Beeston Beck (Norfolk) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beeston Beck |
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Beeston Beck at Sheringham Back Common
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 Beeston Beck Within North Norfolk
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| Country | England |
| State | Norfolk |
| Region | East of England |
| District | North Norfolk |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Sheringham Woods |
| River mouth | East Beach, Sheringham 52°56′43″N 1°12′49″E / 52.94528°N 1.21361°E |
| Length | 1.437 mi (2.313 km) |
| watermills Sheringham Watermill(Paper & Corn) Total Fall meters from source to merger |
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Beeston Beck is a small river, also known as a watercourse, located in the northern part of Norfolk, England. It flows through the town of Sheringham and eventually reaches the North Sea.
Contents
The History of Sheringham Watermill
Long ago, around 1750, a special building called Sheringham watermill started working. It was used to process maize, which is another name for corn. Later, by about 1865, the mill changed its job and became a paper mill, making paper instead!
The watermill was located on Beeston Road. This road was even called Paper Mill Road until 1901, showing how important the mill was. The mill got its power from a large waterwheel that turned as water flowed over it.
How the Watermill Worked
Beeston Beck is a small and slow-moving stream. To power a big waterwheel, the mill needed a strong flow of water. To make this happen, there would have been a dam and a mill pond. A mill pond is like a small lake that stores water. This stored water would then be released to create a powerful flow over the waterwheel.
Today, all signs of this old engineering are gone. People believe the mill pond might have been where houses and gardens are now. To remember this important place, a special Blue plaque has been placed on a cottage wall on Beeston Road. The Sheringham & District Preservation Society put it there.
Beeston Beck's Journey Today
After passing the old mill site, Beeston Beck now flows behind these cottages. Then, it goes into a hidden tunnel called a culvert. This culvert carries the beck under Beeston Road and Beach Road. Finally, the beck appears again at an opening in the sea wall on the beach. From there, it flows across the sand and into the big North Sea.
Protecting Beeston Beck: The Sheringham Loke Group
In June 2007, a group of people in Sheringham decided to help care for Beeston Beck. They also wanted to protect its smaller stream, Sheringham Back Loke. They called themselves the "Sheringham Loke Group."
Their very first project was to clean up the beck. They organized a "Litter pick and stream safari." With help from UK RiverCare and equipment donated by Anglian Water, they managed to remove lots of rubbish. This trash had built up in the water over many years.
What They Found in the Beck
The group found all sorts of interesting things during their cleanup! They pulled out a broken skateboard, an old mobile phone, and a snapped fishing rod. They also found smashed pottery, several boots and shoes, and even scaffold poles. Plus, they collected ten big black bags full of other rubbish.
After cleaning up, the group did a survey to see what wildlife lived in the water. They were excited to find many different creatures! These included Freshwater shrimps (Gammarus), Mayfly larvae, and Caddisfly larvae. They also saw different kinds of worms and leeches. Best of all, they discovered Stickleback fish and several types of frogs, like the Common Brown Frog.
Gallery
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The Blue Plaque on the wall of a Cottage in Beeston Road, Sheringham, marks the location of Sheringham watermill (Paper).
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Beeston Beck's course at the Back of the Houses on Beeston Road.
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The Beck flowing through woodland on Beeston common.
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The Back common in Sheringham
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Until 1901 the Beck marked the border between the parishes of Beeston Regis and Sheringham.
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The Beck's outfall on to the east beach at Sheringham.
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