Eller Beck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eller Beck
Eller Beck just below the Water Street culvert, showing the overflow from the canal and some redundant sluices which formerly controlled flow to the mills downstream.
Country	England
Counties	North Yorkshire
Physical characteristics
Main source	Out Fell
River mouth	River Aire below Skipton

The Eller Beck is a small river in North Yorkshire, England. It flows right through the town of Skipton. This river is a branch, or tributary, of the larger River Aire. Long ago, in the 1700s and 1800s, people changed the river a lot. They did this to send water to power mills. Even though all those old mills are now closed, the river still helps make electricity. A special turbine at High Corn Mill uses the water to create power for the National Grid.

The Eller Beck also flows through several underground tunnels, called culverts, in Skipton. These tunnels can make flooding worse in the town. To help stop floods in Skipton town centre, a plan was made. This plan includes building two special reservoirs to hold floodwater. Work on this project was delayed in 2014 because there wasn't enough money.

Where Eller Beck Flows

Eller Beck starts from small streams high up in the hills north of Skipton. One of these streams is Black Sike. It begins on Out Fell, a hill near Upper Barden Reservoir. Other streams start in Bilton Ings, also close to the reservoir. These streams, along with water from a spring called Boiling Well, first form Waterfall Gill Beck. This then becomes Eller Beck.

The beck flows around Nettlehole Wood and Crookrise Wood. It is joined by Sandy Beck. Then it goes under a railway line that carries freight to Swinden Quarry. The railway bridge is about 560 feet (170 meters) above sea level.

The railway follows the river's path for a while. Owlet House Beck joins Eller Beck. The river then passes under two farm bridges and Tarn Moor Bridge. This old stone bridge was built in the late 1700s and changed in the mid-1800s. It is a Grade II Listed structure, meaning it's an important historical building. The river then winds through Skipton Golf Club. It's a water obstacle for golfers on the back nine holes! Haw Beck then joins Eller Beck from the east. Haw Beck flows alongside the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. Eller Beck then goes under the A65 road through two large round pipes. After this, it enters Skipton Woods.

The river in Skipton Woods was changed a lot to power mills for 200 years. A dam was built across the river, creating a long stretch of water called the Long Dam. A gate, or sluice, above the dam sends water into the Round Dam. From there, water went into a tunnel and a high-level channel called Sandy Goit. This channel used to feed a mill near the woods' entrance. Another stream, Sougha Gill, adds water below the dam. Further down, water from the old mill channel flows back into the river. This mill started in 1785 to make cotton yarn. Water power was used, but there wasn't enough water for two work shifts. So, production was slowed down. In 1825, the mill was made bigger and started using steam power. By 1882, some weaving was done there. But by 1891, the mill was no longer in use.

Eller Beck in Skipton Town

As the river leaves the woods, it runs next to the Thanet Canal. A narrow path separates them. Some of Eller Beck's water flows into the canal. But most of the water continues towards the town. It flows through a channel that is partly paved with stones. The pond for High Corn Mill is next to the river. Any extra water from the pond flows into the river.

High Corn Mill was first mentioned in 1310. It was the only place where people living in Skipton could grind their corn. They had to pay a "mulcture toll," which meant the miller kept some of their corn. The Earl of Thanet strongly protected this mill's special right. This toll was finally stopped in the 1800s. The mill was sold in 1954. George Leatt bought it in 1965 and started to fix it up. A new waterwheel was put in in 1967. Since 2010, the mill uses the water to power a turbine. This turbine creates electricity for the national grid. The mill building now has shops and businesses. It sits over the river with one arch. The current three-story building probably dates from the 1700s.

Below High Corn Mill, the river goes under a Grade II Listed bridge. This bridge carries the B6265 road at Mill Street. Then, the river enters the first of several culverts. These tunnels carry it under Skipton. It passes under Water Street. Then it comes out to run next to the canal. Old gates, or sluices, once controlled water flow to Mill Dam. This dam supplied water for Millfields Mill. In 1822, this mill made worsted yarn. Later, it made spindles for the textile industry. Mill Dam was a car park by 1979.

The river continues under Coach Street and some buildings. It even goes under an old chapel that became a fire station. Then it turns sharply south. It passes under the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It also goes under buildings and the A6069 road at Belmont Street. The Environment Agency has a special station here to measure water levels. This is near the Morrisons supermarket. The river then enters another culvert. This tunnel carries it under the supermarket car park. It also goes under Skipton railway station and the railway tracks.

Underground, Eller Beck is joined by Waller Hill Beck. This beck is also known as Wilderness or Skibeden Beck. It also flows partly through tunnels under Skipton. South of the railway, Eller Beck flows through a business park. It goes past Sandylands playing fields and the Waltonwrays cemetery. A final bridge carries it under the A629 road. After this, it joins the River Aire.

Stopping Floods in Skipton

Skipton has had floods many times. Big floods happened in 1908, 1979, 1982, 2000, 2004, and 2007. A lot of water comes into the town from Eller Beck and Waller Hill Beck. Both rivers flow through tunnels in the town. Eller Beck often carries wood and branches from Skipton Woods into these tunnels. This can block them and cause floods.

The Environment Agency created a plan to stop floods in Skipton. It was called the Skipton Flood Alleviation Scheme. It was estimated to cost about £9.7 million. The plan has three main parts. First, a reservoir to store floodwater on Eller Beck. This will be north of the A65 road. Second, a similar reservoir on Waller Hill Beck. Third, building flood walls in important parts of the town.

The Eller Beck reservoir will have an earth dam. This dam will be about 355 yards (325 meters) long. Its highest point will be about 46 feet (14 meters). It will be 13 feet (4 meters) wide at the top. The dam will hold about 124,000 cubic yards (95,000 cubic meters) of material. It can store up to 15.3 million cubic feet (433 million liters) of floodwater. A 100-yard (91-meter) tunnel will go through the dam. This tunnel will carry the river's normal flow. The bottom of the tunnel will have special parts to help fish move. Normal river flows will not be stopped. But very large flows will be limited by a control system. The extra water will then be stored in the reservoir.

The Skipton Golf Club was one of the main groups against the plan at first. The 16th and 17th golf holes would need to be moved. Also, three other holes would get flooded when the flood gate was closed. After talking it over, an agreement was reached. The golf course would be changed to fit the plan. In the town, three sections of flood wall will be built along Eller Beck. Near the Morrisons supermarket, a wall up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) high will be built. Another wall up to 4.3 feet (1.3 meters) high will be built on the other side. A third wall will be built near the Coach Street culvert.

In October 2014, the Environment Agency said the project was delayed. There wasn't enough money. The total cost was £13.8 million. The Environment Agency was giving £8.8 million. Other groups, like the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Craven District Council, and Yorkshire Water, were also helping. But there was still £1.2 million missing. They talked to many groups, but no one offered more money. Finally, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership provided the missing funds. They believed the project would help Skipton's economy grow. The local member of Parliament, Julian Smith, said the project would create about 500 jobs. Work started at the golf course in June 2015. The flood walls in town were built in the autumn.

Even before it was fully finished, the project won an award in August 2016. It was recognized for its excellent planning and how well it was managed. By January 2017, most of the building work was done. The project was expected to be finished by the end of spring.

Water Quality of Eller Beck

The Environment Agency checks the water quality of rivers in England. Each river gets an overall "ecological status." This can be high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. This status is based on several things. They look at the types and numbers of tiny creatures, plants, and fish. They also check the "chemical status." This compares chemical levels to safe limits. Chemical status is either good or fail.

Here is how Eller Beck's water quality was in 2019:

The water quality has gotten worse since 2009. Back then, the upper part of Eller Beck was rated "good." The lower part was "moderate." The chemical failures are thought to be caused by pollution from farms.

Points of Interest