland of Kent...
is now little more than a drainage ditch lying between Reculver
Reculver
Reculver is a hamlet and coastal resort situated about east of Herne Bay in southeast England. It is a ward of the City of Canterbury district in the county of Kent. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the Wantsum Channel, between the Isle of Thanet and the Kent...
and the River Stour
River Stour, Kent
The River Stour is the river in Kent, England that flows into the English Channel at Pegwell Bay. Above Plucks Gutter, where the Little Stour joins it, the river is normally known as the Great Stour. The upper section of the river, above its confluence with the East Stour at Ashford is sometimes...
.
History
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the Wantsum Channel was joined by the River Stour
River Stour, Kent
The River Stour is the river in Kent, England that flows into the English Channel at Pegwell Bay. Above Plucks Gutter, where the Little Stour joins it, the river is normally known as the Great Stour. The upper section of the river, above its confluence with the East Stour at Ashford is sometimes...
, which entered it at Stourmouth
Stourmouth
Stourmouth is a civil parish in the Dover local government district of Kent, England.Its name comes from the fact that, before the Wantsum Channel was cut off from the sea, the village was at the mouth of the River Stour.-Geography:...
close to its midpoint; it was a two-mile-wide (3.2 km) strait. The southern end of the channel met the sea at Richborough
Richborough
Richborough is a settlement north of Sandwich on the east coast of the county of Kent, England. Richborough lies close to the Isle of Thanet....
(Roman name, Rutupiae
Rutupiae
Richborough Castle contains the ruined remains of a Roman Saxon Shore Fort. It situated in Richborough near Sandwich, Kent.The site has many phases of Roman remains, collectively known as Richborough Fort or Richborough Roman Fort, still visible today and under the care of English Heritage.Rutupiæ ...
), downstream of Sandwich
Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
, while the northern end met the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
at Reculver
Reculver
Reculver is a hamlet and coastal resort situated about east of Herne Bay in southeast England. It is a ward of the City of Canterbury district in the county of Kent. Reculver once occupied a strategic location at the western end of the Wantsum Channel, between the Isle of Thanet and the Kent...
(Roman name, Regulbium
Regulbium
Regulbium was the name of an ancient Roman fort of the Saxon Shore in the vicinity of the modern English resort of Reculver in Kent. Its name derives from the local Celtic language, meaning "great headland".- History :...
). That the Romans chose both sites for forts indicates the significance of the route, which their shipping commonly used to travel between London and the continent
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; and which Vikings used to raid Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in 839 AD.
Deposition of shingle at Stonar, at the southern end of the Channel, gradually caused it to silt up; and shipping heading for Canterbury, formerly using the northern entrance, brought Fordwich
Fordwich
Fordwich is the smallest place in Britain with a town council, having a population of 351 recorded in the 2001 census. It lies in Kent, on the River Stour, northeast of Canterbury....
into prominence as its outport. The silting up continued, particularly during the 12th and 13th centuries, when Augustinian monks entered into land reclamation; eventually, by the 16th century, the Wantsum Channel had dried up apart from the large drainage ditch down the centre of the erstwhile channel and its feeder ditches: the wider parts often referred to as the River Wantsum
River Wantsum
The River Wantsum is a tributary of the River Stour, in Kent, England. Formerly, the River Wantsum and the River Stour together formed the Wantsum Channel, which separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland of Kent...
. However, that is only the northern section for, where the River Stour formerly emptied also to the north, its southern estuary could also be considered part of the Wantsum
Efforts made by the monks of Minster-in-Thanet
Minster-in-Thanet
Minster-in-Thanet, also known as Minster, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is situated to the west of Ramsgate and to the north east of Canterbury; it lies just south west of Kent International Airport and just north of the River Stour...
to manage the Wantsum in the Middle Ages are reflected in two names for parts of the Channel/Stour, Abbot's Wall, and Monk's Wall. During the 18th century, silting threatened the rich port of Sandwich and efforts were made to create sluices and channels to control the waters. These ultimately failed, and as a result Sandwich is now some distance from the sea. In time, coastal erosion washed away most of the fort at Reculver, though parts of the western wall can still be seen close to the church towers. This church was founded in about 669 AD, long after the Romans had departed, the two towers being added in the 12th century. By the time Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
wrote his Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
, in about 731 AD, the northern outlet of the Wantsum had become known as the "river Yenlade". The church was demolished in the early 19th century, leaving just the towers as an aid to shipping. The towers and the remains of the fort are essential viewing for the tourist.
Some information used in this article is partly taken from the Kentish Stour Countryside Project notes on "The 'Life and Times of the Wantsum Channel"
The North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
had the effect of making the Isle of Thanet an island again, if only for a few days.
The Wantsum Channel is part of three walks: the Wantsum Walk, the Saxon Shore Way
Saxon Shore Way
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England, starting at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, in total.-History:...
and the Stour Valley Walk
Stour Valley Walk
The Stour Valley Walk is a recreational walking route that follows the River Stour, through the Low Weald and Kent Downs, from its source at Lenham to its estuary at Pegwell Bay....
.