50°35′00″N3°45′12″W / 50.5832°N 3.7534°W /50.5832; -3.7534
| River Lemon | |
|---|---|
 The River Lemon flowing through Bradley Woods | |
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Southeast side ofDartmoor, nearHaytor |
| Length | 9.9 mi (15.9 km) |
TheRiver Lemon is a 9.9 miles (15.9 kilometres)river in the county ofDevon in southwest England. It is a tributary of theRiver Teign, starting onDartmoor byHaytor, and ending inNewton Abbot.[1] It rises on the south-east side ofDartmoor nearHaytor, joins with theRiver Sig and the Langworthy Brook atSigford, then passes the village ofBickington. Lower down, it is joined by the Kestor Brook and it then flows through the woods in Bradley Valley, past the manor house ofBradley, and through the town ofNewton Abbot where it flows through a 440-yard-long (400 m) tunnel below the town centre. Just below the town, the river joins theRiver Teign at50°31′01″N3°36′25″W / 50.517°N 3.607°W /50.517; -3.607, near the head of its estuary.
A considerable length of the River is designated as a Special Area of Conservation - The South Hams SAC for the Greater Horseshoe Bat, as protected flight corridors (this area extends 500 m each side of the River).
The nameLemon is a derivative of a Celtic word meaningelm.[2]
The river has several times caused major flooding in Newton Abbot, most notably on 19 December 1853, 14 November 1894, 6 August 1938, and 27 December 1979. To prevent further occurrences, a flood-control reservoir and dam were built in 1982, just below the confluence with the Kestor Brook at Holbeam.[3]
In December 2013, Nick Mutton, a local primary school teacher, died while trying to rescue his dog from the river. He was dragged from where he fell in to nearTucker's Maltings, on the other side of the town. The river was high due to torrential rain, causing the River Lemon to overflow.[4]
During its operation from 1898 to 1974, theNewton Abbot power station discharged its used cooling water into the Lemon, having extracted it from theRiver Teign.