Winterbourne (stream)

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A winterbourne is a stream or river that is dry through the summer months, a special case of an intermittent stream. Winterbourne is a British term derived from the Old English winterburna ("winter stream"). A winterbourne is sometimes simply called a bourne , from the Anglo-Saxon word for a stream flowing from a spring, although this term can also be used for all-year water courses. [1] Winterbournes generally form in areas where there is chalk (or other porous rock) downland bordering clay valleys or vales. When it rains, the porous chalk holds water in its aquifer, releasing the water at a steady rate. During dry seasons the water table may fall below the level of the stream's bed, causing it to dry out.

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Exploitation of chalk aquifers as a domestic water source in Britain has had the effect of converting many streams and rivers into artificial winterbournes. This effect is controversial, and local campaigns have often been successful in reducing aquifer abstraction and reversing the effect. For an example, see the River Pang in Berkshire.

Examples

Winterbournes occasionally give their names to settlements. Many of the United Kingdom's 'Winterbournes' are villages in Dorset, such as Winterbourne Abbas, Winterborne Monkton, Winterborne St Martin, Winterborne Zelston, Winterborne Houghton and Winterborne Whitechurch. In north Wiltshire, north of Avebury, there are the villages of Winterbourne Monkton and Winterbourne Bassett, and in south Wiltshire, north-east of Salisbury, Winterbourne Dauntsey, Winterbourne Earls and Winterbourne Gunner. In South Gloucestershire there are the villages of Winterbourne and Winterbourne Down.

There is a winterbourne stream in a suburban area of Lewes, East Sussex. The area is also called Winterbourne. The stream runs from the foot of the South Downs through a park, a housing estate and a public garden, ending at the Railway Land Nature Reserve where it meets the River Ouse. It is a clear and verdant stream, much frequented by ducks. Another winterbourne stream is the River Lavant found In Chichester, West Sussex.

See also

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Winterbourne may refer to:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winterbourne Bassett</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalk stream</span> Rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stream</span> Body of surface water flowing down a channel

A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large streams are usually called rivers, while smaller, less voluminous and more intermittent streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary Magdalene, Winterbourne Monkton</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winterborne Farringdon</span> Deserted village in Dorset

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

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A gypsey is a name given to intermittent springs and streams in the Yorkshire Wolds, England. Gypseys are streams formed from springs from the waterladen chalk that constitutes the Yorkshire Wolds. The springs flow in late winter or early spring, with the water emanating through unbroken turf.

A bourne is an intermittent stream, flowing from a spring. Frequent in chalk and limestone country where the rock becomes saturated with winter rain, that slowly drains away until the rock becomes dry, when the stream ceases. The word is from the Anglo-Saxon language of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winterbourne, Wiltshire</span> Human settlement in England

Winterbourne is a civil parish in south east Wiltshire, England, about 3.5 miles (6 km) northeast of Salisbury. The parish encompasses the contiguous villages of Winterbourne Dauntsey, Winterbourne Earls and Winterbourne Gunner, together with the hamlet of Hurdcott south of Winterbourne Earls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winterborne Herringston</span> Hamlet in Dorset, England

Winterborne Herringston, also Winterbourne Herringston, is a small civil parish and hamlet containing about 600 acres in Dorset, England, 1.4 miles south of Dorchester. The only significant structure is Herringston House, a Grade II* listed 14th-century manor house which has been the home of the Williams family since 1513.

References

  1. Cushing, Colbert E.; Cummins, Kenneth W.; Minshall, G. Wayne (2006-02-06). River and Stream Ecosystems of the World: With a New Introduction. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-24567-9.