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River Bewl

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45-697: The River Bewl is a tributary of the River Teise in Kent , England . Its headwaters are in the High Weald , in Sussex between Lamberhurst , Wadhurst and Flimwell . The valley is deeply incised into Tunbridge Wells red sandstone, with a base of alluvium on Wadhurst clay. Between 1973 and 1975, a 900-metre dam (980 yd) was built across the Bewl valley, cutting off the headwaters. This formed Bewl Water ,

90-595: A 30-metre-deep storage reservoir (98 ft), with a surface area of 308 hectares (760 acres). In times of good flow, water is extracted from the River Medway at Yalding and pumped through pipes into Bewl Water, where it is stored for times of heavy water demand. The River Bewl passes under the A21 road and by Scotney Castle . At Finchcocks it enters the River Teise. The River Bewl and its tributaries powered

135-478: A layshaft. This wheel was an overshot wheel, 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m) diameter and 9 feet 3 inches (2.82 m) wide, constructed of cast iron, carried on an 8 inches (200 mm) diameter cast iron axle which was unusually long, as it had to pass over the tail race of the other waterwheel. TQ 716 392 approx 51°07′34″N 0°27′12″E  /  51.126248°N 0.453270°E  / 51.126248; 0.453270 This mill stood on

180-614: A low ridge. The Lesser Teise flows for about 4 miles (6.4 km) before joining the River Beult at Hunton . The Greater Teise, now carrying only minor quantities, flows for about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the River Medway at Twyford Bridge, upstream of Yalding , formerly the site of a double ford over both the Medway and Teise rivers. The Beult flows through Yalding, then also joins the Medway about 6 furlongs (1.2 km) below Twyford Bridge. Like many other rivers in southern England

225-400: A new river, to be given its own name, perhaps one already known to the people who live upon its banks. Conversely, explorers approaching a new land from the sea encounter its rivers at their mouths, where they name them on their charts, then, following a river upstream, encounter each tributary as a forking of the stream to the right and to the left, which then appear on their charts as such; or

270-433: A number of watermills . From source to mouth they were:- TQ 689 323 51°03′54″N 0°24′41″E  /  51.065054°N 0.411489°E  / 51.065054; 0.411489 The site of this watermill now lies in the middle of Bewl Water. It was one of those very rare watermills that was an overdrift mill, with the millstones driven from above. This arrangement is more commonly found in windmills . When Bewl Water

315-400: A river or stream that branches off from and flows away from the main stream. Distributaries are most often found in river deltas . Right tributary , or right-bank tributary , and left tributary , or left-bank tributary , describe the orientation of the tributary relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from the perspective of looking downstream, that is, facing

360-550: A stone bridge. The mill pool is also largely silted up, however immediately north of the pool lies the hammer floor displaying the clear relief of the original working layout. West of the site is a very large moat which originally held the iron keep. TQ 695 412 51°08′41″N 0°25′27″E  /  51.144844°N 0.424227°E  / 51.144844; 0.424227 An old site, the Furnace Pond remains today, having an area of some 30 acres (12 ha). The dam across

405-449: Is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ( main stem or "parent" ), river, or a lake . A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean . Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they flow, drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater , leading the water out into an ocean. The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Ob river and

450-411: Is also the longest tributary river in the world with a length of 4,248 km (2,640 mi). The Madeira River is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m /s (1.1 million cu ft/s). A confluence , where two or more bodies of water meet, usually refers to the joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary ,

495-568: Is now covered by the dam of Bewl Water. It was in the Culpeper family in the sixteenth century, Thomas Collepepper holding lands in Chingley in fief from Henry VIII in 1544. The land had formerly been in the ownership of the Abbey of Boxley , which had been dissolved. The furnace was built between 1558 and 1565. In 1574 it was in the possession of Thomas Darell and the tenant was Thomas Dyke. It

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540-571: Is rated good or fail. Water quality of the River Teise in 2019: The River Teise and its tributaries powered a number of watermills . From source to mouth they were:- This was a corn mill , driven by an overshot waterwheel . A painting of the mill by Charles Tattershall Dodd (1815–78) can be seen in Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery. TQ 642 366 51°06′20″N 0°20′41″E  /  51.105619°N 0.344773°E  / 51.105619; 0.344773 This forge

585-465: The River Bewl are discussed in that article, other watermills on the tributaries were as below. TQ 607 376 51°06′54″N 0°17′49″E  /  51.115034°N 0.296910°E  / 51.115034; 0.296910 This corn mill stood on the site of an old furnace mill. The forge was working from 1557 to 1653 but disused in 1667. Benhall Mill was not marked on Budgeon's map of 1724. In 1803

630-612: The River Teise was subject to a Land Drainage Improvement Scheme during the 1950s. The River Lesser Teise was widened, straightened and deepened from Horsmonden to the River Beult confluence. Hence it now carries much of the flow. The Greater Teise upstream of where the Lesser Teise bifurcates, and the section downstream of Marden to its confluence with the River Medway was also "improved". A number of weirs were built at

675-578: The Teise is in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells . From there the river flows eastwards past Bayham Abbey and then through Lamberhurst . 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream of Lamberhurst the small River Bewl , on which is the reservoir Bewl Water , joins the Teise. The Teise bifurcates 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (2.0 km) south west of the village of Marden , passing either side of

720-629: The Winn Stream, just within the parish of Frant , Sussex. Once the property of Bayham Abbey , it was last worked commercially in the 1900s and was restored to working order in 1990. In 1851 the miller was Leonard Latter. The Arnold family were millers here before taking Branbridges Mill , East Peckham in 1890. The last recorded miller was John Ballard in 1905. The mill is open to visitors by appointment. TQ 727 357 51°05′40″N 0°28′02″E  /  51.094471°N 0.467300°E  / 51.094471; 0.467300 The site of this forge

765-485: The advent of production in the Midlands with better availability of power, transport, labour and materials all but ended hopes of retaining industry in the area. Bedgebury furnace built new oast kilns in 1880 and again in 1912, for hops from the surrounding hop gardens. The oast kilns remain to this day. The original bloomery or hammer pond has now silted up but remains as a distinct flat flood plain which clearly defines

810-415: The approximately 20 acres (8.1 ha) that originally held the water reservoir. A very substantial long pond bay/dam runs north–south and can be seen clearly, nearly 130 metres (430 ft) long, 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) high and 20 metres (65 ft 7 in) wide. The sluice has long been dismantled, however the race is clearly visible to walkers using the bridleway that crosses the river Teise on

855-421: The direction the water current of the main stem is going. In a navigational context, if one were floating on a raft or other vessel in the main stream, this would be the side the tributary enters from as one floats past; alternately, if one were floating down the tributary, the main stream meets it on the opposite bank of the tributary. This information may be used to avoid turbulent water by moving towards

900-488: The forge c.1595. In 1637 the forge was leased to Henry Darell. The forge seems to have been disused in 1653 and 1664, but was at work in 1717, producing 46 tons of iron in that year. It was marked on Budgen's map of 1724 and in 1726 the tenant was John Legas. The dam has been recorded as 100 metres (110 yd) long. TQ 684 327 51°04′08″N 0°24′16″E  /  51.068795°N 0.404546°E  / 51.068795; 0.404546 The site of this ancient blast furnace

945-454: The furnace in 1782 but it ceased production c.1787. There was a boring mill marked on Budgen's map of 1795. TQ 6622 3617 51°06′01″N 0°22′28″E  /  51.100218°N 0.374390°E  / 51.100218; 0.374390 Hoadly Forge was built in 1548 by Alexander Collins. It was sold by Stephen Collins to Richard Filmer in 1584. In 1614 it was owned by Sir Edward Filmer and leased to Thomas Sanders and Thomas Ballard. The forge

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990-431: The furnace was owned by Sir Thomas Waller, and leased to John Iden and Robert Pothill. The furnace was leased by Thomas Browne in 1604 and later by John Browne , who held the office of King's Gunfounder from 1615 to 1681. Some 200 men were employed at the furnace in 1613. The furnace was working to at least 1667 and in 1744 there was a boring mill run by one Harrison. Tributary A tributary , or an affluent ,

1035-451: The handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream. For instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. These naming conventions are reflective of the circumstances of a particular river's identification and charting: people living along the banks of a river, with a name known to them, may then float down the river in exploration, and each tributary joining it as they pass by appears as

1080-447: The high demand for iron for military and naval purposes, however by 1815 the furnace had all but died again, turning its work from smelt to casting; however its production was limited, as its location made transport costs high compared to furnaces in the Midlands and north-west Kent. A modified furnace continued in use at Bedgebury for some time for the firing of clay and bricks, produced by the various workshops at Cranbrook Pottery; however

1125-437: The mill building and the later one set away from the mill. Both wheels were breastshot . Only the cast iron hub of this wheel remains, on a wooden axle of some 18 inches (460 mm)diameter. The wheel had eight wooden spokes per side. This breast shot wheel was 13 feet 9 inches (4.19 m) diameter by 6 feet (1.83 m) wide, with 48 floats mounted on a cast iron rim. This wheel drove three pairs of millstones by

1170-427: The miller was Richard Jones, followed by his son Stephen until c.1845, then Christopher and Henry Smith in partnership until 1870, then Henry alone until 1887. The mill may have continued to grind for Benhall Mill Farm after this date. The remains of the mill were demolished in 1964. TQ 618 349 51°05′26″N 0°18′41″E  /  51.090463°N 0.311403°E  / 51.090463; 0.311403 This forge

1215-469: The opposite bank before approaching the confluence. An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint ; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint. In the United States, where tributaries sometimes have the same name as

1260-407: The parish boundary of Horsmonden and Goudhurst. It was first mentioned in 1683, possibly replacing a fulling mill . Owners include George Culvin in 1716, Thomas West in 1725 and Edward Blackwell in the 1730s and 1740s. The mill had closed by 1755. TQ 735 456 51°10′59″N 0°29′01″E  /  51.183177°N 0.483485°E  / 51.183177; 0.483485 Marden, or Pattenden Mill,

1305-666: The river into which they feed, they are called forks . These are typically designated by compass direction. For example, the American River in California receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago River 's North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork; the South Branch has its South Fork, and used to have a West Fork as well (now filled in). Forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here,

1350-481: 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,

1395-475: The second half of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was let to John Dunnednoll in 1610 and in 1637 John Browne was working the forge - there was a dispute about the felling of wood for use at the iron works. George Browne was working the forge in 1657. The forge was disused by 1664, when it was then repaired, but unoccupied again in 1680. The furnace was recommissioned during the Peninsular War due to

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1440-418: The smaller stream designated the little fork, the larger either retaining its name unmodified, or receives the designation big . Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river and ending with those nearest to the mouth of the river . The Strahler stream order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third and higher orders, with

1485-432: The streams are seen to diverge by the cardinal direction (north, south, east, or west) in which they proceed upstream, sometimes a third stream entering between two others is designated the middle fork; or the streams are distinguished by the relative height of one to the other, as one stream descending over a cataract into another becomes the upper fork, and the one it descends into, the lower ; or by relative volume:

1530-511: The time of this work, and still exist today. They split the flows between channels and some are also gauging stations. Some of the former meanders of the Lesser Teise can still be seen within retained woodland areas. These provide a record of the natural character of the River Teise, as does the 4 km (2.5 mi) bifurcated section of the Greater Teise, which was left largely untouched. The Environment Agency measure water quality of

1575-421: The valley is some 140 yards (130 m) in length. the head available being some 30 feet (9.14 m)'. This furnace was first mentioned in 1574, when the owner was Thomas Bartell or Brattle. In 1579 it was leased by Henry and Thomas Darrell to Thomas Dyke, with Brattle having an interest in the property. In 1588 the furnace was leased by William Ashburnham and sub-leased to Thomas Johnson, a gun-founder. In 1596

1620-506: Was a corn mill on the Lesser Teise. It was a small timber-framed building of three storeys, clad in white painted weatherboarding. The mill was driven by an overshot waterwheel. It was run by the Hammond Family, firstly by William, who died in 1808. Then by his son William until his death in 1861. William Jr was followed by his son Henry, who died in 1892 and the mill then ceased working. It was demolished in 1912. The watermills on

1665-539: Was also owned by the Barham family. It was sold by Humphrey Lewknor to John Barham in 1521. It was leased by Christopher Darrell in 1573 and Thomas Saunders in 1610. The forge was last mentioned in 1642. The dam has been recorded as 120 metres (130 yd) long and 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) high. TQ 632 357 51°05′50″N 0°19′54″E  /  51.097254°N 0.331741°E  / 51.097254; 0.331741  ( Bartley Mill ) Bartley Mill stands on

1710-671: Was bought by William Benge in 1694. The railings around St. Paul's Cathedral were cast here. TQ 661 361 51°06′00″N 0°22′24″E  /  51.100016°N 0.373308°E  / 51.100016; 0.373308 This was a corn mill; the building survives today converted to a dwelling, devoid of machinery except the sack hoist. It was marked on Bugden's map of 1795 and the surviving building dates from c.1812 TQ 708 372 51°06′31″N 0°26′27″E  /  51.108518°N 0.440900°E  / 51.108518; 0.440900 This corn mill has now been house converted. It latterly worked with two waterwheels. The original wheel against

1755-411: Was built, the fourteenth century Mill House was dismantled and re-erected at Three Legged Cross, Wadhurst. The overshot waterwheel was some 12 feet (3.66 m) diameter by 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) wide and was carried on a wooden axle. it drove a cast iron pit wheel 10 feet 8 inches (3.25 m) diameter with 112 wooden cogs. A 5 inches (130 mm) square cast iron layshaft

1800-609: Was destroyed by the construction of the Hawkhurst Branch . TQ 730 347 51°05′07″N 0°28′16″E  /  51.085396°N 0.471101°E  / 51.085396; 0.471101 The site of the Furnace floor is adjacent to the main farm Buildings at Furnace Farm. The Furnace lies just inside Cranbrook Parish. The only Furnace in the Parish, it was owned by Sir Alexander Culpeper in 1574 and let to Sir Richard Baker in

1845-415: Was driven which powered at least two pairs of millstones. TQ 682 335 51°04′34″N 0°24′07″E  /  51.076041°N 0.402066°E  / 51.076041; 0.402066 The site of this ancient forge mill is now covered by the dam of Bewl Water. Chingley forge was built sometime between 1574 and 1589, when Richard Ballard was the tenant of Thomas Darell. Edward Pelham and James Thatcher bought

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1890-486: Was in operation in 1520, when it was leased by William Wybarne. It was still at work in 1667, the pond survives. TQ 6615 3596 51°05′54″N 0°22′24″E  /  51.098352°N 0.373295°E  / 51.098352; 0.373295 This furnace was built in 1695 by William Benge. In 1700 the owner was Samuel Gott. The furnace produced 200 tons of iron in 1717 and John Legas was working it in partnership with William Harrison. William Collins and George Matthews leased

1935-424: Was recorded as 50 metres (55 yd) long and 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) high. When the site was excavated in 1970, the remains of an overshot waterwheel 8 feet (2.44 m) diameter and 1 foot (0.30 m) wide were found. River Teise The River Teise ( / ˈ t iː z / TEEZ , / ˈ t aɪ s / TYCE ) is a tributary of the River Medway in Kent , England . The source of

1980-501: Was sold by Edward Culpeper in 1595. In 1597 Thomas Dyke of Pembury leased Chingley Furnace to Richard Ballard of Wadhurst, and his sons Thomas and Richard. The forge was powered by an undershot waterwheel. The sites were excavated in 1968/9 by the Wealden Iron Research Group. There is evidence that Chingley Forge was a hammer mill at some time, possibly as early as the first half of the thirteenth century. The dam

2025-625: Was sold by Humphrey Lewknor to John Barham in 1521. It remained in the Barhams' ownership until it was abandoned some time between 1629 and 1640. In 1574 Thomas Gresham leased the forge, and sub-leased it to John Carpenter. In 1610 it was leased to Thomas Saunders. There is evidence that the forge had an overshot waterwheel. The dam has been recorded as 65 metres (71 yd) long and 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) high. TQ 621 352 51°05′35″N 0°18′57″E  /  51.093074°N 0.315818°E  / 51.093074; 0.315818 This forge

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