"by enabling shipping to stay afloat rather than grounding when the tide went down. Downstream of central Bristol the river passes through the deep Avon Gorge, spanned by Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge, the river is tidal and is navigable by seagoing vessels at high tide but drying to a steep sided muddy channel at low tide. It was largely the challenge of navigating this section that sealed the fate of the Floating Harbour as commercial docks and saw them replaced by docks at Avonmouth where the Avon joins the Severn Estuary. Before reaching its mouth it is joined by the"
"River Tawe The River Tawe (Welsh: ""Afon Tawe""; ) is a river in the south of Wales. It flows in a principally southwesterly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone (Black Mountain) hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach Rivers and the Afon Twrch. The total area of the catchment is some 246 km (95 square miles). The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including Ystradgynlais, Ystalyfera, Pontardawe, and Clydach and meets the sea"
"and Crymlyn Bog beyond to the east. River Tawe The River Tawe (Welsh: ""Afon Tawe""; ) is a river in the south of Wales. It flows in a principally southwesterly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone (Black Mountain) hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach Rivers and the Afon Twrch. The total area of the catchment is some 246 km (95 square miles). The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including Ystradgynlais, Ystalyfera,"
"which the Kennet and Avon Canal (linking London and Bristol) enters the Thames basin from the Vale of Pewsey, crossing the watershed with the aid of the Bruce Tunnel and Crofton Pumping Station. The later Reading to Plymouth railway linking London and the south-west also uses the valley. River Dun (River Kennet) The River Dun (historically known as Bedwyn Brook) is a tributary of the River Kennet flowing through Wiltshire and Berkshire in England. Its main source is in the parish of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire and it flows for its whole course ENE into Berkshire, where it discharges into the"
"River Frome, Bristol The River Frome , historically the River Froom, is a river in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It is approximately long, rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows in a south westerly direction through Bristol, joining the former course of the river Avon in Bristol's Floating Harbour. The mean flow at Frenchay is The name ""Frome"" is shared with several other rivers in South West England and means 'fair, fine, brisk’. The river is familiarly known in east Bristol as the ""Danny"". Originally the Frome joined the Avon downstream of Bristol Bridge, and formed part of"
"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. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks. The two river stretches"
"Towy, Taff, Usk and Wye flow southwards into the Bristol Channel. Parts of the River Severn form the boundary between Wales and England. The length of the coast of mainland Wales is about , and adding to this the coasts of the Isle of Anglesey and Holy Island, the total is about . Cardigan Bay is the largest bay in the country and Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) the largest lake at . Other large lakes include Llyn Trawsfynydd at , Lake Vyrnwy at , Llyn Brenig at , Llyn Celyn at and Llyn Alaw at . Bala Lake lies in"
"populations of the endangered native white-clawed crayfish in the Bristol area was found in the river, but became extinct in 2008. River Frome, Bristol The River Frome , historically the River Froom, is a river in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It is approximately long, rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows in a south westerly direction through Bristol, joining the former course of the river Avon in Bristol's Floating Harbour. The mean flow at Frenchay is The name ""Frome"" is shared with several other rivers in South West England and means 'fair, fine, brisk’. The river is familiarly"
"River Wye, Buckinghamshire The River Wye is a river in Buckinghamshire, England. Around in length, it rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows through High Wycombe before emptying into the River Thames at Bourne End, on the reach above Cookham Lock. High Wycombe takes part of its name from the river, which now runs mostly underground through the town. Pann Mill watermill, at the eastern end of Wycombe, is the last remaining watermill on the River Wye. There is a long history of water-mills being operated in the Wye Valley which drops about 200 feet in its 9-mile course. The"
"was an important transport hub. It was the terminus of tram routes to Knowle, Bedminster and Ashton Gate, and other trams also stopped here. It lost importance when Temple Way was built further upstream in the 1930s, and when the tram system closed in 1941. Bristol Bridge Bristol Bridge is a bridge over the floating harbour in Bristol, England, the original course of the River Avon. It is a grade II listed building. Bristol's name is derived from the Saxon ""Brycgstow"" or 'Brigstowe', meaning the 'place of the bridge'. However, it is unclear when the first bridge over the Avon"
"River Malago The Malago is a tributary of the Bristol Avon in southwestern England, some long. The river rises in springs on the north side of Dundry Hill on the borders of Somerset and Bristol. The main tributary is the Pigeonhouse stream which also rises on Dundry. Much of the river has been culverted as it flows through built-up South Bristol. The river's course has been much altered in the past; presently it joins the New Cut opposite the former entrance lock to the Bathurst Basin. The river supports some wildlife in its upper reaches and pollution is relatively low."
"are filled with alluvial deposits from the hills or sea. The county has many small rivers, most of which flow into the Bristol Channel. Many of the latter rivers now have clysts (the local name for a sluice) on them to control the sea, but formerly they were tidal for some way inland. The main exception to this is the River Parrett, which still has a tidal bore. However the Chew and the Frome flow into the Avon which forms most of the northern county boundary with Gloucestershire. The Cale flows into Dorset through the Blackmore Vale, while the Exe"
"and woodland until near its end. Its length is approximately . The Tarka trail named after Tarka the Otter follows much of the river's course. The following is a list of bridges over the River Taw listed going upstream from the estuary at Barnstaple. The left bank of a river is that on the left of a traveller progressing downstream. The river shares the large tidal ranges of the Bristol Channel and daily changes of water depth of 6 m to 8 m are common near its mouth. This effect can also be seen in changes to the tidal-estuarine basin,"
"Brinkworth Brook The Brinkworth Brook is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. It rises near Broad Hinton in Wiltshire in the West Country of England, and flows in a north and then westerly direction, joining the Avon at Great Somerford. The Brinkworth Brook rises at Broad Town, just north of Broad Hinton, near Royal Wootton Bassett. It flows first in a northerly direction, and then just south of Royal Wootton Bassett it is joined by minor tributaries from Westlea in Swindon and a reservoir at Tockenham Wick. The stream then passes under the M4 motorway and turns to the west"
"Tudor gothic River Avon Bridge in Bristol, and Bristol Temple Meads station. The communities served by the Great Western main line include: West London (including Acton, Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes, Harlington and West Drayton); Iver; Langley; Slough; Burnham; Taplow; Maidenhead; Twyford; Reading; Tilehurst; Pangbourne; Goring-on-Thames; Streatley; Cholsey; Didcot; Swindon; Chippenham; Bath; Keynsham; and Bristol. From London to Didcot, the line follows the Thames Valley, crossing the River Thames three times, including on the famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge. After Swindon, trains pass the Swindon Steam Railway Museum. From Wootton Bassett there are two different routes to Bristol, firstly via Box Tunnel"
"the Bristol built-up area, before continuing upstream along the Avon, and then diverges from the river to include Bath and its historic hinterland to the north of the Avon, before meeting Wiltshire at the ""Three Shire Stones"" on the ""Fosse Way"" at Batheaston. Somerton took over from Ilchester as the county town in the late thirteenth century, but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to Taunton about 1366. The county has two cities, Bath and Wells, and (including the county town of Taunton, which has no town council but instead is the chief settlement of"
"water to Birmingham. The main rivers are the Wye, the Teme, the Elan and the Ithon. The Teme forms the boundary with Shropshire. The chief towns are Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Presteigne and Rhayader. The main industries are tourism and hill farming, particularly sheep-raising. On the creation of the county it was divided into six hundreds. The names of the hundreds, which were not always consistently spelt, were as follows: In the 19th century new structures of local administration were introduced. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 grouped parishes into poor law unions. While these were not themselves local authorities, their"
"migration. Work under this programme continues into 2011, mainly around Water Orton. River Tame, West Midlands The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands of England, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about long from the source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e. the Tame and its main tributaries, is about . The name derives from the Celtic language, although it may have even earlier roots. It is usually thought to mean ""dark"", by analogy with the"
"River Thaw The River Thaw () (also Ddaw) is a river in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. At 20 kilometres/12.4 miles, it is the longest river entirely in the Vale of Glamorgan. Its source is in the hills just south of the M4 Motorway near Llanharry. It flows in a generally south-eastern direction through the town of Cowbridge, then turns southward and reaches the Bristol Channel at Breaksea Point, south of Aberthaw. The river supports healthy populations of a variety of fish. However, several stretches of the river no longer support a European water vole population, despite having a"
"was a financial failure and closed in 1871. The South West of England had several east-west ""cross-country"" canals, which connected the River Thames to the River Severn and the River Avon, allowing the cities of Bristol and Bath to be connected to London: These were Thames and Severn Canal which linked to the Stroudwater Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Wilts and Berks Canal, which linked to these three rivers; all of these linked into the national canal system via the Oxford Canal and the River Severn (via the Worcester & Birmingham and Staffordshire & Worcestershire canals). All"
"invertebrate fauna"" are to be found. The Brinkworth Brook suffers from pollution from highway run-off, specifically the M4 motorway. Brinkworth Brook The Brinkworth Brook is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. It rises near Broad Hinton in Wiltshire in the West Country of England, and flows in a north and then westerly direction, joining the Avon at Great Somerford. The Brinkworth Brook rises at Broad Town, just north of Broad Hinton, near Royal Wootton Bassett. It flows first in a northerly direction, and then just south of Royal Wootton Bassett it is joined by minor tributaries from Westlea in Swindon"
"the largest in terms of flow is the Tame which drains most of the West Midlands, including Birmingham and the Black Country. The second and third largest are the Derwent and the Dove respectively; together these two rivers drain the majority of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, including the upland areas of the Peak District. The River Soar which drains the majority of the county of Leicestershire, could also be considered as the second largest tributary, as it has a larger catchment area than the Dove or Derwent, but its discharge is significantly less than the Derwent, and lower than the Dove."
"River Tame, West Midlands The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands of England, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about long from the source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e. the Tame and its main tributaries, is about . The name derives from the Celtic language, although it may have even earlier roots. It is usually thought to mean ""dark"", by analogy with the Sanskrit word ""tamas"" meaning darkness. Other possibilities are ""slow-moving"" or ""flowing"", although"
"is generally considered to have two main sources; Willenhall and Oldbury. The tributaries arising in these locations are generally known as the Willenhall arm and the Oldbury arm of the Tame. However, some of its tributary streams, including Waddens Brook, rise as far to the west and north as Bilston and Wednesfield in the city of Wolverhampton. Much of the course of the river has been modified over the centuries, and the urban sections now run mainly through culverts or canalised channels. Both arms of the Tame flow through the Black Country to their confluence at Bescot, on the edge"
"River Axe (Bristol Channel) The River Axe is a river in South West England. The river is formed by water entering swallets in the limestone and rises from the ground at Wookey Hole Caves in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, and runs through a V-shaped valley. The geology of the area is limestone and the water reaches Wookey Hole in a series of underground channels that have eroded through the soluble limestone. The river mouth is in Weston Bay on the Bristol Channel. The river was navigable from the middle ages until 1915, and used for international trade. The River"
"Bristol City Council shows that in 2010 the river had a relatively low biochemical oxygen demand, but some pollutants were present, especially in the Pigeonhouse near Hartcliffe Way. It has been suggested that the origin of the name Malago is from the British Celtic ""melis"" (mill) and ""agos"" (place). River Malago The Malago is a tributary of the Bristol Avon in southwestern England, some long. The river rises in springs on the north side of Dundry Hill on the borders of Somerset and Bristol. The main tributary is the Pigeonhouse stream which also rises on Dundry. Much of the river"
"at its upstream end. Other short canals connecting to the Thames included the Grosvenor Canal (1825) and the Kensington Canal (1828). The former Grand Surrey Canal (1807) was intended to run from the Thames at Rotherhithe to the industrial town of Mitcham, but got no further than Camberwell. It closed with the Surrey Commercial Docks in 1970 and has been filled. The Grand Surrey Canal linked to the Croydon Canal (1809) which continued as far as West Croydon; this closed in 1836. Further afield a link from London to Bristol is provided by the Kennet & Avon Canal which connects"
"catchment. In recent geological history, the Bybrook was the headwaters of the Avon; drainage to the south, east, and north of its catchment being to the headwaters of the River Thames. Then a major shift along a fault line captured these waters for the River Avon, the sudden increase in water-cut gorges through what is now Bristol and Bath exposing deep springs, including Bath's hot springs. This also caused the Bybrook to run deeper and steeper, creating the valley it now runs through, and leaving it as a minor tributary of the larger river. The Bybrook has significant populations of"
"Avon Gorge The Avon Gorge () is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bristol, with the boundary running along the south bank. As Bristol was an important port, the gorge formed a defensive gateway to the city. On the east of the gorge is the Bristol suburb of Clifton, and The Downs,"
"Tetbury Avon The Tetbury Avon, also known as the Little Avon or the Ingleburn (Anglo-Saxon - English river), is a tributary of the Bristol Avon. It is also referred to as the River Avon (Tetbury Branch). It rises at Tetbury in Gloucestershire in the West Country of England, and flows in a generally south easterly direction, joining the Sherston Avon at Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The water flow has been reduced by public water extraction form its source aquifer in the Cotswold Hills. In the past watermills were used for fulling wool and grinding corn. One working mill survives. The Tetbury"
"extraction for agriculture use. During its journey the river flows over Upper Ludlow shales and Devonian sandstones. The River Clun flows into the Teme at Leintwardine in north Herefordshire. The River Corve flows into the Teme just outside Ludlow and the Ledwyche Brook flows into the Teme at Burford, close to the Herefordshire/Shropshire/Worcestershire tripoint. The Kyre Brook flows into the Teme at Tenbury Wells, and the River Rea flows into the Teme at Newnham Bridge, Worcestershire, a few miles south of Cleobury Mortimer, a small Shropshire town. The river is the 16th longest river in the United Kingdom. It falls"
"Frome. Since the 13th century, the rivers have been modified for use as docks including the diversion of the River Frome in the 1240s into an artificial ""deep channel"" known as ""Saint Augustine's Reach"", which flowed into the River Avon. Saint Augustine's Reach became the heart of Bristol's docks with its quays and wharfs. The River Avon within the gorge, and the River Severn into which it flows, has tides which fluctuate about between high and low water. This means that the river is easily navigable at high-tide but reduced to a muddy channel at low tide in which ships"
"given a Latin name ""Vaga"", an adjective meaning 'wandering'. The Tithe map references a Vagas Field in both Whitchurch and Chepstow. Philologists such as Edward Lye and Joseph Bosworth in the 18th and early 19th centuries suggested an Old English derivation from ""wæg"", ""wave"". The source of the Wye is in the Welsh mountains at Plynlimon. It flows through or past several towns and villages including Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford (the only city on the River Wye), Ross-on-Wye, Symonds Yat, Monmouth and Tintern, meeting the Severn estuary just below Chepstow. Its total length is . The lower of the"