| Lam Brook Lambroc -Anglo-Saxon | |
|---|---|
 Mill Farm on the upper reaches of the Lam Brook | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Region | West of England |
| Municipality | Bath |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lansdown Hill, Somerset, England |
| • coordinates | 51°25′03″N2°23′33″W / 51.4175°N 2.3926°W /51.4175; -2.3926 |
| • elevation | 656 ft (200 m) |
| 3rd source | St Johns Wood |
| • location | Toghill,South Gloucestershire,England |
| • coordinates | 51°26′48″N2°23′18″W / 51.4467°N 2.3883°W /51.4467; -2.3883 |
| • elevation | 580 ft (180 m) |
| Mouth | Bristol Avon |
• location | Lambridge,Bath,England |
• coordinates | 51°23′44″N2°20′21″W / 51.3955°N 2.3393°W /51.3955; -2.3393 |
• elevation | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km), southerly |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Bristol Avon |
TheLam Brook is a stream in theWest Country ofEngland, which rises in a number of springs on the southern end of theCotswold Hills and runs in a generally southerly direction for approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) before joining theriver Avon at Lambridge inBath. The brook is mentioned in anAnglo-Saxon charter of indeterminate date. There is evidence ofwatermills in the Swainswick valley but no working examples survive. The waters are relatively clean and support a variety of wildlife including the rare white-clawed crayfish.
Streams from a number of springs issuing from the southern end of the Cotswold Hills atLansdown Hill in Somerset, and Toghill andCold Ashton in South Gloucestershire converge at Ashcombe Farm nearLangridge, Somerset. The Lam Brook then runs in a generally southerly direction pastAshcombe House and the villages ofUpper Swainswick andLower Swainswick. At Lambridge the stream is joined by an unnamed tributary on the right bank just before joining the Bristol Avon.
It is believed that theRomanFosse Way forded the brook near the present Lambridge.[1] Lam Brook is mentioned in anAnglo-Saxon charter as forming part of the boundaries of the village ofCharlcombe. No date has yet been determined for this document.[2] In common with many other local rivers,watermills were constructed, especially in the Swainswick valley and at Lambridge. Mill Farm at Woolley survives but has been converted to other uses. A lease of 1275 refers to "two fulling mills with all appurtenances at Lambrugge ..." and a 1729 map records "Dead Mill" a little further upstream.[1]
Salmonidae[3] andwhite-clawed crayfish[4] have been identified in the waters of the Lam Brook. Every year a road inCharlcombe is closed for seven weeks in February and March to allow newts, frogs and toads to safely travel down the road to reach a lake in the Charlcombe valley on an unnamed tributary of the Lam Brook.[5][6] Toad patrol volunteer Helen Hobbs received an award from theInternational Fund for Animal Welfare in 2010 for her work in saving around 4,500 amphibians.[7]
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