River Dane | |
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Location | |
Country | England |
Counties | Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Axe Edge Moor |
Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with River Weaver |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | River Croco, River Wheelock |
The River Dane is a tributary of the River Weaver that originates in the Peak District area of England. The name of the river (earlier Daven) is probably from the Old Welsh dafn, meaning a "drop or trickle", implying a slow-moving river. [1]
It forms the border between first Cheshire and Derbyshire on the west and east, and then between Cheshire and Staffordshire where it then flows north-west through Cheshire before meeting the Weaver in Northwich.
The river rises close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, at Dane Head on Axe Edge Moor. Flowing southwest, it forms county borders for around 10 miles (16 km) before flowing west through Congleton and past Holmes Chapel. The point on the river where the three counties meet, at Panniers' Pool Bridge, is called Three Shire Heads (sometimes Three Shires Head). [2] Passing just north of Middlewich, it merges first with the River Croco near the site of the old Roman fort in Harbutt's Field, and then with the River Wheelock near the aqueduct carrying the Trent and Mersey Canal, and runs the remaining 5 miles (8 km) north to Northwich where it flows into the River Weaver.
The River Dane is the longest, cleanest and thought to be the fastest flowing river through Cheshire. The route of the Dane is followed as closely as possible by the Dane Valley Way, a 48-mile (77 km) walking route from Buxton to Northwich. [3]
Although the main river is part of the Mersey catchment and flows into the Irish Sea, a portion of the water can be diverted via canal feeders into Rudyard Lake and subsequently the Caldon Canal. This water discharges eventually into the River Trent and ultimately into the North Sea, having crossed the English watershed. [3]
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In 1451 when the River Dane flooded in Congleton, it destroyed the town's corn mill, half of the timber-framed buildings and the wooden bridge over the river. To prevent it happening again, the river was diverted away from the town. Congleton's textile industry grew from the 14th century, with many water-powered mills built along the river by the 18th century. [4]
A small stone bridge over the river near Holmes Chapel, Hermitage Bridge, was built in 1772 by a local ironmaster. [5] Some years the river floods widely across the meadows here. Nearby a tall red brick railway viaduct, built in 1841, spans the broad Dane Valley between Holmes Chapel and Twemlow. It has 23 arches and is Grade II listed. [6] It crosses the River Dane at Saltersford, where Cheshire salt traders once drove their horse-drawn carts through a ford along the toll road. [7]
Reading downstream, the following crossings are all designated listed buildings or scheduled monuments: Dane Bridge, [8] Hug Bridge, [9] Lymford Bridge (early 19th century), [10] Dane Aqueduct over the Macclesfield Canal (1830), [11] Congleton Railway Viaduct (West Coast Main Line, 1849), [12] Colley Mill Bridge, [13] Havannah Bridge (early to mid-19th century, originally leading to a cigar factory), [14] Hermitage Bridge (1772) [5] and Shipbrook Bridge. [15]
Congleton is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, 21 miles (34 km) south of Manchester and 13 miles (21 km) north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 30,015.
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732. An unusual clause in the enabling Act of Parliament stipulated that profits should be given to the County of Cheshire for the improvement of roads and bridges, but the navigation was not initially profitable, and it was 1775 before the first payments were made. Trade continued to rise, and by 1845, over £500,000 had been given to the county.
Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) north of Crewe and 21 miles (34 km) south of Manchester; Swettenham Meadows Nature Reserve lies 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the village and Goostrey lies to the north.
The A54 road is a road in England linking Chester in Cheshire with Buxton in Derbyshire. Its route through both urban and steep rural areas presents a challenge to Cheshire County Council in maintaining the safety of the road. Many years ago it was the main east–west route in Cheshire. The importance of the A54 through Middlewich and Winsford decreased in the 1970s and 1980s with the building of the M56 motorway and dualling of the A556 at Northwich. The section through Winsford carries approximately 30,000 vehicles per day.
Davenham is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It had a population of 2,745 at the 2011 census. It is in the centre of the Cheshire Plain near both the River Dane and River Weaver.
The River Croco is a small river in Cheshire in England. It starts as lowland field drainage west of Congleton, flows along the south edge of Holmes Chapel, and joins the River Dane at Middlewich. It is about 8 miles (13 km) long.
Bradwall is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, about 2 mi (3.2 km) northwest of Sandbach in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, and about 20 mi (32 km) south of Manchester. According to the 2011 census, the population of the entire parish was 182. The area is predominantly agricultural, with no manufacturing or retail outlets.
Twemlow is a civil parish, containing the village of Twemlow Green in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2011 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 192. Twemlow lies on the A535 road and the West Coast Mainline, which crosses the River Dane via the Grade-II-listed Twemlow Viaduct.
Swettenham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 248, increasing to 291 at the 2011 Census. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Kermincham.
Dutton Viaduct is on the West Coast Main Line where it crosses the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation between the villages of Dutton and Acton Bridge in Cheshire, England, not far from Dutton Horse Bridge. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building.
Runcorn is an industrial town in the borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. This list contains the 27 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings in the part of the borough lying to the south of the River Mersey outside the urban area of Runcorn. The area covered includes the villages of Clifton, Daresbury, Preston Brook, Preston on the Hill, and Moore. Three of the buildings in the area are classified as Grade II*, and the others are at Grade II; there are no buildings in Grade I. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance. These buildings are in three grades: Grade I consists of buildings of outstanding architectural or historical interest; Grade II* includes particularly significant buildings of more than local interest; Grade II consists of buildings of special architectural or historical interest. Buildings in England are listed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on recommendations provided by English Heritage, which also determines the grading.
Chapel-en-le-Frith is a town and civil parish in the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England.
Northwich is a civil parish and a town in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains 35 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Two of these are listed at Grade I, the highest grade, and the rest at the lowest grade, Grade II; none are listed at the middle grade, Grade II*. The River Dane joins the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation within the parish. Also passing through the parish are the A533 road, the Trent and Mersey Canal, and a railway built by the Cheshire Lines Committee. Many of the listed buildings are associated with these features.
Stanthorne is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Stanthorne and Wimboldsley, in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains eleven buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings, all of which are listed at Grade II. This grade is the lowest of the three gradings given to listed buildings and is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". The parish is entirely rural, and this is reflected in the nature of many of the listed buildings. The River Wheelock, the Shropshire Union Canal, and its Middlewich Branch pass through the parish, and there are listed buildings associated with all three waterways.
Bosley is a civil parish in Cheshire East, England. It contains 28 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II. The parish is almost entirely rural. The major structure passing through the parish is the Macclesfield Canal, and 18 of the listed buildings are associated with the canal, namely 11 of the 12 Bosley Locks, four bridges, an aqueduct, a milestone, and a distance marker. Also in the parish is Bosley Reservoir, and there are two listed structures associated with this. The other listed buildings are farmhouses, two bridges over the River Dane, a public house, a school, a church, and a sundial.
Congleton is a civil parish in Cheshire East, England. It contains 133 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest grade, four are listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II. The parish contains the town of Congleton, and surrounding countryside. Passing through the parish are the Macclesfield Canal and the River Dane, and a number of listed structures are associated with these waterways. The silk and cotton weaving industries came to the town from the 18th century, and there are listed buildings associated with these, including mills and weavers' cottages. Otherwise the listed buildings include houses and cottages in the town and the country, churches and associated structures, shops, schools, a town hall, offices, and public houses. Some of the buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries, and are timber-framed. The great majority of houses are from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, reflecting the industrial growth and prosperity in the town at this time.
Holmes Chapel is a civil parish in Cheshire East, England. It contains eleven buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest grade, two are listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II. The parish is occupied by the large village of Holmes Chapel and the surrounding countryside. What is now the Crewe–Manchester railway line passes through the parish, and there are two listed structures associated with this, the Twemlow Viaduct and a nearby boundary post. Also running through the parish is the River Dane, and a bridge crossing it is listed. The other listed buildings are houses, cottages and farmhouses, together with a church and a public house.
Nantwich Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct in Acton in Cheshire, England, which carries the Shropshire Union Canal over the Chester to Nantwich road. Designed by Thomas Telford, it dates from around 1826 and is listed at grade II*.
The Dane Valley Way is a long-distance footpath through Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It runs from the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton to the end of the River Dane, where it enters the River Weaver in Northwich.
Dutton Locks is a historic lock on the River Weaver in Cheshire, England. The locks are Grade II listed with Historic England. The locks are still in use and form a destination for walkers and cyclists. Dutton Locks is also the name of a hamlet of approximately six residences adjacent to the locks.