River Welland

River Welland

The River Welland is a river in the east of England, 56 km (35 m) long, and it has been a main waterway across the part of The Fens called "South Holland" for thousands of years. It rises near Market Harborough in Leicestershire, then flows eastwards to Ketton, Stamford, The Deepings, Crowland, Cowbit and Spalding, then into The Wash at Fosdyke Bridge.

It is one of the Fenland rivers which were laid out with washes. There are two channels between widely-spaced embankments with the intention that flood waters would have space in which to spread while the tide in the estuary prevented free egress. However, after the floods of 1947, new works such as the Coronation Channel were constructed to control flooding in Spalding and the washes are no longer, of necessity, pasture but may be used for arable farming.

Outside the banks lies fertile arable land, much of it marine silt, which suits the bulb-growing for which Spalding is famous, though this is less a feature of Spalding than it once was.

Etymology

The river name is from Celtic, and "may" mean something like "good river" (equivalent to Humber. An undated record of the name refers to the place as "Weolud".

The current spelling of the name is a corruption of the Celtic, and appears to have been influenced by "well land", implying fertile land for pastures.

The river, in its upper reaches, supports a wild brown trout population. Chub and perch dominate the middle reaches around Stamford, with pike, perch and zander inhabiting the lower lengths around Spalding.

Tributaries of the River Welland:
*Eye Brook
*River Chater
*River Gwash
*River Glen
*River Jordan (through Little Bowden)
*Vernatt's Drain

External links

* [http://fenlandlincs.com/Welland Photographs of Glen and Welland]

ee also

*Rivers of the United Kingdom


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Welland — may refer to: * River Welland in the east of England * Welland, Worcestershire, a village in England * Welland River in Ontario, Canada, named after its English counterpart * Welland Canal, named after the river * Welland, Ontario, a city in… …   Wikipedia

  • Welland — ist der Name folgender Orte: Welland (Ontario), Stadt in Kanada Welland (Landschaft), Landschaft in Baden Württemberg Welland ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Colin Welland (* 1934), britischer Drehbuchautor und Schauspieler James Welland …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Welland Park School — Welland Park Community College, or Welland Park School as it is better known is a middle school in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.chool historyThe school was originally known as Welland Park High School. There is another nearby middle school,… …   Wikipedia

  • River Bourne — may refer to:* the River Bourne, a river in Dorset that gives its name to Bournemouth * the River Bourne, a tributary of the River Avon in the English county of Wiltshire * the River Bourne, a tributary of the River Pang in the English county of… …   Wikipedia

  • Welland River — For the English river named Welland, see River Welland. The Welland River is a river in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario to empty into the Niagara River near the city of Niagara… …   Wikipedia

  • River Glen, Lincolnshire — The River Glen is a river in Lincolnshire, England with a short stretch passing through Rutland near Essendine.The river s name appears to derive from a Brythonic Celtic language but there is a strong early English connection. NamingIn the… …   Wikipedia

  • Welland Viaduct — Infobox Bridge bridge name=Welland/Harringworth Viaduct caption= official name=Welland Viaduct carries=Oakham to Kettering Line crosses=River Welland locale=Rutland maint=Network Rail id= design= mainspan= length=1275 yards (1166 m) width= height …   Wikipedia

  • River Chater — The River Chater is a river in the East Midlands of England, it is a tributary of the River Welland. It rises near Whatborough Hill in Leicestershire, and then flows east, past the sites of Sanvey Castle, and Launde Abbey, before crossing the… …   Wikipedia

  • River Gwash — The River Gwash rises getamap|SK784071|south west of Owston, near the western edge of the county of Rutland, England. It now helps to fill the Rutland Water reservoir from which a controlled flow is released to maintain its flow around Tolethorpe …   Wikipedia

  • Welland County, Ontario — Welland County (area, excluding cities was 226,970 acres) is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1851 from Lincoln County. The county was named from the Welland River. The river got its name from John… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”