| River Axe | |
|---|---|
 The River Axe near Axminster | |
_map.png) Course and catchment of the River Axe | |
| Location | |
| Country | England within theUnited Kingdom |
| Counties | Devon,Dorset andSomerset |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Chedington,Dorset |
| • coordinates | 50°50′22″N2°43′02″W / 50.83953°N 2.71711°W /50.83953; -2.71711 |
| Mouth | Lyme Bay,English Channel |
• location | Seaton,Devon |
• coordinates | 50°42′07″N3°03′18″W / 50.70200°N 3.05509°W /50.70200; -3.05509 |
| Length | 35 km (22 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Blackwater River |
| • right | River Yarty,River Coly |
TheRiver Axe is a 22-mile (35 km) long river in the counties ofDorset,Somerset andDevon, in the south-west of England. It rises in Dorset and flows south toLyme Bay which it enters through theAxe Estuary in Devon. It is a shallow, non-navigable river, although its mouth at Seaton has some boating activity. The nameAxe derives from aCommon Brittonic word meaning "abounding in fish", and iscognate withpysg (a variant ofpysgod), the Welsh word for fish.[1][2][3][4]
The River Axe rises in several streams to the south ofChedington in Dorset, close to the source of theRiver Parrett that flows north to theBristol Channel. The Axe then flows west throughMosterton andSeaborough before turning south and forming the county boundary between Dorset and Somerset. In this section it flows past the villages ofWayford andWinsham, and the formerForde Abbey. At a point some 3 miles (4.8 km) north ofAxminster it is joined by theBlackwater River and enters the county of Devon. It is then joined by the River Kit, before passing through Axminster after which it is joined by theRiver Yarty and continues south by the villages ofWhitford andColyford, where it is joined by theRiver Coly. At this point it spreads out to form the tidal Axe Estuary. The estuary flows past the village ofAxmouth, on its eastern bank, before passing through a highshingle bank to the east of the seaside town ofSeaton and entering Lyme Bay on theEnglish Channel.[1][2][3]
In 1999, a section of the river extending for 13 kilometres (8.1 mi)—from the confluence with the Blackwater River to Colyford Bridge—was designated aSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by England's conservation body,Natural England. It was described as supporting "an exceptionally diverse aquatic and marginal flora".[5] The river's diversity comes from its activegeomorphology, which has created a number of natural features that support niche ecologies; it also comes from there being a limited number of trees on the river bank, allowing in light; and also the riverbed stability in the lower reaches of the river.[5] A majority of the SSSI runs through Devon; only 160 yards (150 m) runs through Dorset.[5] The underlyinggeology of the riverbed isalluvium with areas of valley gravel, clay, shale and marl. The fish life in the river is considered of European interest;[5] ;other animals include more generally includessalmon,bullheads,otters,medicinal leeches andkingfishers, whilst there is a diverse aquatic and marginal plant life. The geomorphology of the meanders south of Axminster are the particular geological interest.[5]
Although now shallow and largely unnavigable, the estuary of the Axe was once important for shipping. According toHistoric England, the village of Axmouth, which is some 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, 'was ranked as a major port by the mid-14th century and accounted for 15% of the country’s shipping trade'. The remains of a late medieval fishing boat can be seen at low tide in the river, just south-west of Axmouth village. Over the following years the estuary silted up and a moving shingle bar formed at the mouth. In 1870 the current Axmouth Harbour was developed at the river mouth. Although the harbour is nearer the town of Seaton than the village of Axmouth, the harbour and all of the estuary are in the parish of Axmouth.[3][6][7]
The estuary is flanked to its west by a series of low-levelnature reserves, collectively known as Seaton Wetlands and including Seaton Marshes, Black Hole Marsh, Colyford Common and Stafford Marsh. Between them, these reserves include freshwater grazing marshes, intertidal lagoons, scrapes, ditches and bird hides, and are host to a diverse variety of birds and mammals such as otters. The reserves are separated from the estuary by the embankment of the formerSeaton branch railway, which now carries theSeaton Tramway on its route between Seaton, Colyford andColyton. with the open-topped trams offering a good view of both estuary and reserves. To its east, the estuary is flanked by the steeply rising land of the hills behind theJurassic Coast and theAxmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliff.[8][9]
Prehistoric archaeology: The Axe valley has produced evidence for some of the earliest human (Palaeolithic) activity in the south-west of England. The Broom gravel pits (near Holditch) produced at least 1,800Lower Palaeolithichandaxes when they were quarried in the late 19th century and the 1930s and 1940s.[10] More recent archaeological investigations[11] suggested that these artefacts are around 300,000 years old. Similar artefacts have been found in the gravel pits around Chard Junction.[12]
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