| River Banwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| County | Somerset |
| Cities | Banwell,Weston-super-Mare |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Banwell,Somerset,England |
| • coordinates | 51°19′37″N2°51′50″W / 51.32694°N 2.86389°W /51.32694; -2.86389 |
| Mouth | St Thomas's Head |
• location | Bristol Channel,Somerset,England |
• coordinates | 51°23′26″N2°55′58″W / 51.39056°N 2.93278°W /51.39056; -2.93278 |
TheRiver Banwell is a small river inSomerset, England.
It begins life as a series of springs near theChurch of St Andrew inBanwell where they once filled a large pool below the church. It then flows north east ofWeston-super-Mare and on to Woodspring Bay where it enters theBristol Channel,[1] at St Thomas's Head, which forms the eastern boundary ofSand Point and Middle Hope, a short distance fromWoodspring Priory.
Through an Act of Parliament, and despite local protests, the Banwell springs were capped in 1915 and the pool slowly dried up. The water became part of the Weston Water Company's supply. Thereafter the old pool was filled in and became the village bowling green.
Flooding has occurred on Banwell Moor,[2] despite previous canalisation, and feasibility studies have been carried out to see if this could be managed to reduce the risk of floods in theWeston-super-Mare area.[3]
