Beane | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Nr. Sandon, Hertfordshire |
• elevation | 90 m (300 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | Hertford, Hertfordshire into River Lea |
Length | 17.8 km (11.1 mi) |
The River Beane is a short river in the county of Hertfordshire, England. A tributary of the River Lea, it rises to the south-west of Sandon in the hills northeast of Stevenage and joins the Lea at Hartham Common in Hertford.
In medieval times there were a number of watermills along the course of the Beane. A few of the buildings and mill races survive.
The Beane valley remains mainly rural in character. However, Hertfordshire's population increased substantially in the second half of the twentieth century, and the consequent demand for water has affected rivers such as the Beane and the Mimram. In the case of the Beane, a licence was given to abstract water near Aston for Stevenage's water supply. The river has since been adversely affected by over-exploitation of the chalk aquifer in its upper reaches.
The photo shows a dry section south of Walkern where from the 1990s until about 2014 there was only seasonal flow. An indication of the scale of the decline in flow is that the section at Walkern was once big enough to power a watermill and to support watercress beds. [2]
The lower Beane is more robust and there has continued to be regular flow through Watton-at-Stone, Stapleford and Waterford until the confluence with the River Lea. However, overall the river has performed badly in assessments by the Environment Agency of flow level.
The state of the upper Beane resulted in calls for the river's restoration. [6] The management plan for the river includes the objective that there is adequate flow along the length of the river to support a ‘good status’ chalk stream ecology (as defined by the European Union's Water Framework Directive). [7]
One possible approach to the restoration of the upper Beane which was discussed was to use recycled water from sewage treatment works. For decades sewage from the Stevenage area has bypassed the river, being pumped down the Beane valley to Rye Meads near Hertford for treatment and eventual discharge into the River Stort. However, the water could theoretically have been discharged into the Beane if treated further upstream. [8] In the event another option was chosen. Affinity Water was told to take less water from its pumping station near Aston, even though obtaining water from a less environmentally damaging source was difficult as the River Lea's catchment area as a whole is under pressure.
There have been initiatives to improve the condition of lower stretches of the river, where there are issues regarding water quality and weirs. For example, where it passes through the Woodhall Park estate (near Watton) the river has been modified by an 18th-century landscaping project. This had the adverse consequence of impeding fish passage and a channel has now been constructed which by-passes the obstruction. [9] [10]
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) has launched a circular trail at Waterford, which includes some scenic sections of the River Beane.
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford.
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census.
The River Lea is in the East of England and Greater London. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of the largest rivers in London and the easternmost major tributary of the Thames.
East Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. The largest town in the district is Bishop's Stortford, and the other main towns are Ware, Buntingford and Sawbridgeworth. At the 2011 Census, the population of the district was 137,687. By area it is the largest of the ten local government districts in Hertfordshire. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, and Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford in Essex.
The River Rib is a tributary of the River Lea, which runs from Buckland in Hertfordshire, England. It flows into the River Lea to the east of Hertford.
Hertford and Stortford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Josh Dean of the Labour Party since 2024.
Bengeo is a suburb and former village and civil parish on the north-west edge of the county town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England. It is an electoral ward of Hertford. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2586. In 1894 the parish was abolished to form Bengeo Rural and Bengeo Urban.
Watton-at-Stone is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, and is midway between the towns of Stevenage and Hertford in the valley of the River Beane.
The River Mimram is a chalk stream in Hertfordshire, England. It runs from its source near Whitwell in Hertfordshire to join the River Lea at Hertford.
Walkern is a village and civil parish in East Hertfordshire, England. It is about two miles (3 km) from Stevenage.
Benington is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about four miles east of Stevenage and 35 miles north of London.
The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics were based in Stratford, in the Lower Lea Valley. It is important for London's water supply, as the source of the water transported by the New River aqueduct, but also as the location for the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain, stretching from Enfield through Tottenham and Walthamstow.
Hitchin is a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
Horns Mill is an area and suburb of south Hertford, Hertfordshire.
Sele Farm is an area on the north-western edge of Hertford, Hertfordshire.
Hertingfordbury is a small village in Hertfordshire, England, close to the county town of Hertford. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Hertingfordbury is also the name of a neighbouring civil parish, which does not contain the village. Hertingfordbury village is within the Castle ward of Hertford Town Council. The population of the civil parish as of the 2021 census was 689.
Woodhall Park is a Grade I listed country house near Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire, England. The 18th century neo-classical building is set in a walled park in the Beane valley. It has been the home of Heath Mount School since the 1930s.
John Tate was the first English papermaker and was active in the second half of the 15th century. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography he was born about 1448. A businessman based in London, he was a member of the Mercers Company.
Sele Mill is a late 19th-century mill building in Hertford, England. It has been converted into apartments. A blue plaque on the building commemorates an earlier mill on the site, the country's first paper mill.