| Greet | |
|---|---|
 The river downstream of Caudwell Mill, Southwell | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| County | Nottinghamshire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Kirklington |
| Mouth | River Trent |
• location | Fiskerton |
• coordinates | 53°3′20″N0°53′34″W / 53.05556°N 0.89278°W |
River Greet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The River Greet is a small river in Nottinghamshire, England. Rising close to the village of Kirklington, the Greet flows in a southeasterly direction past Southwell and Rolleston to meet the River Trent at Fiskerton.
The river has a catchment of 17.85 square miles (46.2 km2) and an average flow of 6.08 million gallons (27.65 Megalitres) per day, measured at the gauging station in Southwell. The catchment receives 25.47 inches (647 mm) of rainfall in an average year. [1] Above Southwell, the underlying geology is mainly Sherwood and Mercia sandstone, with some Mercia mudstone along the southern edge of the catchment. Below Southwell, the geology is predominantly Mercia mudstone. There is a layer of clay, sand and gravel alluvium overlaying this in the river channel. [2] The river is greatly affected by rainfall, raising levels and muddying the water.
The river rises as a series of springs to the west of Kirklington, close to the 160-foot (49 m) contour. It is joined by Cotton Mill Dyke and Edingley Beck, and to the east of Kirklington, turns to flow in a south-easterly direction. Halam Beck joins from the south, and there is a disused mill at Maythorne. [3] It was built as a cotton mill in 1795 by a hop merchant, to supply yarn to the framework knitting industry. The firm of Messrs. Bean and Johnson altered it in the early nineteenth century, after which silk and lace thread was produced. A small community was established around the mill, with cottages for some of the workers, of whom there were 70 in 1838, a general store, a public house and a mission hall. Willow for making baskets was grown in osier beds, and hops were also cultivated. The building was used as a billet for soldiers during the Second World War, by which time its industrial function had ceased. It has subsequently been converted into flats, with some of the outbuildings used as industrial workshops. [4] There are two mill buildings, the north mill and the south mill, both of which are grade II listed structures. [5] [6]
Below Maythorne, the Robin Hood Way, a long distance footpath, follows the banks of the river, which forms the northern boundary of Southwell. There is a wildfowl centre on the north bank, [3] and Caudwell flour Mill is on the south bank. It was built over the site of Burgage mill, a medieval building, and was bought by Charles Caudwell in 1851. He increased the capacity of the mill, which was subsequently damaged by fires in 1867, 1893 and 1917. Each time the mill was rebuilt, the equipment was upgraded. The Caudwell family were millers for four generations, after which Associated British Foods bought the mill. It closed in 1977, and was turned into flats in 1989. [4]
After leaving the mill, the river crosses under the A612 road and flows through open countryside, to reach Upton Mill. It passes to the north of Southwell Racecourse, and then turns to the south, [3] where Rolleston Mill is built over its course. This is a late eighteenth-century brick structure, with a basement, two storeys and a garret, which still contains some of the milling equipment. It is a grade II listed structure. [7] The river continues under the Nottingham to Lincoln Line close to Rolleston railway station, to reach Fiskerton Mill, built on the site of a medieval mill owned by the monks of Thurgaton Priory. [8] Just beyond the mill, it passes under a minor road and into the River Trent. [3]
There was some sort of dispute in 1598, when the millers from Fiskerton, Rolleston and Upton went to Newark to collect corn for milling. They were detained, with their horses taken to the castle, and the corn was taken to "her majesty's mills", where it was ground and tolls were paid. Eventually the millers were set free. On another occasion, Rolleston's miller was detained by Edward Earl of Rutland, but was released when he promised not to collect any more corn from Newark. There seems to have been less of an issue when the inhabitants of Newark took their corn to the mills voluntarily. [9]
The Willoughby family, who lived at Wollaton Hall ran a fleet of barges in the 1580s, and delivered coal to Southwell, [10] which Caffyn has taken to mean that the river was navigable for the first 4 miles (6.4 km) to enable this to happen. [11] Those who lived beside the river had a responsibility to keep it scoured, and on 13 July 1642 the residents of Rolleston, Southwell and Upton were indicted for not carrying out this duty. [9]
The upper reaches of the river contain fish such as brown trout (Salmo trutta), but although coarse fish species can be found lower down, the modifications made to the channel to assist its land-drainage function have resulted in the habitat suffering, with a result that fish numbers are low. The Environment Agency, who manage the river, have applied a "Hands-Off Flow" limit to the river, which specifies that if the flow drops below 2650 Megalitres per day (Mld) in the Trent, all abstraction of water must cease, in order to protect the environment. The volume of groundwater extracted from the catchment has fallen in recent years, with the result that water levels have risen a little. [12]
Catches of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have also been reported on the river.
The Environment Agency measure the water quality in the river systems of 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 good or fail. [13]
The water quality of the Greet and its tributaries was as follows in 2019.
| Section | Ecological Status | Chemical Status | Length | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloughton Dumble Catchment (trib of Greet) [14] | Moderate | Fail | 7.5 miles (12.1 km) | 6.53 square miles (16.9 km2) |
| Greet Catchment (trib of Trent) [15] | Poor | Fail | 10.2 miles (16.4 km) | 24.39 square miles (63.2 km2) |
Reasons for the water quality being less than good include sewage discharge into the river, physical modification of the river channel, drainage of water from the transport infrastructure, runoff from agricultural land, and the presence of the invasive North American crayfish. 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), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment. [16]
| Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) | OS Grid Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springs to west of Kirklington | 53°06′43″N1°00′28″W / 53.1119°N 1.0078°W | SK665576 | source |
| Springs by Belle Eau Park | 53°07′30″N1°01′04″W / 53.1249°N 1.0177°W | SK658590 | source |
| Jn with Cotton Mill Dike | 53°06′29″N0°59′41″W / 53.1080°N 0.9947°W | SK673572 | |
| Jn of streams from sources | 53°06′21″N0°58′41″W / 53.1057°N 0.9780°W | SK685569 | |
| A612 Southwell Bridge | 53°04′35″N0°56′45″W / 53.0764°N 0.9457°W | SK707537 | |
| Rolleston Railway Bridge | 53°03′59″N0°53′50″W / 53.0664°N 0.8973°W | SK739526 | |
| Jn with River Trent | 53°03′19″N0°53′35″W / 53.0554°N 0.8930°W | SK742514 | mouth |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
The River Maun is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source lies in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, and from there it flows north east through Mansfield, Edwinstowe and Ollerton, these being the heart of the Sherwood Forest area. It becomes known as Whitewater near the village of Walesby and connects to the River Meden temporarily where the Robin Hood Way crosses them. They diverge, and near Markham Moor it merges again with the River Meden this time becoming the River Idle. Its main tributaries are Rainworth Water, Vicar Water and Cauldwell Water.
The River Meden is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source lies just north of Huthwaite, near the Derbyshire border, and from there it flows north east through Pleasley and Warsop before merging temporarily with the River Maun near Bothamsall. The rivers divide after a short distance and go on separately to a point near Markham Moor where they once more combine to form the River Idle.
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.
The River Ryton is a tributary of the River Idle. It rises close to the Chesterfield Canal near Kiveton Park, and is joined by a series of tributaries near Lindrick Common in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Most of its course is in Nottinghamshire, flowing through the town of Worksop. It meanders northwards to join the River Idle near the town of Bawtry on the South Yorkshire-Nottinghamshire border.
The River Loxley is a river in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its source is a series of streams which rise some 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of Sheffield on Bradfield Moors, flowing through Bradfield Dale to converge at Low Bradfield. It flows easterly through Damflask Reservoir and is joined by Storrs Brook at Storrs, near Stannington, and the River Rivelin at Malin Bridge, before flowing into the River Don at Owlerton, in Hillsborough. The Loxley valley provided the initial course of the Great Sheffield Flood, which happened after the Dale Dyke Dam collapsed shortly before its completion in March 1864.
The River Nar is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises at Mileham near Litcham in Norfolk and flows 15 miles west through Castle Acre and Narborough, joining the Ouse at King's Lynn. It has had a variety of alternative names, such as the Setch, the Sandringham, and Lynn Flu, though these are rarely, if ever, used today. In 2011 the Nar was recognised by the Environment Agency as one of the top ten most improved rivers in England and Wales.
The River Devon is a tributary of the River Trent, which rises in Leicestershire and joins the Trent at Newark in Nottinghamshire, England. In its upper reaches, it supplies Knipton Reservoir, which was built to supply water to the Grantham Canal, and Belvoir Lakes, designed by Capability Brown. It passes under the Grantham Canal, and then through Bottesford, where it is spanned by five railway bridges, only one of which is still used for its original purpose. On the outskirts of Newark, it passes by two Civil War structures, and just before it joins the Trent it becomes navigable, with a marina located on the west bank. Its name is pronounced "Deevon", not as spelt.
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.
The River Perry is a river in Shropshire, England. It rises near Oswestry and flows south to meet the River Severn above Shrewsbury. Along its 24 miles (39 km) length, its level drops by some 320 feet (95 m). The channel has been heavily engineered, both to enable water mills to be powered by it, and to improve the drainage of the surrounding land. There were at least seven corn mills in the 1880s, and the last one remained operational until 1966. The middle section of the river crosses Baggy Moor, where major improvements were made in 1777 to drain the moor. The scheme was one of the largest to enclose and improve land in North Shropshire, and the quality of the reclaimed land justified the high cost. A section of the river bed was lowered in the 1980s, to continue the process.
Thurgarton was a wapentake of the historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. It extended north-eastwards from Nottingham. The River Trent formed most of the eastern boundary. It consisted of the parishes of Averham, Bathley, Bleasby, Blidworth, Bulcote, Burton Joyce, Calverton, Carlton, Carlton-on-Trent, Caunton, Caythorpe, Colwick, Cromwell, East Stoke, Edingley, Epperstone, Farnsfield, Fiskerton, Fiskerton cum Morton, Fledborough, Gedling, Gonalston, Grassthorpe, Gunthorpe, Halam, Halloughton, Haywood Oaks, Hockerton, Holme, Hoveringham, Kelham, Kersall, Kirklington, Kneesall, Lambley, Lindhurst, Lowdham, Maplebeck, Marnham, Meering, Morton, Normanton on Trent, North Muskham, Norwell, Norwell Woodhouse, Nottingham St Mary, Ossington, Oxton, Park Leys, Rolleston, Sneinton, South Muskham, Southwell, Staythorpe, Stoke Bardolph, Sutton on Trent, Thurgarton, Upton, Weston, Winkburn and Woodborough.
Fiskerton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Fiskerton cum Morton, in the Newark and Sherwood district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the west bank of the River Trent about 3 miles southeast of Southwell. The waterfront is home to million-pound residential properties, previously residences of merchants and businessmen who commuted in the 1800s to nearby Nottingham by rail from Fiskerton Station. In 1881 the parish had a population of 283.
Rolleston is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire by the River Greet, a few miles from Southwell not far from the Trent and about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Newark. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 312, increasing to 342 at the 2021 census. It has a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It lies close to the railway line between Nottingham and Lincoln with a station serving the village and Southwell as well as the nearby Southwell Racecourse.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Roman River is a river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex. It is a tributary of the River Colne, flowing into its tidal estuary below Colchester. The lower end of the Roman River is also tidal, with tidal water flowing upstream to just above Fingringhoe.
Oldcotes Dyke is the name of the final section of a river system that drains parts of north Nottinghamshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. Historically, it has supported milling, with seven water mills drawing their power from its water, and ran through the grounds of the Cistercian Roche Abbey. It is a tributary of the River Ryton.
Fiskerton cum Morton is a civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district, within the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The overall area had a population of 803 at the 2021 census. The parish lies in the south east of the county. It is 112 miles north of London, 12 miles north east of the city of Nottingham, 5 miles west of the town of Newark-on-Trent and 21⁄2 miles south east of the town of Southwell. The parish lies along the bank of the River Trent and is primarily a commuter residential area to both Nottingham and Newark.
Maythorne is a hamlet in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Southwell, and is within the Southwell civil parish. The hamlet lies on the Southwell Trail, a multi-use trail linking Southwell with Bilsthorpe along the route of the former Rolleston Junction to Mansfield railway line, and the Robin Hood Way, a waymarked long-distance footpath that links many places with connections to Robin Hood.
Media related to River Greet at Wikimedia Commons
 Rivers and watercourses of Nottinghamshire | |
|---|---|
| Rivers | |