80-538: The Angling Trust , based at Leominster , Herefordshire , is an organisation formed from the merger of six angling authorities to form a single and more powerful non-profit organisation for the benefit of anglers. The body oversees the development of angling for three disciplines — coarse , sea , and game fishing. The Angling Trust was set up to promote anglers' rights, fish conservation, preservation of habitat and fish and angler welfare. In 2009, after two years of discussion, six Angling organisations merged to create
160-515: A bus station which is the focal point for its bus services. Routes are operated by Lugg Valley Travel and First Worcester , which link Leominster with Hereford , Ludlow and Ledbury . Leominster is a primary destination on Great Britain's road network , being where the north-south A49 and east-west A44 roads meet. At Leominster, roads are signed towards Rhayader (A44 westbound), Worcester (A44 eastbound), Shrewsbury (A49 northbound) and Hereford (A49 southbound). Earl Mortimer College ,
240-585: A large hoard near Leominster (the Herefordshire hoard ) consisting primarily of Saxon jewellery and silver ingots but also coins; the latter date to around 879 AD. According to a news report, "experts believe it was buried by a Viking during a series of raids", while Wessex was ruled by Alfred the Great and Mercia by Ceolwulf II of Mercia . According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ,
320-475: A millwright from Tewkesbury, was employed to build locks around 1748, after money was raised by subscriptions in Leominster. He was later indicted for building locks against four bridges, but this charge may have been malicious. When the case was heard, he was only fined sixpence for each bridge and was not required to remove the locks. There are known to have been locks at twelve sites between Leominster and
400-519: A raid by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn on Leominster in 1052 resulted in the Battle of Llanllieni, between the Welsh and a combined force of Normans (mercenaries) and English Saxons . Henry I bestowed the minster and its estates on Reading Abbey , which founded a priory at Leominster in 1121, although there was one here from Saxon times. Its Priory Church of St. Peter and St. Paul , which now serves as
480-552: A second set of gates at Lugg Bridge has been found. Barges on the river were hauled by teams of men. A fourth act of Parliament was obtained, the Wye and Lugg Navigation and Horse Towing-path Act 1809 ( 49 Geo. 3 . c. lxxviii), to allow horse towing paths to be constructed on the Wye and the Lugg, but there is no evidence that such a path was ever started on the Lugg. The arrival of railways in
560-510: Is 12 miles (19 kilometres) north of Hereford and 7 miles (11 kilometres) south of Ludlow in Shropshire . With a population of 11,700, Leominster is the largest of the five towns in the county; the others being Ross-on-Wye , Ledbury , Bromyard and Kington . From 1974 to 1996, Leominster was the administrative centre for the former local government district of Leominster . The town, previously spelled 'Lemster', takes its name from
640-461: Is a short section of Offa's Dyke , a long linear earthworks which roughly defined much of the border between England and Wales. After a fourth crossing by the B4356, it arrives on the outskirts of Presteigne . It is crossed by the narrow, single-arched Old Boultibrooke Bridge, probably dating from the 18th century, which has been bypassed by a new bridge constructed in 1932, just to its east. After it
720-527: Is a state comprehensive school providing secondary education for about 650 pupils. It was formerly known as the Minster school. There is also Leominster Primary School and Westfield's Special School. Primary schools in the villages around the town include Ivington , Kimbolton , Kingsland , Luston and Stoke Prior . In print, Leominster is served by the Hereford Times , The Leominster News and
800-416: Is a weir which forms part of the bridge footings. While salmon and larger trout can easily negotiate the flume that this creates, it acts as a barrier to smaller fish, grayling and eels, and they recommended that some remedial action should be taken. Construction of a Larinier fish pass at Ballsgate Weir, near Aymestrey, was expected to be completed in autumn 2019, but work was delayed by high water levels in
880-489: Is also the historical home of Ryeland sheep, a breed once famed for its wool, known as 'Lemster ore'. This wool was prized above all other English wool in trade with the continent of Europe in the Middle Ages . It was the income and prosperity from this wool trade that established the town and the minster and attracted the envy of the Welsh and other regions. From approximately 1748 to 1754, Pinsley Mill in Leominster
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#1732776703965960-502: Is challenged by numerous fallen trees obstructing the river. It is a good fishing river, with populations of wild brown trout and grayling. The Environment Agency measure the 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
1040-618: Is featured on the town clock. The town has a maritime climate , with mild winters and summers. The data below is from a weather station in Preston Wynne , a village about 10 miles south-east of Leominster. Leominster railway station is managed by Transport for Wales , who operate services on the Welsh Marches Line between South Wales and North West England . Direct services run to Cardiff , Hereford , Ludlow , Shrewsbury , Crewe and Manchester . The town has
1120-566: Is joined by Norton Brook and the English/Welsh border, the river continues along the northern edge of Presteigne, passing the Old Mill, formerly known as New Mill House. Close by is the weir which once powered the mill. Lugg Bridge, the first of several with this name, carries Ford Street over the river, and has three segmental arches. The basic structure dates from the 17th century, but it has been heavily modified. Continuing eastwards,
1200-406: Is open to the public, it can be seen in operation. To the south of the mill is Lugg Bridge, consisting of three arches, two spanning the river and a third spanning the mill tailrace. The north face dates from 1771, when the bridge was built, while the south face dates from 1938, when it was widened. At Lugg Green, Kingsland is another Lugg Bridge, and after a series of weirs, the river arrives on
1280-684: Is the national governing body of England for competition angling with affiliation to Confédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive (CIPS), Angling's world governing body. The England team takes part in most of the FIPSed, FIPSmer, FIPSmouche and FIPScasting organised championships. International FIPSed (Federation International De La Peche Sportive en eau douce)(English: International Fresh Water Sport Fishing Federation) competitions include World Coarse Angling Championships for Carp, Carnivorous Boats, masters, ladies, feeder, veterans, disabled, European, clubs, youth and nations. The Angling Trust incorporates
1360-619: The British Record (Rod Caught) Fish Committee which oversees and adjudicates the British Record Fish list for saltwater, game and freshwater fish caught by rod and line method. Fish Legal represents the Angling Trust in cases brought against polluters , those who contribute to the problem of litter , over-abstraction, commercial overfishing, habitat degradation , poaching , fish theft, unlawful navigation ,
1440-607: The Leominster and Kington Railway . The Kenwater passed over the weir, while a new channel was cut for the Lugg, following the course of the railway. It then passed under the railway to meet the Ridgemoor Brook, and under Ridgemoor Bridge, a single span that dates from 1815 but was widened in 1940, which carries the A44 road. Below the bridge, it is joined by Cheaton Brook, and then rejoins its original course. The Pinsley Brook
1520-836: The Teme Valley Times .Local TV coverage are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are Sunshine Radio , Sunshine 855 , BBC Hereford & Worcester , Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire and Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire . Leominster is twinned with Saverne in eastern France, and Tengeru in Tanzania. River Lugg The River Lugg ( Welsh : Afon Llugwy ) rises near Llangynllo in Powys , Wales. From its source, it flows through
1600-468: The 1,600-foot (490 m) contour, and is joined by several other streams as it descends rapidly. It is crossed by the Heart of Wales Line , between Llanbister Road and Llangynllo stations, before passing under the first of four bridges that carry the B4356 road over it. Already it has dropped below the 820-foot (250 m) contour. It turns to the east to reach Greenstreet Bridge on the B4356, and then to
1680-436: The 18th century. The river forms the western and southern boundaries of the associated parkland and the building was remodelled and restored by Wyattville for Richard Arkwright at that time. The Humber Brook forms the eastern boundary of the estate, and joins the Lugg on its north bank. The river continues to the east and then turns to the south. At Bodenham is the single-span Bodenham Bridge, dating from 1816, after which
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#17327767039651760-544: The 1990s saw many of its later 19th century modifications removed. Next it is crossed by the A488 Penybont to Shrewsbury road, after which a tributary joins on the south bank. Castell Foel-Allt, the remains of a medieval motte and bailey castle is located on the north bank, and is a scheduled monument . It passes under Whitton Bridge on the B4357 road, and is joined by Cascob Brook on its south bank. Almost opposite
1840-549: The A44, has three arches and was built in the 16th century, with modifications made in the 18th century. Near Eaton Hall is another three-arched bridge, dating from the 19th century, where the eastern arch crosses a leat. The river is then joined by the River Arrow on its western bank, and was crossed by the Worcester, Bromyard and Leominster Railway until it was closed in 1964. As the river passes under Ford Bridge at Ford,
1920-863: The Angling Trust: the Anglers' Conservation Association (now Fish Legal ), the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT), the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives (NAFAC), the National Federation of Anglers (NFA), the National Federation of Sea Anglers (NFSA), and the Specialist Anglers' Alliance (SAA). The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) pulled out of the merger consultations owing to wishing to keep its charitable status: under
2000-614: The B4361 road, the railway and the A49 road are squeezed into a narrow gap between it and War Hill to the west. The next bridge downstream is Hampton Court Bridge at Hope under Dinmore , a single span which carries the A417. It may have been designed by Sir Jeffry Wyattville for the Arkwright family who lived at Hampton Court , a grade I listed house built between 1427 and 1436 and modified in
2080-496: The English word minster , meaning a community of clergy and the original Celtic name for the district Leon or Lene , probably in turn from an Old Welsh root lei to flow. The Welsh name for Leominster is Llanllieni , with Llan suggesting a possible Celtic origin to the town's religious community. Contrary to certain reports, the name has nothing to do with Leofric , an 11th-century Earl of Mercia (most famous for being
2160-523: The Lugg, all of them were connected with milling. Details of them have survived, because a comprehensive survey was carried out by an anonymous author, thought to be Daniel Dennell, who had previously worked on the Exeter Canal , and Dennell's document was acquired by the British Museum in 1856. The survey listed ten mills between Lugg Bridge, Leominster and the junction with the Wye, but this
2240-490: The Ordnance Survey call it Laystone Bridge, while English Heritage call it Leystone Bridge. Wellington Brook joins on the west bank of the river, opposite the grade I listed church of St Mary, Marden, which dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. As it approaches Moreton Bridge, the channel splits into two, enclosing an island, and the three-span bridge crosses both channels. It dates from the 16th or 17th century, but
2320-571: The UK" The Environment Agency , Natural England and the Forestry Commission interrupted the work, preventing further damage. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said the changes would have "huge repercussions for wildlife downstream" and urged that the landowner responsible be prosecuted. John Price, the landowner, has stated that he was acting legally, and had been asked to carry out the work to prevent flooding of nearby homes. Further damage
2400-765: The Wye and the Lugg. Their case was taken to the High Court, and was continued by the Environment Agency , which superseded the National Rivers Authority later that year. This action eventually led to the granting of the Wye Navigation Order 2002 ( SI 2002 /1998), which reaffirmed the right of navigation on both rivers, appointed the Environment Agency as the navigation authority for the rivers, but prohibited
2480-418: The Wye, at Volca Meadow, Ford Bridge, Hampton Court, Bodenham Mill, Kings Mill, Moreton Bridge, Wergins Bridge, Sherwick Mill, Lugg Bridge, Tidnor, Mordiford and the confluence. Some of these may have been half locks or flash locks, but some were definitely pound locks with two sets of gates, and of the three locks still in existence in 1906, both Tidnor and Mordiford were pound locks, but no clear evidence for
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2560-572: The area in the 1850s led to the winding up of the Wye and Lugg Towing Path Company, and use of both the Lugg and the Wye for navigation ceased soon afterwards. Some traffic may have used the lower 5 miles (8 km) of the Lugg up to Lugg Bridge until about 1860. As a result of the Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1695, the Lugg was a free navigation, but in 1995 the National Rivers Authority sought to apply bylaws to both
2640-597: The border town of Presteigne and then into Herefordshire , England. It meets its main tributary , the River Arrow , to the south of Leominster , then flows into the River Wye downstream of Hereford at Mordiford , around 63 miles (101 km) from its source. Its name comes from a Welsh root, and means "bright stream". As it passes through the countryside, it is crossed by a number of bridges, many of which are listed structures . Lugg Bridge at Lugwardine and
2720-406: The bridge at Mordiford with its associated causeway both date from the 14th century. The river at Leominster was altered significantly in the 1960s, when it was diverted to the south and then along the course of the Leominster and Kington Railway around the northern edge of the town, as part of a flood defence scheme. In the past, it was important for milling, supplying power to nearly one third of
2800-423: The construction of weirs and locks. Most use of the river is now by canoes and kayaks, although it is still sometimes used by small boats but can be very dangerous when in flood. In February 2020, it was one of several rivers with severe flood warnings following the impact of Storm Dennis . The river is popular with canoeists who have undisputed rights of navigation. However travelling from Leominster to Hereford
2880-459: The erection of barriers such as weirs, and hydropower schemes designed with inappropriate concern for anglers or fish welfare. One case in which the body has acted was on behalf of the Pride of Derby & Derbyshire Angling Association to preserve fishing rights in the local weir from developers. In 2020, Neville Fickling joined the board of the Angling Trust, he has held three British records, for
2960-412: The final bridge connects Mordiford on the east bank to Hampton Bishop . The bridge dates from the 14th century, and was widened in the 16th century. It consists of two main arches, through which the Lugg flows, with two flood arches and a causeway containing five more arches to the west of the main arches. The causeway was widened on the upstream side in the 20th century. To the west of the causeway are
3040-412: The introduction of testing for chemicals not previously included in the quality assessment. The whole of the river is a Site of Special Scientific Interest , and since 2003, a policy of building fish passes where there are weirs has led to significant improvements to the presence of migratory fish in the river. The River Lugg rises at two locations on Pool Hill, to the north-west of Llangunllo , close to
3120-529: The law of England and Wales, charities are not allowed to merge. The Angling Development Board merged with the Angling Trust in 2012. The Angling Trust organizes and strategizes activities towards achieving conservation of fish populations and habitat, protection of angling and anglers, increasing government and EA support and funding for angling and fisheries, assists control of nuisance predators, campaigns to prevent poaching and theft of fish, protects angler's rights, provides education and coaching to anglers and
3200-579: The legendarily miserly husband of Lady Godiva ). During the Early Middle Ages , Leominster was home to Æthelmod of Leominster, an English saint known to history mainly through the hagiography of the Secgan Manuscript . He is reputedly buried in Leominster. During the 8th and 9th Century, Danes (or Vikings) frequently raided the area. In 2015, two individuals (operating without landowner permission), using metal detectors, found
3280-485: The levels of stocking, which still include some triploid brown trout. Research on similar rivers has shown that reducing the levels of restocking can have a disproportionate benefit for the native populations of both brown trout and grayling, and the club are monitoring catch data to see if this is the case on the Lugg. A survey by the Trout Trust identified the bridge at Eaton as a problem for migrating fish, as there
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3360-586: The mills in Herefordshire at the time of the Domesday Book . There are a few mills left, and some obvious mill sites, but many of the mills below Leominster were bought up and their weirs demolished as part of a scheme to make the river navigable in the 1690s. This was not a success, as the water levels dropped creating shoals, and in the 1720s, some of the weirs were reinstated, with pound locks to enable boats to bypass them. Navigation up to Leominster
3440-483: The most successful, as shortly after the fire that destroyed the mill, it was reported that the cotton works "had been viewed with great pleasure and admiration by travellers and all who had seen them." One of the last ordeals by ducking stool took place in Leominster in 1809, with Jenny Pipes as the final incumbent. The ducking stool is on public display in Leominster Priory; a mechanised depiction of it
3520-457: The north of Leominster railway station and joined the Lugg below Eaton Bridge. There were once 19 bridges in Leominster, most of them crossing the Lugg, Kenwater or Pinsley Brook. The river system within the town was radically reworked in the 1960s, as part of a flood alleviation scheme. The Lugg continued southwards along the course of the Kenwater, to a new weir close to the former course of
3600-485: The northern edge of Leominster . A leat to Crowards Mill, now disconnected from the main river, was formerly the main channel of the Lugg, with much of the flow passing over a weir into the Kenwater . The Lugg served Osborne Mill, Marsh Mill and a third corn mill, before rejoining the Kenwater within the town. Pinsley Brook ran through the town just to the south of Kenwater, to power Pinsley Mill, another corn mill just to
3680-513: The parish church, is the remaining part of this 12th-century Benedictine monastery . Quatrefoil piers were inserted between 1872–79 by Sir George Gilbert Scott . The priory was ransacked by the Welsh forces of Owain Glyndŵr after their victory at the Battle of Bryn Glas near Pilleth in 1402, along with several local manor houses . Investigations to the north of the priory in 2005 located
3760-570: The position of the cloister , although most of the stone had been stolen following the Dissolution . Discarded animal bones found on the site when submitted to carbon dating showed that the area was occupied in the 7th century. This agrees with the date of 660 AD associated with the founding myth , which suggests a Christian community was established here by a monk, St. Eadfrith , originally from Lindisfarne in Northumbria . Leominster
3840-462: The presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment. From its source to its mouth, the entire length of the river has been a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) since 2 February 1995. It received the designation because it was one of the best examples of a clay river, with its chemistry changing from nutrient-poor in
3920-485: 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. Equivalent data for the Welsh section is not readily available. The water quality of the River Lugg system was as follows in 2019. Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to
4000-518: The remains of a pound lock. The walls of the chamber survive, although they are in poor condition. The Pentaloe Brook joins the river on its east bank just below the bridge, and then the Lugg joins the River Wye. At the time of the Domesday Book , which recorded details of a survey of the land in 1086, the Lugg was an important river for milling. Some 80 mills were recorded in the county of Herefordshire, and of those, around one third were located in
4080-440: The right of navigation on the river, but prohibited the building of locks and weirs, and so most boating is by canoes and kayaks. The river is also used for fishing, as it has good populations of wild brown trout and grayling. Water quality of the river system is moderate, although some of its tributaries have poor water quality, and some bad. In common with many rivers, the chemical quality changed from good to fail in 2019, following
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#17327767039654160-413: The river comes to Rosser's Bridge, where the border turns to the south, and the river is wholly in Herefordshire. Hindwell Brook joins on the south bank, and the course turns to the north-east. Another tributary, Lime Brook, flows southwards to join the north bank. Just before Lyepole Bridge, the river passes a castle mound, which was once a motte castle, founded by Hugh Mortimer in the mid-12th century. As
4240-551: The river throughout the winter from September onwards. The need for the fish pass was shown by fish surveys carried out above and below the weir, which showed that while plenty of salmon spawned below the weir, very few succeeded in getting further upstream. The fish pass was completed by the Wye and Usk Foundation in September 2020, and was funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The weir
4320-409: The river turns to the south-east, a large weir directs water into a mill leat, which runs on the north side of the main channel to Aymestrey Mill, a grist mill built in the 1860s. Most of the machinery is still in situ, and the wheel now powers a printing press. The A4110 road bridge crosses the river and the mill tailrace, and as the river turns to the south, a similar weir creates a leat to the west of
4400-473: The river turns to the west. It is crossed by two bridges carrying the Welsh Marches Line just to the south of the twin tunnels through Dinmore Hill. Dinmore railway station was located on the north bank, until it closed in 1958. The river crosses back under the railway a little further to the south. At Marden a hump-backed bridge with four spans crosses the river. It is grade II* listed and
4480-460: The river, as access was impeded by weirs. From 2003, a number of fish passes were constructed at these locations, and a survey in 2013 found that numbers of salmon in the river and in the tributary River Arrow had increased dramatically. The survey also found that brown trout had benefitted from the improvements, as their numbers had also increased. Some of the work was funded by the Lugg and Arrow Fisheries Association. The Eaton Angling Club, which
4560-461: The river. Mortimer's Cross Water Mill is located further to the south, fed by another weir. It is 89 feet (27 m) long and a 220-yard (200 m) leat feeds the mill, which has three sets of stones. It was a paper mill until the 1830s, and then became a grain mill. New machinery was installed in 1870 and it produced animal feed until the 1940s. It is unusual in that it was designed to be operated by one man. It has been restored and on days when it
4640-479: The sites were recorded as having fulling mills subsequently, but none were recorded when a survey of the river was made in 1697. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, four acts of Parliament were passed which specifically named the River Lugg in their titles, but the middle two had the most effect on the river. The first, the Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1726 ( 13 Geo. 1 . c. 34) ( 14 Cha. 2 . c. 15 ),
4720-472: The south-east to pass the village of Llangunllo. Just beyond it is Llangunllo Bridge, again on the B4356. Mynachdy moated enclosure, a well-preserved medieval moated homestead is situated on the north bank, after which the river turns to the south to pass the grade I listed Monaughty House, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. It is one of the oldest stone buildings in Radnorshire , and renovation in
4800-403: The upper reaches to naturally nutrient-rich in the lower reaches. As well as supporting several rare plant communities and otters, it also provides habitat for Atlantic stream crayfish , Atlantic Salmon , Bullhead and Twaite Shad . Below Eaton, the river is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC). During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a sharp drop in the number of migrating salmon on
4880-429: The valley of the Lugg, some on tributaries and others on the main river. In addition, those on the Lugg were valued considerably higher than those elsewhere, with an average value of 15 shillings and 4 pence, compared to 6 shillings and 7 pence for mills on other rivers. At that time, the hay meadows on the banks of the Lugg were the largest in the county, and the valley produced large crops of hay and corn. At least four of
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#17327767039654960-410: The weirs; this was certainly true at Tidnor, and may have also been the case at the confluence with the Wye, at Mordiford, Hampton Court, and some other sites. Several bridges were altered, by breaking one of the arches and constructing a timber drawbridge or later a raised arch. Overall, the policy of removing the weirs was not a success, as it meant that water levels dropped significantly, and navigation
5040-510: The wider community, supports diversity and angling club development. The trust fights Pollution, litter, over-abstraction of fish, commercial overfishing, harmful barrages, weirs and hydropower schemes, unlawful navigation, spread of diseases and parasites, access restrictions and anti-angling campaigns. In November 2023, the Angling Trust implemented a ban on trans women from competing in the women's category, citing concerns over trans women having an unfair advantage at fishing. The Angling Trust,
5120-709: The zander twice in 1971 at 12lb 6oz 8dr, and later the same year at 12lb 13oz. In 1985, he landed the British record pike of 41 lb 6 oz in Feb 1985, on the River Thurne . Leominster Leominster ( / ˈ l ɛ m s t ər / LEM -stər ) is a market town in Herefordshire , England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater . The town
5200-452: Was a much steeper and faster-flowing river, and the work was abandoned by about 1668, before any work had been started on the Lugg. The second act of Parliament was obtained on 17 March 1695, the Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1695 ( 7 & 8 Will. 3 . c. 14), entitled An Act for making navigable the Rivers of Wye and Lugg, in the county of Hereford. One important effect of this act
5280-462: Was altered in the mid-19th century. The bridge is to the east of the village of Moreton on Lugg . After Wergins Bridge, Morton Brook joins on the west bank, and the river is crossed by a railway bridge carrying the Cotswold Line . Lugg Bridge at Lugwardine dates from the 14th century, and was repaired in 1409 and 1464. It has three arches, and was widened in the 1960s, when the south side
5360-439: Was an uneasy relationship between use of the water for milling, which required weirs to be built, and navigation, which required freedom of movement along the waterway. The Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1695 took a radical approach, allowing the weirs to be bought and demolished, with funding for the purchases to be raised by a rate on the county of Herefordshire. On the Wye, some of the weirs were associated with fishing, but on
5440-416: Was discovered that trees had been felled, river-bed gravel removed, the meanders straightened, and all vegetation in the area had been dug up by bulldozer, without permission, leaving the riverbank devastated. A lawyer for Salmon and Trout Conservation , who is also a local resident, said: "This is one of the most egregious acts of ecological vandalism that I have seen in 25 years of working on rivers in
5520-411: Was diverted into the Kenwater to the west of the town in 1968 and its original course filled in. Parts of it had been culverted some years before that. The Lugg then passes under Mosaic Bridge, constructed for the A49 bypass in 1988. It takes its name from a mosaic on the southern pier which was designed by young people at the time of its construction, and has since been restored. Eaton Bridge, carrying
5600-626: Was done in December 2021. In March 2022, the Environment Agency and Natural England launched legal proceedings against the landowner, following an investigation. John Price, the landowner, was ordered to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court in May 2022. He admitted seven charges relating to the dumping of materials, modifying the watercourse and natural features, using vehicles to disturb species of interest, and destroying flora and fauna, river habitats and fish populations. In April 2023, Price
5680-474: Was established in 1877, manages the fishing rights on 1.2 miles (2 km) of the river near Eaton Hall. Every year since 1955, they had stocked the river with 500 to 600 rainbow trout, but in 2009, some of their stocking was with triploid brown trout, infertile females which cannot inter-breed with the wild trout. Because of the conservation status of the river, and guided by the Environment Agency's National Trout and Grayling Fisheries Strategy , they have reduced
5760-459: Was for a time possible, although it was never hugely successful, and ceased in the 1860s, once railways had been built in the area. The river was a free navigation as a result of powers obtained in an act of Parliament, the Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1695 ( 7 & 8 Will. 3 . c. 14), but in 2002, the Environment Agency became the navigation authority following the passing of the Wye Navigation Order 2002 ( SI 2002 /1998). This reaffirmed
5840-413: Was hindered by shoals, which prevented boats from passing. A third act of Parliament, the Rivers Wye and Lugg Navigation Act 1726 ( 13 Geo. 1 . c. 34) was obtained on 15 May 1727, which openly stated that destroying the weirs had been a mistake, and allowed the trustees to reinstate them, with associated locks. Neither the minutes nor the accounts for this phase of the work have survived. Thomas Chinn,
5920-457: Was home to one of the Paul-Wyatt cotton mills , the first four cotton mills in the world, employing the spinning machines of Lewis Paul and John Wyatt . The mill was financed by Lancashire native Daniel Bourn, and was partly owned by other men from Lancashire. Bourn introduced his own version of the carding engine to work at this mill, and of the four Paul-Wyatt mills, it may have been
6000-514: Was jailed for twelve months and ordered to pay a total of over £1.2million in court costs and for the restoration of the affected stretch of river. His sentence was reduced to 10 months on appeal, and he served 3 months before being released in July 2023. “The decimation of this section of the River Lugg has been devastating to the local environment and to local people, destroying the habitats of iconic wildlife such as otters, kingfisher and salmon. It
6080-460: Was largely rebuilt. The Little Lugg joins from the east near the bridge, which was the location of corn mills in 1903, when a structure spanned the river to the south of the bridge. A little further downstream is Lugwardine Bridge, consisting of three spans dating from the early 17th century. It was widened in 1824 and altered in the 20th century. After the River Frome joins on the east bank,
6160-479: Was passed on 19 May 1662, entitled An Act for the making navigable the Rivers Wye and Lugg, and the Rivers and Brooks running into the same, in the counties of Hereford, Gloucester and Monmouth. Sir William Sandys was appointed to carry out the work, which involved building weirs and flash locks to maintain water levels, but his previous experience on the Warwickshire Avon did not fit the Wye, which
6240-419: Was probably the number of wheels or pairs of millstones, rather than the number of buildings where milling occurred. The annual value of each mill was to be established, and the price to buy the mill and weir was then fixed at 16 times that value. It is not clear exactly what work was done, since the relevant sheets from the accounts are missing, but a lot of money was spent. Locks may have been put into some of
6320-416: Was that it re-established both rivers as free navigations, for it contained the clause: Therefore be it enacted that the rivers Wye and Lugg may be henceforth accounted, deemed and taken to be free and common rivers for all to make use of for carrying and conveying of all passenger goods, wares and commodities by boats, barges, lighters and other vessels whatsoever. On many of Britain's lowland rivers, there
6400-517: Was the last major obstacle on the river for migrating salmon, and opens up miles of spawning grounds further upstream, in addition to making it easier for other species to move up and down the river. In November/December 2020, damage was done to a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch of the riverbank near Kingsland in Herefordshire. The damaged area, which was part of the SSSI , was home to protected wildlife including crayfish, otters, salmon, and lampreys. It
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