He Teme Catchment
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NRA Severn-Trent 68 HE TEME CATCHMENT NRA National Rivers Authority The National Rivers Authority THE TEME CATCHMENT The River Teme rises in the Kerry Hills THETEME'S COURSE England and Wales. in Mid-Wales from a small spring in The Teme rises as just a tiny trickle but Ten kilometres below Knighton, is Bryn Coch quarry at Cilfaesty Hill, 460 quickly it picks up more moorland Brampton Bryan, the first village in metres (1,510 feet) England on the Teme. above sea level and The castle here has a remains a top quality chequered history and river throughout its was besieged on a 1 22 kilometres (76 number of occasions miles), journey to the during the Civil War. River Severn. The River Clun joins the A very rural river, it Teme at Leintwardine. passes through only Its river bridge has been three market towns - repaired and rebuilt Knighton, Ludlow many times after and Tenbury Wells. suffering damage from Many tributaries join floods, it stands just the Teme, including upstream from the old the rivers Clun, Roman ford. Onny, Corve and Below Leintwardine, at Rea and larger brooks Knacklestone, is an Near the source of the Teme such as the Ledwyche, excellent example of a Kyre, Sapey, Leigh and Langherne. streams and has grown considerably by newly formed Ox-bow lake. The catchment area of 1,640 square the time it reaches the village of From Leintwardine to Ludlow the kilometres (633 square miles) is Beguildy 12 kilometres downstream. Ieme passes through a wooded surrounded by hills and the Teme flows From here it flows six kilometres to limestone gorge between Tatteridge out of the Kerry Hills past the Knighton, a busy market town of about Hill and the Bringewood Chase. The Stiperstones, the Long Mynd, the Clee 3,000 inhabitants, the Welsh name Downton Gorge is now a National Hills, the Woodbury-Ankerdine Ridge, Tref-y-Clawdd meaning the ‘ Town on Nature Reserve and a Site of Special The Suckley Hills and finally under the the Dyke’. This is a reference to OfFa’s Scientific Interest. Malvern. Dyke, the historic border between * m '’■‘-‘o o q ! Qi\/ 0 r t A * * T’GTion C enrrc • , a c O f f i c e t C IO * N o ------------------- --------------- 1 : sslon N o ..... j 7 he Na ti o n a I Rivers Authority THE TEME CATCHMENT On leaving the gorge, the river passes trade with the Teme driving many mills Eight kilometres upstream of Tenbury below Downton Castle, below which in the town. Wells, above Little Hereford, are the the ornate Bringewood Forge bridge Downstream of Ludlow, the villages of remains of a three arched aqueduct crosses the Teme. It was designed and Ashford Bowdler and Ashford which originally carried a canal that was built by Thomas Pritchard as a stone Carbonell face each other across the built to move coal, from the coalfields replica of the Iron Bridge that spans the Teme. At Ashford Bowdler, part of the at Mamble to Leominster. Completed River Severn. church of St Andrews fell into the in 1795, it was never used and the At Bromfield, north of Ludlow, the Teme in 1906, taking with it the altar, centre arch was blown up during the second world war. Just west of Tenbury Wells, the Ledwyche Brook meets the Teme after a journey around the west of the Clee Hills. On Clee Hill are several radar aerials, one of which provides rainfall information for use by weather forecasters and the NRA in the issue of flood warnings. Tenbury is an ancient town which was granted a charter in 1249. In 1839 mineral water springs were accidentally Bridge at Tenbury Wells discovered at Tenbury and were recommended for their healing River Onny joins the Teme and in the choir stalls and pulpit. There is a properties. The benefit of the waters town the River Corve joins from the working mill on the river here which were made available to the public but it west after draining the local beauty dates back to Domesday. was not until 1911 that any attempt spots of Corvedale and Wenlock Edge. Because Ashford weir is an obstacle to was made to popularise the spa. By Ludlow is a show piece am ong migrating salmon on their way then, spas had ceased to be fashionable Shropshire towns and in the Middle upstream to spawn, a fish pass has been and the building finally closed for the Ages was the centre of the British wool built here. purpose in 1939. 2 The National Rivers Authority THE TEME CATCHMENT The ancient stone bridge spanning the The Teme meanders on through the the Osebury Gap, close the A44 road river was improved by Thomas Telford Shelsleys, home to the world famous bridge. River flow is measured from a in 1814 and widened again in 1908. motor car hill climb, Shelsley Walsh, cableway just downstream of the bridge. The bridge forms the boundary which was established in 1904 and is A perfect example of an old established between Shropshire and Worcestershire. the oldest motor car race circuit in and mature ox-bow lake can be found Tenbury Wells, ‘The Town in the Britain. at Catheridge, five kilometres from the O rchards’, was built across the The fertile valley of the Teme and the confluence of the River Severn. The floodplain of the Teme and as a result flat wide flood plain from Tenbury to river cut through the neck of the loop has suffered from severe flooding for Powick made this major hop growing in the mid-1950 s, making it a valuable many centuries. A cableway used in area of Worcestershire. I he riverside and excellent wild life refuge, measuring the flow of the river can be meadows were hop yards until the late Interesting comparisons can be made seen a short distance downstream of the 1970’s. between the newly formed ox-bow at bridge. At Knightwick, the Teme valley Knacklestone and the 40 year old ox- Six kilometres below Tenbury, at narrows as the river squeezes through bow here. Newnham Bridge, the River Rea enters the Teme draining the waters off the east side of the Clee Hills and the town of Cleobury Mortimer. Just beyond here at Eastham is a three arched brick bridge, build in 1793, it has roundels in the spandrels (the triangular surface between the arches). Two bridges span the river at Stanford Bridge. The modern concrete one replaced an old single span pre-cast concrete arched bridge build in 1906 and at the time at 28 metres, was the longest single span in the world at that date. The old bridge is a scheduled monument. Stamford Old Bridge at Ashford Carbonell 3 The National Rivers Authority THE TEME CATCHMENT A further kilometre downstream the WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY Knighton has been burning since the Leigh Brook, one of the loveliest small Throughout its length the Teme is a end of October 1989, and gives cause tributaries enters the river after draining top quality river suitable for drinking for concern but has not affected the the Malvern Hills. water supply and capable of supporting River Teme. However, the Ffrwdwen Further on, the Teme passes under the game or other high class fisheries. The Brook which flows under the site is main Hereford to Worcester trunk road Teme’s tributaries are mainly top contaminated for several hundred at Bransford. Here, the road floods most winters and the nearby Fox Inn, regularly gets cut off by flood waters making it probably the most flooded pub in Worcestershire. At Powick, near the confluence with the Severn, the river once had its power harnessed to general hydro electricity. On the banks of the Teme near the old Powick bridge stands the world's first hydro electric power station. Built in 1894 and closed in 1925, the power generated once lit the street lights of Worcester City. The new Powick bridge carries the A449 road on to the Malverns and Powick Bridge beyond. This ornate cast iron bridge built in 1837 has two gaily painted quality rivers with only the Leigh Brook metres downstream. The NRA coats-of-arms on either side of the and Laugherne Brook falling to Class 2 monitors the situation closely. parapets. (water suitable for drinking water after The Teme is little affected by A kilometre further on the Teme enters advanced treatment and capable of abstraction and sewage works effluent. the River Severn, downstream of supporting reasonably good coarse It is now unusual for the reaches above Worcester. fisheries) for part of their length. Knighton to dry up naturally in a Near the headwaters, a tyre dump at prolonged drought. 4 The National Rivers Authority THE TEME CATCHMENT Most abstraction licences are from ofhigh flow, surface water sources as much of the Floods are recorded catchment falls within a groundwater back to the 14th licence exemption area. The small century. The 1795 number of groundwater licences in flood is the highest ever existence draw on sand and gravel recorded and at its peak sources located in the valley bottoms. over 2 metres of water Welsh Water take a limited amount of swept through the town, water from the Teme at Whitbourne In 1886 Tenbury was for use in Bromyard, the only place on again inundated and a the river where water is taken for public brass plaque near the use. Throughout its length however, altar in the parish the river is used by farmers for spray church records the event The weir and bridge at Ashford Carbonell irrigation.