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48-759: When the factory was built in 1925, there was no road access to it. It was located on the south bank of the River Wissey , and was also served by the Wissington Light Railway. This railway had been built in 1905, and opened in 1906, for the benefit of local farms. It left the Denver (on the Great Eastern Main Line , the Fen Line ) to Stoke Ferry Railway at Abbey Junction, which was located near Station Farm. The line then crossed

96-405: A ford at Hilborough. To the south of the hamlet is Hilborough Mill and the miller's house, dating from 1819. Most of the machinery is still in place, although the paddles are missing from the cast iron waterwheel. Further south is Bodney Hall farmhouse, which dates from the sixteenth century, with alterations made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are ancient fish ponds marked on

144-527: A medieval settlement near the river at Oxborough Ferry. It was mentioned in 1575, when the Commissioners of Sewers, meeting at King's Lynn, ruled that it should be cleared and made wider between Stokebridge and Whittington, and that the bridge at Stoke Ferry should be repaired. This bridge was contentious, as the Abbot of Ely lost the ferry tolls when it was built. He destroyed it, to protect his income, but

192-400: 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

240-400: 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

288-604: Is a river in Norfolk , eastern England. It rises near Bradenham , and flows for nearly 31 miles (50 km) to join the River Great Ouse at Fordham . The lower 11.2 miles (18.0 km) are navigable. The upper reaches are notable for a number of buildings of historic interest, which are close to the banks. The river passes through the parkland of the Arts and Crafts Pickenham Hall, and further downstream, flows through

336-449: 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

384-411: 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 ,

432-421: Is constructed of colourwashed bricks with a pantile roof and dates from 1700. It passes under a disused railway bridge, and continues to the east of North Pickenham, where the parish church of St Andrew was substantially rebuilt in 1863, but retains its earlier tower and north transept. At South Pickenham, the river passes through the parkland of Pickenham Hall, which covers an area of 139 acres (56 ha). It

480-455: Is marked on Faden's county map of 1797, and was extended in the mid-nineteenth century. Much of it is grassland with ancient oaks . 11 acres (4.5 ha) are laid out as gardens and pleasure grounds, leading down to the river, which has been widened at this point. A rustic oak bridge dating from the early 1900s links the gardens to the park. The hall itself was built between 1902 and 1905 by the Arts and Crafts architect Robert Weir Schultz for

528-542: The Wissington Light Railway , which crossed the river at the western edge of the factory. The site was then requisitioned by the Ministry of Agriculture who used Italian prisoners of war to refurbish the railway and construct roads to the factory. Three tugs, named Hilgay , Littleport and Wissington were used to pull a fleet of 24 steel barges, which were used to take the beet to King's Lynn during

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576-468: The A1065 road is Bridge House, remodelled as a pair of semi-detached houses in the nineteenth century, but still containing parts of the original leper chapel dating from the thirteenth century. Passing to the north of Mundford, the channel turns to the north-west, and passes between the lakes of Didlington Hall on the north bank and those formed by sand and gravel extraction to the south. Two sluices mark

624-462: The Army's Stanford Training Area (STANTA), which was created in 1942 by evacuating six villages. The water provided power for at least two mills, at Hilborough and Northwold. At Whittington, the river becomes navigable, and is surrounded by fenland. A number of pumping stations pump water from drainage ditches into the higher river channel. Although navigation is known to have taken place since at least

672-579: The Ordnance Survey map. The river then passes through a danger area, which is used by the army for training purposes. During the Second World War , the area was the location of RAF Bodney . The river passes Langford Church, a Grade I listed medieval building containing a monument to Sir Nicholas Garrard, which was designed by Christopher Horsnaile senior in baroque style in 1727. The windows are covered with corrugated iron sheets, because

720-629: The River Great Ouse. A guillotine sluice isolates the main channel of the river when flood water is diverted into the Cut-off Channel, and the river then passes over the channel in a concrete aqueduct. Close to the junction is a pumping station which pumps water from the river to the Stoke Ferry drinking water treatment works. The United Kingdom's first two-way enclosed fish pass was installed in 2012 to enable fish to negotiate

768-406: The banker G W Taylor. The previous house, dating from around 1830, could not be preserved, as it was found to be unstable during the rebuild. At Great Cressingham, the former manor house sits on the east bank. It is Grade I listed, and includes moulded brick monograms belonging to John and Elizabeth Jenny, who bought the house in 1542. Turning briefly to the south-west, Home Lane crosses the river by

816-533: The building is within the Army's Stanford Training Area . A tributary, which rises near Merton and flows through a large lake called Stanford Water, joins the Wissey from the east. The nearby village of Stanford was one of six evacuated to make way for the Stanford Training Area in 1942. Beyond the junction, the river turns to the west, and passes gravel pits near Ickburgh. Near the bridge under

864-497: The channel, which inhibits the free movement of fish in particular. Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), neither of which had previously been included in the assessment. [REDACTED] Media related to River Wissey at Wikimedia Commons Tributary A tributary , or an affluent ,

912-421: 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

960-563: The flood defenses, and reach spawning grounds further upstream. It was funded by the Environment Agency, while Anglian Water supply the energy to operate it from the treatment works. It is similar in design to many in the Netherlands, but the siphon has been modified to enable a wider variety of fish species to use it. Methwold Lode flows in from the south, and the river is then constrained by wide flood banks on both sides of

1008-458: The following 200 years. Much of the original timber frame has been replaced by brick. Associated with the farm are some ancient fishponds. The course continues to the west, passing the Grade I listed Huntingfield Hall farmhouse, again dating from the sixteenth century, but with nineteenth-century alterations, and then flowing along the northern edge of Bradenham. The parish church is separated from

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1056-451: 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

1104-525: The junction with the Great Ouse is the railway bridge carrying the Ely to King's Lynn line over the river. The river below Whittington passes through fenland , and is embanked to separate it from the lower-lying land on either side. Drainage of the land is managed by internal drainage boards (IDBs), and there are several pumping stations which pump water from drainage ditches into the river channel. Land to

1152-491: The largest village on the river, sits on a raised isle, some 66 feet (20 m) above the surrounding fenland. Its elevation has become more pronounced as the draining of the fenland has caused the ground to shrink. It was notable in Saxon and early Norman times for the large numbers of fish and eels found there. Hilgay Old Bridge still crosses the river, but the newer A10 bypass also crosses just below it. The final landmark before

1200-584: The location of Northwold watermill, which was demolished some time after 1938. The River Gadder, which rises to the north-east of Cockley Cley , and its distributary, the Oxborough Drain, enter the Wissey on its north bank. To the north of Whittington, there is a disused pumping station by the junction with the Stringside Drain, and the river becomes navigable. It is now just 7 feet (2 m) above sea level. The Stringside Drain flows into

1248-469: The main centre of population by the river. It is a medieval building, constructed of flint, ashlar masonry and brick, much of it dating from the fourteenth century, though parts are a little earlier. To the west of the village is a small sewage treatment plant, located on the south bank, after which it passes to the north of Holme Hale and to the south of Necton. It turns to the south to pass under Station Road at Erneford Bridge, close to Erneford House, which

1296-490: The name means "river" thus the name is tautological . Documentary evidence for the history of the river is scarce, compared to the neighbouring River Lark and River Little Ouse , both of which had a sizeable town at the head of navigation, whereas the Wissey does not. The Wissey is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was navigable from "Oxenburgh" to King's Lynn and Cambridge , and there are remains of

1344-799: The north of the river from Stringside Drain to its mouth is managed by the Stoke Ferry Internal Drainage Board. To the south, the area from Whittington to the Methwold Drain is managed by the Northwold IDB, and from there to the mouth is managed by the Southery and District IDB. They control a much larger area, and the southern border of the IDB is formed by the River Little Ouse . The "ey" part of

1392-780: The northern bank of the river, protected from it by flood banks. Below the village is the junction with the Cut-off Channel , a 28-mile (45 km) drain running from Barton Mills on the River Lark to Denver along the south-eastern edge of the Fens, which was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. During times of flood it carries the head waters of the River Lark, the Little Ouse and the River Wissey to Denver Sluice on

1440-469: 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

1488-475: The parishes of Northwold, Stoke Ferry, Wereham, West Dereham and Wretton. They were empowered to widen the river between Hilgay Creek's End and Stoke Bridge, with the cost being borne by local landowners. They could also levy tolls on anyone using the north bank, although they could only use such tolls to repair the bank. Trade continued to the wharf at Oxborough Hithe and to another at Stoke Ferry until at least 1858, and may have continued for years afterwards, as

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1536-442: 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. The water quality of the River Wissey was as follows in 2019. The reasons for the water quality being less than good include discharge from sewage treatment works, runoff of nutrients from agricultural land, and physical modification of

1584-407: The railway from Denver did not arrive until 1882. A barge called Wissey was operated by J Coston from Hilgay, which was known to have reached Cambridge in 1896 and 1898. In the 1930s, A Jackson was trading corn from Stoke Ferry, while one of the busiest times for the river was between 1925 and 1943. Wissington sugar-beet factory was opened in 1925, and until 1941 could only be reached by river or by

1632-474: The railway transport, three tugs, named Hilgay , Littleport and Wissington , were used to transport goods from the factory to King's Lynn and coal from King's Lynn to the factory in a fleet of 24 steel barges. The Ministry of Agriculture deemed that the factory was of strategic importance during World War II , and took responsibility for it from March 1941. They drafted in Italian prisoners of war to refurbish

1680-456: The railway, and to construct the first roads to the factory. River traffic ceased in 1943. After the war, the Ministry bought the railway in 1947, and ran it themselves. In 1957 they closed the lines to the south of the factory, as most sugar beet was by then delivered to the factory by road. Final closure came in 1982 when improvements to the line (by this point operation was between Denver near Downham Market and Wissington) were required. Some of

1728-497: The river from the north, just upstream from the A134 bridge at Whittington. This forms the present head of navigation, as boats up to at least 60 feet (18 m) can use the junction to turn round. Below the bridge, a wharf served the maltings owned by Whitbread in the 19th century. A footpath runs along the northern bank of the river, and is in good condition from Whittington to Wissington. Stoke Ferry, with its fine windmill sits close to

1776-666: 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,

1824-499: The river is now by pleasure craft. The river is a tributary of the Great Ouse, rising at Shipdham , near East Bradenham in Norfolk , and flowing for nearly 31 miles (50 km) through Necton , North Pickenham , South Pickenham , Great Cressingham , Ickburgh , Northwold and Stoke Ferry before joining the Great Ouse south of Downham Market , specifically in the small parish of Fordham . Its course has altered, as it originally flowed to Wisbech , which derives its name from

1872-520: The river, and historically, it has also been known as the River Stoke or Stoke River. The source, to the north of Shipdham, is close to the 260-foot (79 m) contour, and is close to the source of the River Yare , which flows in the opposite direction. To the south of the stream is Manor Farm, a Grade II listed building dating from the sixteenth century, although extended and refaced over

1920-402: The river, and continued for some 10 miles (16 km) to a terminus at Poppylot. The line was unusual, in that it was not authorised either by an Act of Parliament or by a Light Railway Order . The owners of the factory leased the line, and built another 8 miles (13 km) of track, which ensured that sugar beet could reach the plant in sufficient volume to make it efficient. In addition to

1968-506: The river. Wissington bridge is relatively new, as there was no road access to the sugar-beet factory below it when it was built in 1925. The road to the factory has since been bypassed, with the newer bridge providing more headroom than the old. At Hilgay , the Cut-off Channel passes very close to the river, with Snowre Hall, a 15th-century building containing some of the earliest domestic brickwork in England on its northern bank. Hilgay,

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2016-416: The site of the UK's first bioethanol power plant , the excess heat from which was used to heat on-site greenhouses that produced 70 million tomatoes each year; in 2017, the greenhouses switched to producing cannabis plants for medicine production. 52°33′01″N 0°26′58″E  /  52.550251°N 0.449442°E  / 52.550251; 0.449442 River Wissey The River Wissey

2064-418: 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

2112-606: The steam engines used on the line have been preserved. These being Hudswell Clarke No. 1700 'Wissington' at the North Norfolk Railway , No. 1539 'Derek Crouch' (also by Hudswell Clarke) at the Nene Valley Railway and Manning Wardle No. 1532 'Newcastle' at the Beamish Museum . The plant is now supplied by lorry, collecting product from 50 miles (80 km) radius. In 2007, Wissington was

2160-432: 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:

2208-480: The time of the Domesday Book, there is less documentary evidence than for other neighbouring rivers, as there was no centre of population at the head of the navigation. A sugar-beet factory was built on the banks in 1925 at Wissington , which could only be accessed by river or railway, and started a period of relative prosperity, which ended in 1943, when the first road to reach the factory was built. All use of

2256-412: The winter months and to bring coal in the reverse direction during the summer. Download coordinates as: 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

2304-488: Was required to re-instate it by the Hundred Court. There were wharfs at Oxborough Hithe in the 1750s, handling trade in coal and grain, and evidence of boathouses 1-mile (1.6 km) further upstream at Northwold. The only Act of Parliament which covered the Wissey was passed in 1814, and this was more concerned with drainage than with navigation. Commissioners were appointed, who had responsibility for drainage in

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