| River Dee | |
|---|---|
 River Dee atLlangollen | |
_Route.png) Map of the route of the River Dee in Wales and England | |
| Native name | Afon Dyfrdwy (Welsh) |
| Location | |
| Country | England andWales |
| Cities | Chester |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | slopes ofDduallt aboveLlanuwchllyn,Snowdonia,Wales |
| • coordinates | 52°49′56″N3°45′56″W / 52.8322°N 3.7656°W /52.8322; -3.7656 |
| • elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Mouth | Dee Estuary |
• coordinates | 53°21′14″N3°13′33″W / 53.3539°N 3.2258°W /53.3539; -3.2258 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 113 km (70 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,816.8 km2 (701.5 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Chester Weir |
| • average | 29.71 m3/s (1,049 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Manley Hall |
| • average | 31.03 m3/s (1,096 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bala Lake |
| • average | 13.06 m3/s (461 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Tryweryn,Alwen,Clywedog,Alyn |
| • right | Ceiriog,Wych Brook |
TheRiver Dee (Welsh:Afon Dyfrdwy,Latin:Deva Fluvius) is a river flowing throughNorth Wales, and throughCheshire, England, inGreat Britain. The length of the main section fromBala toChester is 113 km (70 miles), and it is largely located inWales. The stretch betweenAldford andSaltney is within England, and two other sections formthe border between the two countries.[1]
The riverrises onDduallt inSnowdonia and flows east throughBala Lake,Corwen, andLlangollen. It turns north nearOverton-on-Dee and forms part of the England–Wales border before fully entering England north-east of Wrexham. It flows through Chester then re-enters Wales; the final section iscanalised and discharges to theIrish Sea via anestuary 23 km (14 miles) long.
The River Dee was the traditional boundary of theKingdom of Gwynedd in Wales for centuries, possibly since its founding in the 5th century.[2] It was recorded in the 13th century (in mainstreamMiddle English orthography, lacking the letters v and w) asflumen Dubr Duiu;[2] the name appears to derive from theBrythonicdēvā: "River of the Goddess" or "Holy River".[3] The river is personified as the war and fate goddessAerfen.[4]
The river name inspired the name of Roman fortressDeva Victrix.
It is the only river in the UK to be subject to aWater Protection Zone along its whole length down to Chester weir.[5]
The totalcatchment area of the River Dee down toChester Weir is 1,816.8 km2 (701.5 sq mi).[6] The estimated average annual rainfall over the catchment area is 640 mm (25 in), yielding an average flow of 37 m3/s.The largerreservoirs in the catchment area are:
The River Dee has its source on the slopes ofDduallt aboveLlanuwchllyn in the mountains ofSnowdonia inMeirionydd,Gwynedd, Wales. Between its source andBala Lake the river is known by itsWelsh name,Afon Dyfrdwy. Legend tells that the waters of the river pass through Bala Lake and emerge undiluted and unmixed at the outflow. On leavingBala the river meets its confluence withAfon Tryweryn and passes through the Bala sluice gates, part of theDee Regulation System protecting communities further downstream from severe flooding. Skirting the village ofLlanfor, the path of the river takes it pastLlandderfel and under the Grade IIlisted Pont Fawr bridge. The river trends generally northeast through the Vale of Edeyrnion, shadowed by the B4401 Bala toCynwyd road. Leaving Gwynedd and enteringDenbighshire the Dee flows beneath other historic bridges atLlandrillo and Cynwyd before arriving at the town ofCorwen.
From here the river passes theIron Agehillfort ofCaer Drewyn and enters theClwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. Through its forested valley the course takes it throughCarrog,Glyndyfrdwy andLlantysilio, with theLlangollen Railway following the river on its route betweenLlangollen andCorwen.
AtBerwyn the river passes over the manmadeHorseshoe Falls, before picking up speed on a downhill gradient past the Chain Bridge Hotel and its historic pedestrian bridge. First built in 1814, and later refurbished byHenry Robertson in 1870, it was considered a marvel of early suspension bridge design. In 1928 the original bridge was destroyed by severe flooding and was rebuilt in its current form from original parts in 1929. The course of the river then takes it throughLlangollen and under its 16th-century,Grade I listed bridge. The bridge is also aScheduled Ancient Monument and considered one of theSeven Wonders of Wales.
On leaving Llangollen the river continues east, to the south of theCarboniferous Limestone exposures ofEglwyseg Rocks (Welsh:Creigiau Eglwyseg) and Trevor Rocks. Overlooking the river here is themedievalCastell Dinas Brân, a ruined fortress abandoned byJohn de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey in 1282. The river then entersWrexham County Borough, passing south ofTrevor and underThomas Telford'sPontcysyllte Aqueduct, of 1805, which carries theLlangollen Canal 120 feet (37 m) overhead.
Less than a mile east of the aqueduct atCefn Mawr, the river is crossed by theCefn Mawr Viaduct, built in 1848 byThomas Brassey and carrying theShrewsbury to Chester railway line over the Dee. Beyond this point the river forms the boundary between Wrexham County Borough in Wales andShropshire in theWest Midlands of England. PassingChirk and the confluence with theRiver Ceiriog, the river begins to trace gentle meanders on the level ground at the beginning of theCheshire Plain. The course continues pastErbistock on the Welsh side, and the 5th-century earthwork ofWat's Dyke on the English, before passing wholly into Wales atOverton bridge. A couple more miles downstream isBangor-on-Dee, known for itsracecourse and itsbridge. Until 1974 this area was part of anexclave of historicFlintshire known asEnglish Maelor (Welsh:Maelor Saesneg).
The Dee continues to meander pastWorthenbury where it is joined by theRiver Clywedog. At this point the border between Wrexham andCheshire West and Chester follows the course of the river. It passes theCheshire village ofCrewe by Farndon, before cutting betweenHolt in Wales andFarndon in England beneath the 14th-century, Grade IlistedFarndon Bridge.
One of the major tributaries of the Dee, theRiver Alyn (Afon Alun), crosses theCarboniferous Limestone fromMynydd Helygain (a.k.a. Halkyn Mountain) and runs down through theLoggerheads area before making its confluence north of Holt. Throughout the length of the Alyn there are numerousswallow holes and caverns and during the summer months long stretches of the river bed run dry. These caves includeOgof Hesp Alyn andOgof Hen Ffynhonnau. A significant part of this lost flow reemerges in theMilwr Tunnel, a manmade tunnel, entering the west bank of the Dee estuary and carrying 12 millionimperial gallons per day (600 L/s). This tunnel was originally constructed to drain metal mines in Halkyn Mountain. Once the main River Dee approaches the Cheshire border and theCarboniferousCoal Measures, it turns sharply northwards before meandering up toChester. This long stretch of the river drops in height by only a few feet. The rich adjoining farmland has many remnants of abandonedcoal workings and deepclay pits used to makebricks andtiles. A number of these pits are now being used aslandfill sites for domestic and commercial waste. ApproachingChurton andAldford, the river crosses entirely into England, and passes the grand country house ofEaton Hall, seat of theDuke of Westminster.
The river then continues past the village ofEccleston and beneath theA55 North Wales Expressway, tracing northwards past theRoman Eaton Road to the Chester suburbs ofHuntington andHandbridge before reaching the centre of Chester. In the city centre the river passes and around the Earl's Eye(s) meadow atQueen's Park. In this vicinity, the riverside is used as a recreation area with a bandstand, benches and boat cruises, being crossed by four bridges. The first is theQueen's Park Suspension Bridge, which forms the only exclusively pedestrian footway across the river in Chester. The second is theOld Dee Bridge, a road bridge and by far the oldest bridge in Chester, being built in about 1387 on the site of a series of wooden predecessors which dated originally from the Roman period.
Above the Old Dee Bridge isChester Weir, which was built byHugh Lupus to supply power to his corn mills. Throughout the centuries the weir has been used to power corn,fulling, needle, snuff and flint mills. The same weir was used as part of ahydroelectric scheme in 1911 with the help of a small generator building which is still visible today, used as a pumping station for water since 1951. However the first water pumping station here was set up in 1600 by John Tyrer who pumped water to a square tower built on the city's Bridgegate. It was destroyed in the Civil War but an octagonal tower built in 1690 for the same purpose lasted until the gate was replaced with an arch in the mid-18th century.
On this weir is afish pass and fish counting station to monitor the numbers ofsalmon ascending the river, and also a weirgate for navigating the weir at spring tides. A little further downstream stands theGrosvenor Bridge (designed by architectThomas Harrison of Chester), which was opened in 1833 to ease congestion on the Old Dee Bridge. This bridge was opened by Princess Victoria five years before she became Queen.
The other side of the Grosvenor Bridge is theRoodee, Chester's racecourse and the oldest course in the country. This used to be the site of Chester's Roman harbour until, aided by the building of the weir, the River Dee silted up to become the size it is today. The only curiously remaining reminder of this site's maritime past is a stone cross which stands in the middle of the Roodee which exhibits the marks of water ripples. To the end of theRoodee the river is crossed by Chester's fourth bridge which carries theNorth Wales Coast railway line, before leaving Chester. This was the scene of one of the first serious railway accidents in the country, theDee bridge disaster.
| River Dee Navigation Act 1732 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 6 Geo. 2. c. 30 |
| River Dee Navigation Act 1740 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act for incorporating the Undertakers of the Navigation of the River Dee. |
| Citation | 14 Geo. 2. c. 8 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 21 March 1741 |
| River Dee Navigation Act 1743 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act for explaining and amending an Act passed in the Sixth Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled, "An Act to recover and preserve the Navigation of the River Dee, in the County Palatine of Chester;" and another Act, passed in the Fourteenth Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled, "An Act for incorporating the Undertakers of the Navigation of the River Dee;" and for repealing the Tonnage Rates payable to the said Undertakers, and for granting to them other Tonnage or Keelage Rates in Lieu thereof; and for other Purposes therein mentioned. |
| Citation | 17 Geo. 2. c. 28 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 May 1744 |
| River Dee Navigation Act 1753 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act for confirming an Agreement, entered into between the Company of Proprietors of the Undertaking for recovering and preserving the Navigation of the River Dee and Sir John Glynne Baronet, Lord of the Manor of Hawarden, and several Freeholders and Occupiers of Land within the said Manor; and for explaining and amending Three several Acts of Parliament, of the Sixth, Fourteenth, and Seventeenth Years of His present Majesty's Reign, for recovering and preserving the Navigation of the said River Dee. |
| Citation | 26 Geo. 2. c. 35 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 May 1753 |
West of Chester, the river flows along an artificial channel excavated by theDee Navigation Company between 1732 and 1736. The work was planned and undertaken by engineers from the Netherlands and paid for by local merchants and Chester Corporation. It was an attempt to improve navigation for shipping and reduce silting. Chester's trade had declined steadily since the end of the 17th century as sediment had prevented larger craft reaching the city, spelling the end for the Port of Chester.
After four years' work, the river was diverted from its meandering natural course which passedBlacon,Saughall,Shotwick Castle,Burton andParkgate and up the west shore ofWirral. Instead, the new canalised section followed the coast along northeast Wales. During this time,Sealand andShotton were reclaimed from theestuary. Land reclamation in this area continued until 1916. The river's natural course can still be determined by following the bank and low bluffs that mark the western edge of the Wirral Peninsula.
The manmade channel, which runs in a straight line for 8 km (5 miles), passes into Wales andFlintshire atSaltney. On the west shore isHawarden Airport and the largeAirbus factory atBroughton. This region is known asDeeside and contains several heavy industries. From here the Dee passes beneath three road bridges. The first two are adjacent to each other atQueensferry. They are a 1960s fixed-arch bridge carrying theA494Queensferry toDolgellautrunk road and its predecessor theJubilee Bridge, which is a rollingbascule bridge completed in 1926. The third crossing, and the most recent, is atConnah's Quay. TheFlintshire Bridge is a fixedcable-stayed bridge that opened in 1999.
Between the second and third road bridges isHawarden railway bridge at Shotton, originally constructed as aswing bridge but now never opened. It carries theBidston toWrexham CentralBorderlands Line over the river.Hawarden Bridge station serves the Deeside Industrial Park,Deeside Power Station and the works at Dee Marsh.
A footbridge replaced the passenger ferry at Saltney in the 1970s.
Beyond Connah's Quay the river opens out into theDee Estuary, forming the northeasternmost section of theNorth Wales coast and the western coast of theWirral. Towns along the coast includeFlint,Holywell andMostyn on the Welsh side andNeston, Parkgate,Heswall,West Kirby andHoylake on the Wirral side. South ofBagillt and Parkgate the Dee Estuary forms the boundary between the local authority areas ofFlintshire andCheshire West and Chester. Northwards it forms the boundary with theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral inMerseyside,North West England. The estuary continues to widen until finally entering theIrish Sea andLiverpool Bay between thenorthernmost point of mainland Wales,Point of Ayr atTalacre, Flintshire and Hilbre Point, near Hoylake and West Kirby inWirral,Merseyside.Hilbre Island, part of Wirral, straddles the mouth of the estuary at this point. The waters of the Dee then converge with those of theRiver Mersey andRibble, producing a notable drop in salinity and increase in sediment which can be tracked a considerable distance along theSefton andLancashire coasts.
The estuary is hugely important for birdlife and has been designated both as anSSSI and as aRamsar site accordingly. Its value lies in the huge expanses of mud which are exposed between tides and the extensivesaltmarsh developed on both sides but principally on the right bank north and south of Neston.
The estuary owes its origins to the scouring of a broad channel through theTriassic sandstones andCarboniferous mudstones by glacial ice during successiveice ages to form aniceway. The channel continues inland south of Chester but its higher reaches have long since been infilled with sand, gravel and mud. The process of infilling by mud continues to the present day as the rapid growth of the saltmarsh in the last century testifies, pushing the high tide line further out into the estuary.
Large parts of the catchment are devoted to agriculture and there a number of abstractions made from the river for summer irrigation. The volumes involved are not however significant.
From Chirk downstream, the river valley has supported a wide range of industries that were initially drawn to the area by the presence of coal mines and later by the deep deposits ofCarboniferousclays used to makebricks andtiles.
The coal industry in particular gave rise to a number of chemical industries some of which survive to this day and which both take water from the river and discharge their cleaned up effluent back into the river. Industries in the valley include commercial chemicals manufacture, wood chip andMDF fabrication,cocoa milling,fibreglass manufacture,waste disposal (in oldclay pits) and a great variety of smaller industries concentrated aroundWrexham. The main impact on the river of these industries is their thirst for a dependable good quality water supply.
Previously the wings[7] for theAirbus A380, which were made at Airbus's manufacturing factory inBroughton, were taken downriver by barge to thePort of Mostyn because they were too large to be shipped in anAirbus Beluga.[8] However, the dredging of the river for the barge may be responsible for a weakening of thetidal bore.[citation needed]
There are a number of direct water abstractions upstream of Chester by three water companies and by the canal. The size of the abstraction is very large compared to the summer flow and the flow in the river is very highly regulated through the use of reservoirs to store water in the winter and release it in the summer. The whole system is managed as theDee Regulation Scheme.Below Chester water is also abstracted as cooling water by the gas-fired power station atConnah's Quay. Process and cooling water is also abstracted for thepaper mill and power station atShotton.
The Dee used to be a popularwhitewater kayaking and touring river (particularly the grade III/IV whitewater section upstream of Llangollen). It stays high after rain for longer than most British rivers and is paddleable year-round (thanks to the Dee Regulation Scheme). Canoeing used to be allowed on about twelve weekends per year, and tens of thousands of canoeists descended on Llangollen for recreational paddling (severalDee tours were held every winter),slalom competitions, andwild water races.
In 2003, negotiations with theangling associations owning fishing rights on the Dee broke down. The anglers wanted to restrict the numbers of paddlers on the river when paddling was allowed but the Welsh Canoe Association wanted to renew the previous agreement. In November 2004, a protest about the lack of access on the Dee, and to rivers across England and Wales, was held in Llangollen. Following the failure of the access agreement, the Welsh Canoeing Association advises canoeists to use their own judgement about using the river, which in practice means many canoeists use the river at will from the numerous access points along its banks.
Canoeing is permitted on one 100 m long rapid, 1 km upstream of Llangollen. Wildwater and slalom races are still held at Serpent's Tail rapid upstream of Llangollen.
A major tributary of the Dee, theRiver Tryweryn, supports a wide range of water sports and hosts theCanolfan Tryweryn - the national white water centre for Wales.
Each July theChester Raft Race is held on the Dee in aid of charity.
The Deva (Chester) Triathlon uses the Dee for the swim leg of the race.[9]
The rowing clubs on the Dee areRoyal Chester Rowing Club (hosting also Chester University Rowing Club) andGrosvenor Rowing Club.King's School Rowing Club and Queens Park High School are school-dedicated rowing clubs. All these share the slightly meandering Chester/lower reach above the weir.
The river has been famed as a mixed fishery with salmon andtrout fishing, mostly in the upper waters and a good coarse fishery in the lower reaches. A major pollution incident in the middle reaches in the late 1990s did extensive damage to the fishery from which it is now largely recovered.
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Location | Clwyd |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 1,489.5 hectares (3,681 acres) |
| Notification | 1995 |
Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) is aSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the preserved county ofClwyd, along the River Dee,[10] as is the nearby River Dee (England) SSSI in England.[11] The Dee Cliffs atFarndon, Cheshire, are designated as a separate SSSI,[12] as are the Dee Marshes on the northern (English) side of the estuary.[13]
The river has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation because of its role as a habitat forAtlantic salmon andfloating water plantain.[14]
Media related toRiver Dee, Wales at Wikimedia Commons
Download coordinates as:
