| River Wyre | |
|---|---|
 The Wyre nearSt Michael's on Wyre | |
 | |
| Location | |
| County | Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Tarnbrook Wyre and Marshaw Wyre |
| • location | Forest of Bowland |
| Mouth | Irish Sea |
• location | BetweenFleetwood andKnott End |
• coordinates | 53°55′42″N3°00′08″W / 53.9284°N 3.0021°W /53.9284; -3.0021 |
| Length | 28 mi (45 km) |
TheRiver Wyre, inLancashire, England, flows into theIrish Sea atFleetwood. It is 28 miles (45 km) long and has a sheltered estuary which penetrates deep intothe Fylde peninsula.
The nameWyre is of pre-Roman, likely, if specific,Common Brittonic origin.[1] It may be derived from*wiΣ-,[a][1] a form of the element*wei, with a basic sense of "flowing",[1] with the suffix*–urā.[1]
The River Wyre possibly shares its etymology with otherriver names,[1] including theWear inCounty Durham[1] and theQuair Water in Scotland.[1]
The river's name possibly means 'winding river' in Celtic.[3]
The river rises in theForest of Bowland in central Lancashire, as two distinct tributaries—the Tarnbrook Wyre and the Marshaw Wyre—whoseconfluence is near the village ofAbbeystead. In 1984, a pumping station, built just below the confluence as part of a water transfer scheme in the 1980s, saw theAbbeystead disaster, an explosion in which 16 people were killed and a further 22 were injured.[4]
From Abbeystead, the river flows south throughDolphinholme toGarstang, where theLancaster Canal crosses on a smallaqueduct. 1 mile (1.6 km) south, atCatterall, it meets its first major tributary, theRiver Calder. The river then turns westwards, flowing throughSt Michael's on Wyre, where it is joined by its second major tributary, theRiver Brock. It becomes tidal below the weir at St Michael's.
It is crossed byCartford Bridge, atoll bridge, betweenLittle Eccleston andOut Rawcliffe. A former toll bridge,Shard Bridge, close toPoulton-le-Fylde, has been rebuilt and is now free. TheWyre Estuary Ferry runs betweenFleetwood andKnott End, but the ferry to theIsle of Man no longer runs.
Major industry existed at the formerICI Hillhouse site atBurn Naze, close to the estuary of the river. It was originally analkali works takingbrine from mines andwells across the river in and aroundPreesall. Later processes undertaken on the site included those dealing withvinyl chloride monomer, although this was later moved toRuncorn and ICI activity on the site ceased. Industrial activity by a number of various companies continues by the river, albeit on a much reduced scale.
The area around Burn Naze on the western side of the Wyre Estuary was formerly known asBergerode, believed to be anOld English term for "shallow harbour",beor grade.[5]
FromSkippool, just downstream of Shard Bridge, to Fleetwood, the banks of the river form theWyre Estuary Country Park. Facilities exist on the western bank. The park has its headquarters at Stanah. It has been the recipient of aGreen Flag Award.
Fleetwood, at the mouth of the river, was a major fishing port up until the latter part of the 20th century. Wyre Dock was built there between 1869 and 1877. With the decline in the size of the fleet, most of the dock complex has subsequently been converted to amarina and the adjacentAffinity Lancashire outdoor shopping centre.
The river drains a total catchment area of approximately 175 square miles (450 km2). The tidal portion of the river below Cartford Bridge drains a catchment area of approximately 125 square miles (320 km2).[6]
The Wyre is the only one of the major Lancashire rivers that flows wholly within the ceremonial county; theRibble starts inNorth Yorkshire, and theLune starts inCumbria.[7]
