Duke of Northumberland's River facts for kids
The Duke of Northumberland's River is a special man-made waterway in west London, United Kingdom. It's sometimes called the D. O. N. River. This river was built a long time ago to help power mills and water farms. It's actually two separate parts that connect different rivers.
The first part of the river takes water from the River Colne and carries it about 5 miles to the River Crane. The second part takes water from the River Crane near Whitton and Twickenham. It then flows through Isleworth and eventually empties into the tidal River Thames. There's also a special gate, called a sluice, that sends water from the river into the big lake at Syon Park.
Western Section of the River
The western part of the Duke of Northumberland's River was built during the time of King Henry VIII. Its main purpose was to bring more water to existing mills and to power new ones. These mills were important because they helped the Duke of Northumberland's family earn money. The river also helped water the fields of local farmers who rented land from the Duke. This was very useful because the soil in that area was thin and dried out quickly.
The Duke's family owned large areas of land in Isleworth and Twickenham for many centuries. They built Syon House in Isleworth, which is still their family home in southern England today.
Records from 1530 show that many workers were busy digging a new river channel from Longford. This was likely the start of the Duke of Northumberland's River.
This section of the river takes a small amount of water from the River Colne in Longford. It then flows south and east through areas like Stanwell, Bedfont, and Feltham. For much of its journey, it flows next to another man-made river called the Longford River. The river helped water farms and fruit orchards in Longford and Heathrow.
In 1944, when Heathrow Airport was being built, parts of the river had to be moved. Later, when Heathrow Terminal 5 was constructed, both the Duke of Northumberland's River and the Longford River were moved again. They now flow around the western and southern edges of Heathrow Airport. After passing under two bridges on Hatton Road, the river continues east. It eventually joins the River Crane in a wooded area called Donkey Wood, near Hounslow Heath.
Eastern Section of the River
This part of the river starts by taking water from the River Crane in Kneller Gardens, Whitton, Twickenham. It then flows east and north, passing by famous rugby stadiums like The Stoop and Twickenham Stadium. The river continues through Isleworth, originally to power its local mill.
From there, it flows onward to supply the beautiful ponds and lakes in the Duke of Northumberland's estate at Syon Park. There are more sluices (water gates) here that control how much water goes into the park and how much flows into the River Thames near Isleworth Ait.
This eastern section is actually older than the western part. It was built even before the Duke's family owned the land, more than 100 years before 1594. At that time, the land belonged to Syon Abbey.
The Duke of Northumberland's River is quite unique. It can be described as a branch coming off the Colne and flowing into the Crane. It's also a branch coming off the Crane and flowing into the Thames!
