River Horner

Last updated
River Horner / Horner Water
River Horner Bossington.jpg
River Horner at Bossington
Location
Country England
County Somerset
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationnear Luccombe, Somerset, England
  coordinates 51°11′08″N3°34′45″W / 51.18556°N 3.57917°W / 51.18556; -3.57917
Mouth Porlock Bay, Bristol Channel
  location
near Hurlestone Point, Somerset, England
  coordinates
51°13′31″N3°35′10″W / 51.22528°N 3.58611°W / 51.22528; -3.58611 Coordinates: 51°13′31″N3°35′10″W / 51.22528°N 3.58611°W / 51.22528; -3.58611
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Discharge 
  locationWest Luccombe
  average0.46 m3/s (16 cu ft/s)
  minimum0.02 m3/s (0.71 cu ft/s)23 August 1976
  maximum11.3 m3/s (400 cu ft/s)18 December 1993
Basin features
Tributaries 
  right River Aller

The River Horner, also known as Horner Water, rises near Luccombe on Exmoor, Somerset, and flows past Porlock into Porlock Bay near Hurlstone Point on the Bristol Channel. [1] [2] The river flows into the sea though a shingle ridge at Bossington beach, where it forms part of the Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh Site of Special Scientific Interest. [3] When the river level is very high, flood water builds up behind the ridge, causing it to breach. [4]

History

Evidence that the river was previously diverted to power iron workings has been found. The remains of an iron hammer mill and 55m long, breached, embankment dam were excavated alongside the river in 1996. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

Exmoor area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England

Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, also called Exmoor, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as 18,810 acres (7,610 ha) in extent. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 km (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 km2 (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.

Porlock Human settlement in England

Porlock is a coastal village in Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) west of Minehead. It has a population of 1,440.

Dunkery Hill Summit of Dunkery Hill

Dunkery Beacon at the summit of Dunkery Hill is the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. It is also the highest point in southern England outside of Dartmoor.

Geology of Somerset

Somerset is a rural county in the southwest of England, covering 4,171 square kilometres (1,610 sq mi). It is bounded on the north-west by the Bristol Channel, on the north by Bristol and Gloucestershire, on the north-east by Wiltshire, on the south-east by Dorset, and on the south west and west by Devon. It has broad central plains with several ranges of low hills. The landscape divides into four main geological sections from the Silurian through the Devonian and Carboniferous to the Permian which influence the landscape, together with water-related features.

River Barle River in Somerset and Devon, England

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Dunster Working Watermill Restored watermill in Dunster, England

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Oare, Somerset Human settlement in England

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Winsford, Somerset Human settlement in England

Winsford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, located about 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Dulverton.

Luccombe, Somerset Human settlement in England

Luccombe or Luckham is a village and civil parish in the Exmoor National Park in the English county of Somerset. It at the foot of the moor's highest hill, the 1,750 feet (533 m) Dunkery Beacon, and is about one mile south of the A39 road between Porlock and Minehead. Administratively it forms part of the district of Somerset West and Taunton. The parish includes the hamlets of Stoke Pero and Horner, as well as the former hamlet of Wilmersham.

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Roadwater is a village 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Williton, on the northern edge of the Exmoor National Park, in Somerset, England.

River Aller River in Somerset, England

The River Aller is a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England.

Selworthy Human settlement in England

Selworthy is a small village and civil parish 5 kilometres (3 mi) from Minehead in Somerset, England. It is located in the National Trust's Holnicote Estate on the northern fringes of Exmoor. The parish includes the hamlets of Bossington, Tivington, Lynch, Brandish Street and Allerford.

Porlock Bay

Porlock Bay is on the Bristol Channel, between Hurlstone Point and Porlock Weir in Somerset, England.

Geography of Somerset

The county of Somerset is in South West England, bordered by the Bristol Channel and the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, and Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south, and Devon to the west. The climate, influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the prevailing westerly winds, tends to be mild, damp and windy.

Hawkcombe Woods

Hawkcombe Woods is a national nature reserve near Porlock on Exmoor, Somerset, England.

Porlock Stone Circle Neolithic stone circle in Somerset, England

Porlock Stone Circle is a stone circle located on Exmoor, near the village of Porlock in the south-western English county of Somerset. The Porlock ring is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that the stones represented supernatural entities for the circles' builders.

Withypool Stone Circle Late neolithic stone circle in Somerset, England

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West Somerset was a local government district in the English county of Somerset. It merged with Taunton Deane to form Somerset West and Taunton on 1 April 2019.

References

  1. "Horner Water". Somerset Rivers. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  2. "River Horner". Exmoor Waters. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  3. "Landscape Character Assessment of Exmoor" (pdf). Exmoor National Park Authority. p. 120. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  4. "Volume of water proves too much for pebble ridge". West Somerset Free Press. May 14, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  5. Naomi Cudmore (June 12, 2014). "Past Times: Horner Woods". Exmoor Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  6. "MSO7424 - Medieval and post-medieval iron working site and iron hammer mill in Horner Wood (Monument)". The Historic Environment Record for Exmoor National Park. Exmoor National Park Authority. Retrieved February 18, 2021.