River Freshney

Last updated

River Freshney
River Freshney - geograph.org.uk - 773732.jpg
The old granary and riverside walk above Alexandra Dock
Location
Country England
Counties Lincolnshire
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Beelsby
  coordinates 53°30′11″N0°10′28″W / 53.503132°N 0.174338°W / 53.503132; -0.174338 (Source)
  elevation60 m (200 ft)
Mouth  
  location
Grimsby Docks
  coordinates
53°34′04″N0°04′58″W / 53.567877°N 0.082890°W / 53.567877; -0.082890 (Mouth)
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length14 km (8.7 mi)
River Freshney
BSicon ueFABZq+lr.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon uFABZq+lr.svg
BSicon uFABZq+lr.svg
Humber
BSicon uexTUNNEL1.svg
BSicon uFGATEd.svg
BSicon uFGATEd.svg
New Cut Drain culvert and Locks
BSicon uxWEIRf.svg
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon uSTR.svg
New Cut Drain sluice
BSicon uxmKRZu.svg
BSicon ABZ+lr.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon uddSTRr.svg
BSicon uddSTRr.svg
Royal Dock and Fish Dock
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uddHSTRf.svg
BSicon uFABZgr+r.svg
Alexandra Dock
BSicon uexSKRZ-Au.svg
BSicon SKRZ-Au.svg
BSicon RAq.svg
BSicon uSKRZ-Au.svg
A180 Westgate bridge
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uddSTRr.svg
Alexandra Dock
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uKRZuyba.svg
Corporation Bridge (lift bridge)
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uddSTRr.svg
Alexandra Dock
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uxSLUICEbl.svg
Freshney Pumping Stn and Sluice
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
Haven Bridge, Alexandra Road
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
Earl Street Bridge
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
Boulevard Avenue Bridge
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon uxmKRZu.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
Dock Railway bridge
BSicon uexSTRl.svg
BSicon uexSTR+r.svg
BSicon uexSTR+l.svg
BSicon uexSTRr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon uxmKRZu.svg
BSicon uxmKRZu.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon ABZqr.svg
Railway bridge
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
Cromwell Road Bridge
BSicon uexSKRZ-Au.svg
BSicon uexSKRZ-Au.svg
A1136 Road
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon uexSTR+FEATURE@r.svg
Freshney Bog Nature Reserve
BSicon uexSTR+l.svg
BSicon uexSTRr.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
Start of New Cut Drain
BSicon uexDOCKS.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon uexDOCKS.svg
Laceby Acres
BSicon uexKHSTaq.svg
BSicon uexABZgr.svg
Spring near Aylesby
BSicon uexSKRZ-Yu.svg
old Grimsby Road
BSicon uexSKRZ-Au.svg
A46 Laceby - Bradley Road
BSicon uexABZgl.svg
BSicon uexSTRq.svg
BSicon uexKHSTeq.svg
Spring in Bradley Wood
BSicon uexSTR+l.svg
BSicon uexABZgr.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon uexABZgl.svg
BSicon uexSTR+r.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon uexKHSTe.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
Spring on Welbeck Hill
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon uexKHSTe.svg
Source of Team Gate Drain, Waltham
BSicon uexSKRZ-Au.svg
A18 Laceby - Barnoldby Le Beck Road
BSicon uexKHSTaq.svg
BSicon uexABZgr.svg
Spring near earthworks
BSicon uexKHSTe.svg
Spring at Beelsby

The River Freshney is a river in the English county of North East Lincolnshire. The town of Grimsby stands on its banks. It rises from at least four springs on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, although local folklore and oral tradition has it springing from Welbeck Hill. Originally it entered the tidal Humber estuary at Pyewipe, north west of Grimsby, but has been re-routed and now supplies Grimsby Docks. There was an existing haven within the borough of Grimsby but this suffered greatly with silting problems so in 1669 landowners agreed to the diversion of the Freshney through the town to the haven to provide fresh water and improve the flow. It is believed the work was completed in the very early 18th century.

Contents

Route

The river rises from a series of springs. The furthest south rises just to the north of Beelsby, close to the 200-foot (60 m) contour. It flows north and is joined by another stream which flows past some earthworks, dating from the English Civil War, before both pass under the A18 Laceby to Barnoldby le Beck road. Team Gate Drain rises just to the west of Waltham and flows to the west. It is joined by the stream from Welbeck Hill, which rises close to the A18 road and the 65-foot (20 m) contour. Having combined, they flow northwards, passing under the A46 road and the old course of the road through Laceby, both of which are called Grimsby Road. The river is called Laceby Beck as it flows along the eastern edge of Laceby. [1]

Another stream from Aylesby joins before it passes between some lakes at Laceby Acres. The New Cut Drain runs parallel to the river from here, and they pass under the A1136 road and either side of the Freshney Bog Nature Reserve. Cromwell Road and the railway line to Grimsby cross in quick succession, after which the New Cut Drain follows the original course of the river, while the river turns sharply under the railway line to the docks, and under a series of bridges in Grimsby. These carry Boulevard Avenue, Earl Street and Alexandra Road over the channel. Another sharp turn brings the river into Alexandra Dock. [1] There is a sluice with flap doors on it across the river at this point, and Freshney pumping station assists the discharge when water level prevents gravity discharge. Corporation Bridge is a grade II listed Scherzer rolling lift bridge and carries Corporation Road over the dock. It was designed by Alfred C Gardner, the Docks Engineer for the London and North Eastern Railway, and was installed in 1925 by Sir William Arrol & Co., the Glasgow-based engineering company. It has four cast iron and steel spans, one of which opens, and the structure, which replaced the previous swing bridge, [2] was formally opened by the Prince of Wales on 19 July 1928. [3] After the A180 Westgate road crosses Alexandra Dock, Union Dock connects it to Royal Dock, at the end of which a lock connects it to the Humber. [1]

Hydrology

Freshney Bog was constructed in 2001 as a washland, which could be used to hold excess water when the channel below it could not cope with the flow in the river. It is a major part of the flood defence system for Grimsby. During the floods of 2007, more than a full month's rainfall fell in 24 hours on the river catchment. Groundwater levels rose by over 16 feet (4.9 m) in the week prior to the floods, and with the ground saturated, the capacity of the river and the New Cut Drain was exceeded. Freshney Bog storage area filled up, but had insufficient capacity for the volume of water, and as a result, flooding occurred, which affected 200 houses. [4] At Laceby Beck gauging station, normal levels of the river vary between 0.62 and 2.55 feet (0.19 and 0.78 m), but on 8 November 2019, they reached 3.64 feet (1.11 metres) at 16:15 GMT. This height is believed to be the highest the river has reached since measurements began. [5] [6] On 2 April 2018, they reached 3.46 feet (1.05 m) at 21:15 BST which is deemed to be the second highest recorded level of the river. On 27 October 2019, the river rose to 1.01 metres, was its third highest recorded level. But, with thanks to much needed changes to the flood management scheme after the floods of 2007, the excess water from the river at these higher levels was largely managed.

It was previously thought that a level of 2.43m was reached in 1985. At that height, Grimsby Town centre and the West Marsh areas would have been under 1-1.3m of water. The Environmental Agency have since updated this anomaly as no flood occurred to that extent in 1985.[ citation needed ]

The Environment Agency carried out flood alleviation work on the New Cut Drain in 2013, to reduce the risk of properties flooding. This work was planned after the significant flooding event that occurred on 21 July 2007 when the river rose to a record (at the time) 3.25 feet (0.99 m). The work involved sheet piling of some 770 yards (700 m) of the drain, and installation of perforated filter drains to collect surface water. A new flood bank between the river and the Willows Estate was constructed, and parts of the existing bank between the New Cut Drain and the Freshney Washland Flood Storage Reservoir were removed, to allow more water to be impounded when river flows are high. [4]

Concerns do remain with residents along the river, as these levels have always lowered after the precipitation event has ended. Wybers Wood, The Willows and areas from New Haven Terrace to the Riverhead are all at general risk, with reports of river water seeping through defence walls and up through roads/pavements adjacent to the river.[ citation needed ]

Water Quality

The Environment Agency measure water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated as good or fail. [7]

The water quality of the Freshney was as follows in 2019.

SectionEcological StatusChemical StatusLengthCatchmentChannel
Laceby Beck / River Freshney Catchment [8] Poor Good 9.7 miles (15.6 km)39.06 square miles (101.2 km2)heavily modified

The reasons for water quality being less than good include physical modification of the channel, groundwater abstraction, sewage discharge and poor soil management of the surrounding agricultural land. Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and mercury compounds, neither of which had previously been included in the assessment. [9]

The Friends of the Freshney was formed in the 2000s under the Chairmanship of Chris Scott, and have organised regular clean-ups of the lower river. [10] In 2017, a Great River Rescue event was organised by Grimsby RiverCare and other organisations. It was supported by the Fire and Rescue Service, Friends of the Freshney, the River Freshney Fishing Group and North East Lincolnshire Council. 96 volunteers from 17 local groups spent around three hours each removing rubbish from the river between Boulevard Avenue and Anderson Street.

The river from Haven Gardens through to the weir at Fildes St is now regularly managed by The Canoe River Cleaner and Dylan Tuplin. This predominantly includes removal of waste, and algae management (in the warmer months). Regular bank picks are also performed to keep the area clean. By working alongside Grimsby In Bloom, Lilliput Waste Disposal, other organisations and local residents it is making a difference with the main focus being on regular management to keep it in good shape. [11]

Points of interest

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Witham</span> River in eastern England

The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at SK8818, passes through the centre of Grantham, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh. The name "Witham" seems to be extremely old and of unknown origin. Archaeological and documentary evidence shows the importance of the Witham as a navigable river from the Iron Age onwards. From Roman times it was navigable to Lincoln, from where the Fossdyke was constructed to link it to the River Trent. The mouth of the river moved in 1014 following severe flooding, and Boston became important as a port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Welland</span> Lowland river in the east of England

The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some 65 miles (105 km) long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. It is a major waterway across the part of the Fens called South Holland, and is one of the Fenland rivers that were laid out with washlands. There are two channels between widely spaced embankments with the intention that flood waters would have space in which to spread while the tide in the estuary prevented free egress. However, after the floods of 1947, new works such as the Coronation Channel were constructed to control flooding in Spalding, and the washlands are no longer used solely as pasture, but may be used for arable farming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Little Ouse</span> River in east England

The River Little Ouse, also known as the Brandon River, is a river in the east of England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. For much of its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford River</span> Watercourse in Cambridgeshire, England

The New Bedford River, also known as the Hundred Foot Drain because of the distance between the tops of the two embankments on either side of the river, is a navigable man-made cut-off or by-pass channel of the River Great Ouse in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. It provides an almost straight channel between Earith and Denver Sluices. It is tidal, with reverse tidal flow being clearly visible at Welney, some 19 miles (31 km) from the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Glen, Lincolnshire</span> River in Lincolnshire and Rutland, England

The River Glen is a river in Lincolnshire, England with a short stretch passing through Rutland near Essendine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Hull</span> River in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops of York charged tolls for its use, it became a free navigation. The upper reaches became part of the Driffield Navigation from 1770, after which they were again subject to tolls, and the section within the city of Hull came under the jurisdiction of the Port of Hull, with the same result.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Huntspill</span> River in Somerset, England

The River Huntspill is an artificial river, in the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It was built in 1940 to supply process water to ROF Bridgwater, and has resulted in reduced flooding of the lower Brue Valley. Huntspill Sluice at the river's western end, also known as West Huntspill Sluice, separates it from the River Parrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dearne</span> River in South Yorkshire, England

The River Dearne South Yorkshire, England flows roughly east for more than 30 kilometres (19 mi), from its source just inside West Yorkshire. It flows through Denby Dale, Clayton West, Darton, Barnsley, Darfield, Wath upon Dearne, Bolton on Dearne, Adwick upon Dearne and Mexborough to its confluence with the River Don at Denaby Main. Its main tributary is the River Dove, which joins it at Darfield. The river was one of those affected by the 2007 United Kingdom floods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Idle</span> River in Nottinghamshire, England

The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England whose source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden near Markham Moor. The Idle flows north from its source through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at West Stockwith. Its main tributaries are the River Poulter and the River Ryton. The river is navigable to Bawtry, and there is a statutory right of navigation to Retford. Most of the land surrounding the river is a broad flood plain and the river is important for conservation, with Sites of Special Scientific Interest being designated along its course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Rother, South Yorkshire</span> River in South Yorkshire, England

The River Rother, a waterway in the northern midlands of England, gives its name to the town of Rotherham and to the Rother Valley parliamentary constituency. It rises in Pilsley in Derbyshire and flows in a generally northwards direction through the centre of Chesterfield, where it feeds the Chesterfield Canal, and on through the Rother Valley Country Park and several districts of Sheffield before joining the River Don at Rotherham in Yorkshire. Historically, it powered mills, mainly corn or flour mills, but most had ceased to operate by the early 20th century, and few of the mill buildings survive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Lymn</span> River in Lincolnshire, England

The River Lymn is a river in Lincolnshire, England. It rises in the Wolds on the eastern slope of Castcliffe Hill in Fulletby parish. It flows south-eastwards to the Lincolnshire Marsh, where it becomes known as the Steeping River on the boundary of Great Steeping parish. The main channel is supplemented by the Wainfleet Relief Channel as it passes Wainfleet All Saints, and the relief channel is joined by the old course of the Lymn. Once the two channels rejoin, there are three flood defence structures to protect the region from flooding by the North Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Forty-Foot Drain</span> Drainage canal in eastern England

The South Forty-Foot Drain, also known as the Black Sluice Navigation, is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston. The Drain has its origins in the 1630s, when the first scheme to make the Fen land available for agriculture was carried out by the Earl of Lindsey, and has been steadily improved since then. Water drained from the land entered The Haven by gravity at certain states of the tide until 1946, when the Black Sluice pumping station was commissioned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Went</span> River in the United Kingdom

The River Went is a river in Yorkshire, England. It rises close to Featherstone and flows eastward, joining the River Don at Reedholme Common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barlings Eau</span> River in Lincolnshire, England

Barlings Eau is a small river near Barlings, Lincolnshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Witham, joining it near Short Ferry. It acts as the central spine for a number of other small rivers, which drain the low-lying land to either side. Most of its course is within the area managed by the Witham Third District IDB, an Internal Drainage Board responsible for land drainage. One of their pumping stations is on the banks of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Doe Lea</span> River in the Derbyshire, England

The River Doe Lea is a river which flows near Glapwell and Doe Lea in Derbyshire, England. The river eventually joins the River Rother near Renishaw. The river contained 1,000 times the safe level of dioxins in 1991, according to a statement made by Dennis Skinner, (MP) in the House of Commons in 1992. The river flows through the site of the former Coalite plant near Bolsover, where coke, tar and industrial chemicals were manufactured until the plant closed in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dove, Barnsley</span> River in South Yorkshire, England

The River Dove is a river that extends through the Low Valley in Barnsley, England. It flows from Worsbrough Reservoir to its confluence with the River Dearne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Foulness</span> River in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The River Foulness is a river in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its name is derived from Old English fūle[n] ēa, meaning “dirty water”. Maintenance responsibilities for the river transferred from the Environment Agency to the Market Weighton Drainage Board on 1 October 2011. Market Weighton Drainage Board subsequently amalgamated with the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board on 1 April 2012 to create the Ouse and Humber Drainage Board. The river discharges into the Humber Estuary via Market Weighton Canal. Water levels within the river, its tributaries and the canal are managed and controlled by the Environment Agency. The river lies in an area known as the Humberhead Levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Torne (England)</span> River in the north of England

The River Torne is a river in the north of England, which flows through the counties of South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. It rises at the Upper Lake at Sandbeck Hall, in Maltby in South Yorkshire, and empties into the River Trent at Keadby pumping station. Much of the channel is engineered, as it plays a significant role in the drainage of Hatfield Chase, which it crosses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eller Beck</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

The Eller Beck is a small river in North Yorkshire, England, that flows through the town of Skipton and is a tributary of the River Aire. Its channel was heavily modified to supply water to mills in the 18th and 19th centuries, and although all the mills have closed, the water now supplies power to the National Grid, generated by a turbine at High Corn Mill. The beck flows through several underground culverts in Skipton that contribute to the flood risk. To alleviate flooding in Skipton town centre, a scheme involving two flood water storage reservoirs was designed and eventually completed in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Till, Lincolnshire</span> River in Lincolnshire, England

The River Till is a river in the county of Lincolnshire in England and is ultimately a tributary of the River Witham. Its upper reaches drain the land east of Gainsborough. The middle section is embanked, as the water level is higher than that of the surrounding land, and pumping stations pump water from low level drainage ditches into the river. Its lower reaches from the hamlet of Odder near Saxilby into the city of Lincoln were canalised, possibly as early as Roman times, as part of the Foss Dyke.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ordnance Survey, 1:50,000 map
  2. Historic England. "Corporation Bridge (1379432)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. Cast iron plate on eastern end of bridge
  4. 1 2 "Work begins on Freshney flood alleviation scheme". Water Briefing. 11 January 2013.
  5. "Laceby Beck at River Freshney Grimsby". River Levels.
  6. "Current river levels in Grimsby". Grimsby Telegraph. 22 November 2016.
  7. "Catchment Data Explorer Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status)". Environment Agency. 17 February 2016.
  8. "Laceby Beck / River Freshney Catchment". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  9. "Chemical Status". Environment Agency. 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024.
  10. "River Clean Up". BBC. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  11. Ruston, Abby (25 October 2017). "Community rallies together for clean-up operation along the River Freshney". Grimsby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021.