Sutton Pools

Last updated August 20, 2019

Sutton Pools are a picturesque backwater formed by a number of weirs, islands, footbridges and barriers on the course of the River Thames at Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England.^[1] The higher level of the river is separated from the lower pools by a causeway which dates from Saxon times.^[2] This river stretch ceased to be the main navigable route after Culham Cut was constructed in the early 19th century, which also created an island to the north of the Pools.^[1] In addition there are three smaller islands, linked by footbridges over the weirs, part of a footpath between Sutton Courtenay and the village of Culham.^[3]

A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. There are many designs of weir, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level.

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames 2 miles (3 km) south of Abingdon-on-Thames and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,421.

The upper river channel at Sutton Pools used to pass beneath a paper mill, though this closed in 1897 and has been demolished. The river route is blocked by a fence here^[4] as it passes through the gardens of Mill House. A wooden footbridge and kissing gate lead to the main village.

Related Research Articles

The River Cherwell is a major tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Hellidon in Northamptonshire and flows south through Oxfordshire for 40 miles (64 km) to meet the Thames at Oxford. It adds a significant discharge to the Thames—when entering Oxford, the Thames's discharge is 17.6 m³/s, but after leaving and consuming the Cherwell it has increased to 24.8 m³/s. The river gives its name to the Cherwell local government district and Cherwell, an Oxford student newspaper.

Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames in England between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was first built in 1810.

Whitchurch Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England. It is a pound lock, built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1787. It is on an island near the Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames and is inaccessible except by boat.

Culham is a village and civil parish in a bend of the River Thames, 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.

Cookham Lock is a lock with weirs situated on the River Thames near Cookham, Berkshire, about a half-mile downstream of Cookham Bridge. The lock is set in a lock cut which is one of four streams here and it is surrounded by woods. On one side is Sashes Island and on the other is Mill Island connected to Formosa Island, the largest on the non-tidal Thames.

The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton, south east London. It is about 184 miles (296 km) long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996.

Boulter's Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England north-east of Maidenhead town centre, Berkshire. The present 1912-built lock replaces those at this point of the river to the immediate east dating from the late 16th century and that of 1772 built by the Thames Navigation Commission. The lock is on the western side of the north-south flowing reach between the A4094 Maidenhead to Cookham road and Ray Mill Island. The name is variably used for the immediate surrounding area.

Clifton Lock is a lock on River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is located south of the village of Clifton Hampden and north of Long Wittenham. It is at the start of the Clifton Cut, which bypasses the river to the north of Long Wittenham. The lock was completed in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners.

The River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation, geographically the Wey Navigation, form a continuous waterway which provides a 20-mile (32 km) navigable route from the River Thames between Weybridge and Hamm Court, Addlestone via Guildford to Godalming. The waterway is in Surrey and is owned by the National Trust. The Wey Navigation connects to the Basingstoke Canal at West Byfleet, and the Godalming Navigation part to the Wey and Arun Canal in the Broadford part of Shalford. The Navigations consist of man-made canal and adapted parts of the River Wey. Its adjoining path is part of European long-distance path E2.

Benson Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, close to Benson, Oxfordshire but on the opposite bank of the river. The first pound lock here was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1788 and it was replaced by the present masonry lock in 1870. The distance between Benson Lock and Cleeve Lock downstream is 6.5 miles (10.4 km) - the longest distance between locks on the River Thames.

Culham Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England close to Culham, Oxfordshire. It is on a lock cut to the north of the main stream, which approaches the large village of Sutton Courtenay. The lock was built of stone by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1809.

Osney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxford, England, where the village or island of Osney is next to the river.

Shifford Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England. It is in the centre of a triangle formed by the small villages of Shifford, Duxford and Chimney in Oxfordshire. It is at the start of a navigation cut built with the lock by the Thames Conservancy in 1898. This was the only new lock built on the non-tidal Thames in the era of falling revenue after the Thames Conservancy took over responsibilities of the Thames Navigation Commission. It replaced a flash lock in a weir about 3/4 mile downstream.

Sutton Bridge, Oxfordshire is a road bridge across the River Thames near the village of Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England. It is a stone structure built in 1807 with three arches over the main river and two smaller ones across the flood plain. An extension was built in 1809 across the Culham Cut, just below Culham Lock. It was originally a toll bridge and replaced an earlier multi-arch bridge over the original weir and a ferry at this site. It is a Grade II listed building.

Andersey Island island in the River Thames in England

Andersey Island is a 273-acre (110.5 ha) area of flood-meadow and former flood-meadow south-east of Abingdon Bridge, Abingdon, Oxfordshire on the reach above Culham Lock in which parish it lies however maintaining close links with Abingdon by virtue of its current amenities. It is the second-largest island of the non-tidal course of the River Thames in England upstream of the Tideway — if disqualifying the villages of Dorney and Eton, Berkshire enclosed by the engineered Jubilee River. Andersey means Andrew's island after its chapel to St Andrew, demolished, built about 1050 CE.

The Swift Ditch is a backwater of the River Thames in England, which was formerly the primary navigation channel. With the main river, it creates the large island of Andersey Island near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Culham Bridge is a mediaeval bridge crossing a present backwater of the River Thames in England at Culham, Oxfordshire, near the town of Abingdon. The bridge crosses Swift Ditch which was at one time the main navigation channel of the River Thames until Abingdon Lock was built in 1790. The bridge formerly carried the A415 road from Abingdon to Dorchester, Oxfordshire, but was superseded in 1928 by a modern road bridge.

Sheepwash Channel connects the River Thames to the west and the Castle Mill Stream next to the Oxford Canal to the east, in west Oxford, England. To the north are Cripley Meadow and Fiddler's Island. To the south are Osney Island and the Botley Road.

References

1 2 Emmons, Ron (2001). "Abingdon". Walks Along the Thames Path. New Holland Publishers. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-1-84773-062-6 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
↑ "A Pretty village in the Heart of England's Thames Valley…". Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
↑ Mayon-White, Richard; Yorke, Wendy (2013). "48 - Sutton Pools". Exploring the Thames Wilderness: A Guide to the Natural Thames. Adlard Coles Nautical. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4081-8114-0 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.
↑ Fisher, Stuart (2013). British River Navigations: Inland Cuts, Fens, Dikes, Channels and Non-tidal Rivers. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-4729-0084-5 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.

Coordinates: 51°38′48″N1°16′21″W / 51.64667°N 1.27250°W / 51.64667; -1.27250

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Emmons59-1] 1 2 Emmons, Ron (2001). "Abingdon". Walks Along the Thames Path. New Holland Publishers. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-1-84773-062-6 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.

[2] "A Pretty village in the Heart of England's Thames Valley…". Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire. Retrieved 22 February 2015.

[3] Mayon-White, Richard; Yorke, Wendy (2013). "48 - Sutton Pools". Exploring the Thames Wilderness: A Guide to the Natural Thames. Adlard Coles Nautical. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4081-8114-0 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.

[4] Fisher, Stuart (2013). British River Navigations: Inland Cuts, Fens, Dikes, Channels and Non-tidal Rivers. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-4729-0084-5 . Retrieved 22 February 2015.