| River Ouzel River Lovat | |
|---|---|
 River Ouzel betweenNorthall andBillington | |
  | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Counties | Bedfordshire andBuckinghamshire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Chiltern Hills |
| Mouth | River Great Ouse |
• location | Newport Pagnell |
• coordinates | 52°05′15″N0°43′00″W / 52.0876°N 0.71675°W /52.0876; -0.71675 |
| Length | 20 miles (32 km) |
TheRiver Ouzel/ˈuːzəl/, also known as theRiver Lovat, is ariver in England, and atributary of theRiver Great Ouse. It rises in theChiltern Hills and flows 20 miles (32 km) north to join the Ouse atNewport Pagnell.
It is usually called theRiver Ouzel, except near Newport Pagnell where both names are used. The nameLovat was recorded (in the form 'Lovente') in the thirteenth century,[1] a map of 1724 marks the river as "Lowsel R",[2] and a map surveyed in 1765 shows it as 'Ouzel River'.[3] The modernOrdnance Survey uses only the nameOuzel, except north ofWillen Lake where it is marked as 'River Ouzel or Lovat'.[4]
Fromsprings just north ofDagnall, the river initially forms the boundary betweenBedfordshire andBuckinghamshire. It is joined by the Ouzel Brook fromHoughton Regis, and by Whistle Brook (also known atIvinghoe asWhizzle Brook)[5] fromPitstone. Near Grove Lock, just south ofLeighton Buzzard, it was once joined by Ledburn Brook, which has since been diverted into theGrand Junction Canal (now theGrand Union Canal). At Leighton Buzzard, the river is joined by Clipstone Brook fromMilton Bryan viaHockliffe andClipstone, and to the north of the town the excess water from the canal is released into the river at the Twelve Arches. The river then flows throughMilton Keynes, where the flood risk it presents (both locally and to communities downstream on the Ouse) is managed by two largebalancing lakes,Caldecotte Lake and Willen Lake. After flowing east under theM1, the river is joined by Crawley Brook fromHusborne Crawley. Finally, the river flows through Newport Pagnell to its junction with the Great Ouse.[citation needed]
