| Churnet (Staffordshire) | |
|---|---|
 A narrowboat has just locked down into the Churnet river at Oak Meadow Ford lock | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Region | Staffordshire |
| District | The Roaches,Leek,Churnet Valley |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | The Roaches,Staffordshire Moorlands,Staffordshire,England |
| • elevation | 460 m (1,510 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Near Combridge,East Staffordshire,England |
TheRiver Churnet is a river inStaffordshire, England. It is a tributary of theRiver Dove.
The origins of the name "Churnet" are unknown, though it is thought to derive from the pre-English, British name for the river.[1]
The source of the river is located over 1,000 feet (300 m) abovesea level in theStaffordshire moorlands, near the gritstoneescarpment of theRoaches, and next to the A53Leek toBuxton road, It is only a few hundred yards away from Black Brook which ultimately, through theDane andWeaver, flows into theIrish Sea; however, the Churnet, through theDove,Trent andHumber Estuary, ultimately flows into theNorth Sea.
After flowing downhill for a few miles it reachesTittesworth Reservoir, a major supplier of fresh water to the Potteries and Leek.[2] After it leaves the dam at Tittesworth, it flows into the ancient market town ofLeek, where it was used until quite recently[when?] to aid the manufacture of dyes that were used in the town's textile andsilk industries.[3] South ofCheddleton, the river flows through the Churnet Valley, an area of outstanding beauty with ancient woodland, an abundance of wildlife and industrial heritage.
TheCaldon Canal locks into the river at Oak Meadow Ford Lock, 2 miles on from Cheddleton and river and canal are one until Consall Forge, where the canal goes its own way again. The river continues through the valley, past ancient woodland and the Bolton Copper works atFroghall, then through the villages ofOakamoor andAlton. It flows past theJCB factory atRocester and shortly afterwards joins the River Dove near the hamlet of Combridge.
The course of the river from Cheddleton to Rocester runs through the Churnet Valley – a part of Staffordshire that has been known either as Staffordshire's Rhineland or Staffordshire's Little Switzerland.[4][5] Throughout the valley there are steep gorges and banks, with an abundance of woodland and Wildlife. There are several woods owned by theNational Trust and theRSPB.
The Churnet has been heavily influenced by industry along its length for nearly a thousand years and as a result became possibly the most polluted river in Europe.[6] The river was heavily used inLeek by the textile industry to make dyes. The dyeing industry was established in 1734 and it was claimed that the water from the Churnet was the finest in Europe for this purpose.[7] In nearby Cheddleton the Churnet was used to power aflint mill that ground down flint for use in the pottery industry. Further downriver atFroghall and atOakamoor the Thomas Bolton Copper works used the power of the Churnet to help manufacture the world's first transatlantic telegraph cables.[8] The processes involved in manufacturingcopper wire at the sites caused high levels of pollution.
The Churnet Valley was heavily involved in the iron-smelting industry and it is documented from as long ago as 1290 that iron was smelted using the river as its main source of energy.[9]The early forges were at East Wall, near Oakamoor, but a later forge is still standing at Consall, next to the locks on theCaldon Canal.
The Caldon Canal runs with the river through the Churnet Valley and along parts the river is canalised. There was intensive freight traffic on the waterway transporting limestone and ironstone from the wharves on the canal. Today the only industrial use of the river is by the sand quarry at Oakamoor.
Since the decline of industry in Leek and the Churnet Valley, the quality of the water has improved so much that a programme of re-introducingsalmon is underway.[6]
52°56′8.9″N1°50′57.5″W / 52.935806°N 1.849306°W /52.935806; -1.849306