51°20′56″N1°56′53″W / 51.349°N 1.948°W /51.349; -1.948
| River Avon | |
|---|---|
 The River Avon in Salisbury | |
 The River Avon watershed (Interactive map) | |
 | |
| Etymology | Brittonic Celtic meaning river |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Country within the UK | England |
| Counties | Wiltshire,Hampshire,Dorset |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Vale ofPewsey,Wiltshire |
| • coordinates | 51°22′35″N1°57′08″W / 51.3765°N 1.9523°W /51.3765; -1.9523 |
| • elevation | 124 metres (407 ft) |
| Mouth | English Channel |
• location | Christchurch,Dorset |
• coordinates | 50°43′25″N1°44′29″W / 50.7237°N 1.7415°W /50.7237; -1.7415 |
• elevation | 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Length | 96 km (60 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Bourne,Linford Brook,Nine Mile River |
| • right | Nadder,Ebble,Turmer Brook,Sweatfords Water[1] |
| Designation | |
| Official name | Avon Valley |
| Designated | 2 February 1998 |
| Reference no. | 926[2] |
TheRiver Avon (/ˈeɪvən/AY-vən) is in the south of England, rising inWiltshire, flowing through that county's city ofSalisbury and then westHampshire, before reaching theEnglish Channel throughChristchurch Harbour in theBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation ofDorset.
It is sometimes known as theSalisbury Avon or theHampshire Avon to distinguish it from other rivers of the same name in Great Britain. It is one of the rivers inBritain in which the phenomenon ofanchor ice has been observed.[3] The Avon is thought to contain more species of fish than any other river in Britain.[4] Long-farmed pastures and planted, arable fields line much of the valley; an indication of the wealth these brought to landowners is in ten largelisted houses with statutorily recognised and protected parks. Many prehistoric sites and broader "landscapes" are found on either side of the river, the largest being the World Heritage Site zone ofStonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, followed by theOld Sarum knoll fortification and the Thornham Down prehistoric and medieval landscape.
The river's name is atautology:Avon is theProto-Brythonic word meaning "river".
The Avon begins as two separate bodies of water. The western armrises to the east ofDevizes, draining theVale of Pewsey, and is joined by Etchilhampton Water which rises in theBishops Cannings area and flows south pastEtchilhampton and throughPatney.[5] The eastern arm rises atEaston Royal, east ofPewsey, and is joined by the Woodborough Stream which rises atAlton Priors and flows south throughWoodborough andNorth Newnton.[6]
The two branches merge atUpavon,[5] flowing southwards acrossSalisbury Plain throughDurrington,Amesbury andSalisbury. To the south of Salisbury the river enters theHampshire Basin, flowing along the western edge of theNew Forest throughFordingbridge andRingwood, meeting up with theRiver Stour atChristchurch, to flow intoChristchurch Harbour. The harbour opens into theEnglish Channel past a cluster of small mouths of brooks from the New Forest and a broad sandbank, which is all built up as theMudeford part of the harbour.
All the significant direct and indirect tributaries of the Avon, including theNadder,Wylye,Bourne andEbble, converge within a short distance around Salisbury.
A short distance north from the river's western source isMorgan's Hill, which marks the hydrologicaltriple divide of Great Britain, where rainfall drains into the English Channel (via this River Avon), theAtlantic Ocean (via theBristol Avon andSevern Estuary) and theNorth Sea (via theKennet andThames).
About half of the river is in Wiltshire; the rest is split between Hampshire and (since the1974 boundary changes) Dorset.
As two Avons drain parts of Wiltshire, the river is popularly known as the Hampshire Avon or the Salisbury Avon (and the other as theBristol Avon).
| River Avon Navigation (Christchurch to New Sarum) Act 1664 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for making the River Avon navigable from Christ Church to the City of New Sarum. |
| Citation |
|
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 March 1665 |
| Commencement | 24 November 1664[a] |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Itchin Navigation Rates Act 1820 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Construction of anavigation from Salisbury toChristchurch was authorised by the River Avon Navigation (Christchurch to New Sarum) Act 1664 (16 & 17 Cha. 2. c. 12). Work began in 1675 and the route was completed in 1684, but it fell out of use around 1715.[7] Canalised channels were dug to straighten sections of the river, including one throughBritford parish just below Salisbury; a lock survives on this section nearLongford Castle, having been rebuilt in brick as apound lock soon after the originalflash lock was damaged by flooding in the early 18th century.[8]
The Pewsey Avon Trail follows much of the river from Pewsey to Salisbury, using pre-existing rights of way.TheAvon Valley Path follows the river between Salisbury and Christchurch.
Canoeists seeking lawful passage as high as Salisbury have attempted to invoke the 1644 Navigation Act in their favour.[9] However, the Act was subject to enabling works, most of which were never completed, hence the right is disputed. Responsibility for delivery was given to private undertakers in the names of Hodges, Bennett and Dennett, who were to fund the canalisation between the places. They were allowed to charge their investment at 10% interest rate and could take full commercial advantage, which tripartite agreements from 1684 and 1685 evidence. TheHouse of Commons Journal of 31 January 1699 records that the freeholders, inhabitants and residents of Ibsley and Fordingbridge petitioned the House on the fact that they could not comply with the 1664 Act and were never likely to do so. The House sided with them and effectively declared its view of the law, the finality of which, lackingroyal assent, thelaw of rights of way is unclear on but makes more likely the view that the Act becamevoidable as the works to canalise the Avon were never implemented. Indecisive court cases were brought in 1737 and 1772 to enforce the alleged but not exercised right (to benefit barge owners).[10][11]
The valley from north to south has the following houses with large parks and gardens, significantly funded in their original form by the rich, mixed agriculture from the little-wooded upper valley plains and sides:
The largest of this type is England's mainWorld Heritage Site of this category, which includesStonehenge.[23]
Others include massive earthworks atOld Sarum,[24] and across the larger, separate Thornham Down area.[25]
Upper Avon Valley
Woodford Valley
Salisbury
Wiltshire watermeadows
In 1993 the Avon valley in Hampshire betweenBickton (downstream ofFordingbridge) andChristchurch was designated as aSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[26]
In 1996 almost the entire river, fromPatney (Wiltshire) to Christchurch, together with its tributaries theWylye,Nadder,Bourne and Dockens Water, was designated as theRiver Avon System SSSI.[27]
A four-year project called STREAM began in September 2005. This £1 million project was designed to benefit the habitats of species such aswater-crowfoot,Atlantic salmon,brook lamprey,sea lamprey,bullhead,Desmoulin's whorl snail,gadwall andCygnus columbianus (Berwick's swan).[28] A sister project called Living River ran from 2006 to 2010, aiming to providing better access and recreation, as well as aid biodiversity.[29] Both these projects were shortlisted for the 2009Thiess International Riverprize, competing against four other projects: theYellow River in China,Lake Simcoe in Canada, thePolochic Basin in Guatemala and the LowerOwens River in the USA. The prize for 2009 was awarded to Lake Simcoe.[30]
Media related toRiver Avon, Hampshire at Wikimedia Commons
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