River Arrow, Worcestershire Explained

River Arrow, Worcestershire should not be confused with River Arrow, Wales.

River Arrow
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United Kingdom
Subdivision Type2:Country within the UK
Subdivision Name2:England
Subdivision Type3:Counties
Subdivision Name3:Worcestershire, Warwickshire
Subdivision Type4:Towns
Subdivision Name4:Redditch, Alcester
Subdivision Type5:Villages
Subdivision Name5:Cofton Hackett, Alvechurch, Studley
Discharge1 Location:Broom[1]
Discharge1 Avg:2.8m3/s
Source1 Location:Beacon Hill, Worcestershire
Mouth Location:Confluence with the Avon near Salford Priors, Warwickshire
Mouth Coordinates:52.1549°N -1.8807°W
Tributaries Left:River Alne
Tributaries Right:Batchley Brook

The River Arrow is a tributary of the River Avon and flows through Worcestershire and Warwickshire in the English Midlands.

Course

The Arrow rises on Beacon Hill in the Lickey Hills Country Park in the Lickey Hills in the north of Worcestershire, and heads generally southeastwards to become a major tributary of the River Avon. The river flows through Cofton Hackett, it then feeds Lower Bittell Reservoir and flows through Alvechurch before reaching the Arrow Valley Country Park in Redditch. At the eastern boundary of Redditch the river enters Warwickshire and flows through the river meadows at Studley, and then on through Spernall and past Coughton Court, a National Trust property, where it is forded by a minor road, Coughton Fields Lane.[2]

The Arrow then flows through the small market town of Alcester and is joined by its largest tributary the River Alne. The river continues south through the village of Arrow where it still drives the waterwheel at the converted Arrow Mill, and then through the small villages of Wixford and Broom.[3] The river joins the River Avon at Marriage Hill, near Salford Priors, close to the boundary of Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Flooding

In 1998 the river flooded for the first time since 1956, spilling over its defences and flooding a large part of Alcester.

The river burst its banks again during the night of 20/21 July 2007, flooding about 112 homes in Alcester. It breached the defences by Gunnings Bridge in Alcester and a large torrent of water flowed through the town and flooded about 1feet deep at the bottom of the High Street and Stratford Road.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 54007-Arrow at Broom. The National River Flow Archive. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. 24 May 2013.
  2. Web site: Get-a-map online. Ordnance Survey. 14 June 2013 .
  3. Web site: Arrow Mill History. arrowmill.com. 14 June 2013 .