River Test

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River Test
Romsey River Test.jpg
The Test downstream of Sadler's Mill, Romsey
River Test map.svg
River Test highlighted in red, shown in South East England
Location
CountryEngland
Counties Hampshire
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationAshe, near Overton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
  coordinates 51°14′43″N1°14′21″W / 51.2454°N 1.2392°W / 51.2454; -1.2392
  elevation90 m (300 ft)
Mouth Southampton Water
  location
Southampton, Hampshire
  coordinates
50°55′30″N1°28′45″W / 50.9251°N 1.4792°W / 50.9251; -1.4792
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length64 km (40 mi)
Width 
  minimum1 m (3 ft 3 in)
  average20 m (66 ft)
  maximum56 m (184 ft)
Depth 
  minimum0.5 m (1 ft 8 in)
  average2 m (6 ft 7 in)
  maximum4 m (13 ft)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  left River Blackwater, River Dun, Wallop Brook, River Anton, Pilhill Brook
  right River Dever, Bourne Rivulet, River Swift
Site of Special Scientific Interest
River Test at Tufton (geograph 5890569).jpg
River Test at Tufton
Grid reference SU 384 355 [1]
InterestBiological
Area438.0 hectares (1,082 acres) [1]
Notification 1996 [1]
Location map Magic Map

The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for 40 miles (64 km) to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. The river's valley gives its name to the local government district of Test Valley. Below the village of Longparish, the river is broadly followed by the Test Way, a long-distance footpath. [2]

Contents

Much of the Test is a 438-hectare (1,080-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. [1] [3] It is part of the Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site [4] and Special Protection Area. [5] The river is used for fly fishing for trout from its source to its tidal limit. [6]

Etymology

Recorded forms are Terstan from 877 and 901, Tarstan stream in 1045, Terstein 1234, and Test in 1425. If Common Brittonic, not Old English, all related dictionaries show three suitable words beginning with Tre- and none with extremely rare Ter-. There is precedent to such metathesis: as for the river Tern in the far west, from tren 'strong'. [7] If so it most likely relates to the Welsh tres (tumult, commotion, contention, uproar) or trais (force, might in older Welsh). [7] A close set of words (diversely conjugated and pronounced) in Old English is (f)irst(en), the meaning of which is as at present, first.

Course

The Test is tidal in Southampton and is lined with quays Soton river test docks 01.jpg
The Test is tidal in Southampton and is lined with quays

The river rises near the village of Ashe, 7 miles (11 km) to the west of Basingstoke (at grid reference SU 532,498 ), and flows west through the villages of Overton, Laverstoke, and the town of Whitchurch, before joining with the Bourne Rivulet at Testbourne and turning in a more southerly direction. It then proceeds through the villages of Longparish and Middleton to Wherwell and Chilbolton, where the Rivers Dever and Anton join. [8]

From Chilbolton the river goes through the villages of Leckford, Longstock, Stockbridge and Houghton to Mottisfont and Kimbridge, where the River Dun joins the flow. From here the village of Timsbury is passed, then through the grounds of Roke Manor before reaching the town of Romsey. On the western edge of Romsey, Sadler's Mill, an 18th-century watermill, sits astride the River Test. [9]

South of Romsey, the river passes the country house of Broadlands, and then Nursling, once the site of a Roman bridge. Finally the river is joined by the River Blackwater and soon becomes tidal, widening out into a considerable estuary that is lined on its northern bank by the container terminals and quays of the Port of Southampton. The Test estuary then meets that of the River Itchen and the two continue to the sea as Southampton Water. [10]

Between Chilbolton and Redbridge, the river was once paralleled by the Andover Canal, which was itself converted to a railway in 1865, and then in turn abandoned. Most traces of the canal have disappeared, although the remains of a stretch can still be seen between Timsbury and Romsey. [11]

Ecology

This chalk stream has one of the richest fauna and flora of any lowland river in England. More than 100 species of flowering plant have been recorded along its banks and 232 invertebrate taxa in the river. It is also important for wetland birds, with breeding species including kingfishers, grey wagtails and little grebes. [12]

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 good or fail. [13]

Water quality of the River Test in 2019:

SectionEcological
Status
Chemical
Status
Overall
Status
LengthCatchmentChannel
Test (Upper) [14] Good Fail Moderate 14.803 km (9.198 mi)177.062 km2 (68.364 sq mi)
Test - Bourne Rivulet to conf Dever [15] Good Fail Moderate 8.286 km (5.149 mi)32.01 km2 (12.36 sq mi)
Test - conf Dever to conf Anton [16] Good Fail Moderate 3.869 km (2.404 mi)13.295 km2 (5.133 sq mi)
Test - conf Anton to conf Dun [17] Good Fail Moderate 28.075 km (17.445 mi)56.88 km2 (21.96 sq mi)
Test - conf Dun to Tadburn Lake [18] Moderate Fail Moderate 8.439 km (5.244 mi)19.045 km2 (7.353 sq mi)heavily modified
Test (Lower) [19] Good Fail Moderate 8.579 km (5.331 mi)3.91 km2 (1.51 sq mi)

The river features in Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down . [20] When the Watership rabbits are pursued by an enemy force, one rabbit carries out a plan which leads to their successful escape down the Test on a punt. In the text, readers are told that this plan would not have been possible on most rivers, but the Test's smooth-flowing, weed-free nature makes it an exception. The punt becomes lodged on a low bridge, and the surviving rabbits are forced to swim under the bridge to the riverbank. [20]

Tributaries

The following are the named tributaries of the River Test, listed in order upstream from Southampton Water. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test Valley</span> Borough and non-metropolitan district in England

Test Valley is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England, named after the valley of the River Test. The council is based in the borough's largest town of Andover. The borough also contains the town of Romsey and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. A small part of the borough at its southern end lies within the New Forest National Park, and part of the borough north of Andover lies within the North Wessex Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andover Canal</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Andover Canal was a canal built in Hampshire, England. It ran 22 miles (35 km) from Andover to Redbridge through Stockbridge and Romsey. The canal had a fall of 179 feet (55 m) through 24 locks, and for much of its length paralleled the River Anton and River Test. It opened in 1794, but was never a commercial success. The only dividend paid to shareholders was in 1859, using the proceeds from the sale of the canal to the London and South Western Railway, who bought it to lay a railway line along much of its course. The railway line is now also defunct.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Itchen, Warwickshire</span> River in east Warwickshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test Way</span>

The Test Way is a 44-mile (71 km) long-distance footpath in England from Walbury Hill in West Berkshire to Eling in Hampshire, which follows much of the course of the River Test.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Blackwater (River Test)</span> River in Hampshire and Wiltshire, England

This River Blackwater drains small parts of the English counties of Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is a tributary of the River Test.

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

The River Anton is a chalk stream in Hampshire in south east England. It rises in Andover and flows southwards for approximately 8 miles (13 km) to meet the River Test near Chilbolton. The principal tributary of the Anton, the Pillhill Brook, joins the river at Upper Clatford.

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

The River Dever is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at West Stratton near Micheldever and flows westwards for 11 mi (18 km) to meet the River Test at Wherwell.

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

The River Brun is a river in eastern Lancashire. It is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and has a catchment area of 9.32 square miles (24.134 km2).

The Sprat and Winkle Line was the common name of the Andover to Redbridge railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, England. In the Romsey area it joined, and then left, the Salisbury to Southampton line. It was built by the Andover and Redbridge Railway, which was incorporated in 1858. In 1863 the uncompleted railway was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), which opened the line in 1865. The line had been conceived as part of a trunk route from Manchester to Southampton, but when the Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened, the anticipated long-distance traffic was disappointing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dun (River Test)</span> River in Hampshire, England

The River Dun is a tributary of the River Test in southern England, which flows for 18.3 km in a generally easterly direction through rural parts of Wiltshire and Hampshire.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Designated Sites View: River Test". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. "The Test Way". Hampshire County Council. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  3. "Map of River Test". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  4. "Designated Sites View: Solent and Southampton Water". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. "Designated Sites View: Solent and Southampton Water". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. Environment Agency (2006). Fact file on the River Test . Retrieved 8 February 2006. Archived 8 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  7. 1 2 Breeze, Andrew (1998). "The name of the River Test" (PDF). Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society. 53: 226–227. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  8. Ordnance Survey (2004). OS Explorer Map 144 – Basingstoke, Alton & Whitchurch. ISBN   0-319-23606-4.
  9. Ordnance Survey (2004). OS Explorer Map 131 – Romsey, Andover & Test Valley. ISBN   0-319-23600-5.
  10. Ordnance Survey (2004). OS Explorer Map OL22 – New Forest. ISBN   0-319-23616-1.
  11. Andover Town Central (2000–2006). The Andover Canal Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 9 February 2006.
  12. "River Test citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  13. "Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. 17 February 2016. UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
  14. "Test (Upper)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  15. "Test - Bourne Rivulet to conf Dever". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  16. "Test - conf Dever to conf Anton". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  17. "Test - conf Anton to conf Dun". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  18. "Test - conf Dun to Tadburn Lake". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  19. "Test (Lower)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  20. 1 2 Rock, Peter (15 May 2018). "On the Unsettling Allure of 'Watership Down'". The New York Times . Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  21. Ordnance Survey (1995). OS Landranger Map 185 – Winchester and Basingstoke. ISBN   0-319-22185-7.
  22. Burgess, Lawrence (1982). The Streams and Watercourses Of Southampton. Friends of Old Southampton. p. 4.