River Deerness facts for kids

Quick facts for kids River Deerness
Deerness near Esh Winning
Country	England
Counties	Durham
Physical characteristics
Main source	Tow Law 950 feet (290 m)
River mouth	River Browney near Langley Moor 200 feet (61 m) 54°45′46″N 1°36′19″W / 54.7628°N 1.6053°W / 54.7628; -1.6053
Length	11.6 miles (18.7 km)

The River Deerness is a river in County Durham, England. It's like a smaller stream that flows into a bigger river. The Deerness joins the River Browney, and the Browney then flows into the River Wear.

The River Deerness starts near a town called Tow Law. It then flows through the Deerness Valley for about 11.6 miles (18.7 km). Along its journey, it passes through villages like Waterhouses, Ushaw Moor, and Esh Winning. Finally, it meets the River Browney near Langley Moor.

Many smaller streams flow into the River Deerness, making it bigger. These include Stanley Beck, Crow Gill, Cuddy Burn, Hedleyhope Burn, Rowley Burn, Holburn Beck, and Red Burn. The whole area that collects water for the river is about 53 square kilometres (20 sq mi).

The name 'Deerness' is very old, even older than the Celtic language. It means 'rushing or roaring river'. Some people think it might be the oldest place name in all of County Durham! Recently, there have been projects to make the river cleaner and help fish move around more easily.

The River's Journey

The River Deerness begins as a spring (a natural water source) on the eastern side of Tow Law. It starts high up, around 950-foot (290 m) above sea level. The river flows through a clear valley, mostly heading east-north-east. After passing Esh Winning, it turns more towards the east-south-east. This is where it eventually meets the River Browney.

Soon after it starts, the south side of the river becomes covered in trees. You might also see signs of old industries, like air shafts from mines. The village of East Hedleyhope is on the north side of the river.

The Deerness Valley Path

Further along, the river meets the path of the old Deerness Valley Railway. This railway used to carry coal from mines in the area. It opened in 1858 but closed in 1964. Now, it's a popular walking and cycling path called the Deerness Valley Railway Path. This path is part of a bigger network of long-distance trails in Durham.

The old railway bridge over the river was taken down in the 1960s. Now, a simple footbridge helps people cross the river on the path. Near the village of Waterhouses, a road called Wolsingham Road also crosses the river.

Ragpath Wood

South of the river, there's a large wooded area called Ragpath Wood. This wood covers about 81.5 acres (33 ha) on a steep hillside. It's an ancient woodland, meaning trees have grown there for a very long time. During World War II, many trees were cut down. But in 1967, new trees were planted, including oak, birch, and various types of pine and spruce.

The Woodland Trust now looks after Ragpath Wood. They are working to replace some of the non-native trees with native ones. This helps the local wildlife. You can explore the wood on its walking and horse-riding trails. An old Roman road, called Dere Street, also passes through these woods and crosses the river. It used to lead to a Roman fort at Lanchester.

Bridges and Changes

The river continues its journey, passing under a road that leads to New Brancepeth. The Deerness Valley Railway Path crosses the river again here. Near Ushaw Moor, there was an old bridge that needed repairs. A new bridge, costing £1.5 million, was built and opened in 2018.

The river also flows under the path of another old railway line, the Brandon to Bishop Auckland Railway. This is also now a walking path. Finally, the River Deerness goes under the East Coast Main Line (a busy railway line) and the A690 road before joining the River Browney.

River History

Before the 1800s, not many people lived in the Deerness Valley. Most people were farmers. There was some small-scale coal mining, but things changed a lot in 1836 when the first big coal mine opened. By the end of the 1800s, there were over 20 mines, and the railway helped transport the coal.

In 1896, nearly 7,000 men and boys worked in the mines in the valley. They dug for different types of coal, as well as clay. In some areas, they also found special minerals like witherite and barites.

Growing Villages

As the mines opened, many workers moved to the valley. They came from different parts of England and Wales, and even from Ireland during the famines of the 1840s and 1850s. At first, there weren't many homes for them. So, the mine owners built houses, schools, churches, and shops.

Villages like Waterhouses grew quickly. They had gardens, a Miners Institute (a community center), a school, and a Co-operative Store. However, keeping things clean was a challenge, and there were outbreaks of sickness in the 1890s. Most of the mines closed in the 1950s and 1960s, with the last one at Esh Winning closing in 1968. As the mines shut down, many people moved away, and some houses were taken down, turning the land back into green fields.

Keeping the River Clean

Sometimes, when towns grow quickly, the systems for dealing with wastewater (sewage) don't keep up. In 2013, there were problems with sewage overflowing into the River Deerness. This caused pollution and was even linked to sickness in farm animals.

To fix this, Northumbrian Water built a large underground tank near New Brancepeth. This tank, finished in 2018, stores extra sewage and rainwater during heavy storms. This stops it from overflowing into the river. The tank is very big, about 217 feet (66 m) long and 98 feet (30 m) wide, and can hold a lot of water. After it was built, the land above it was covered with soil so it could be used for farming again. This project cost £2.6 million.

Old Mills

In the past, the river's flowing water was used to power mills. There were at least three mills known to use the Deerness. One was Bricket Tile Works near Ushaw Moor, which used the river's power to make tiles. Further downstream, there were two more mills near New Brancepeth: Sleet Burn Mill, which ground corn, and Primrose Side Mill, which was a bleaching mill. These mills were active long ago but had disappeared by the late 1800s.

Helping Fish in the River

Between 2012 and 2015, several projects helped fish move more easily along the River Deerness. Money for these projects came from the Environment Agency. For example, at Cornsay, changes were made to help fish get past a stepped culvert (a tunnel for water). At Ushaw Moor, a "rock ramp" was built over some concrete steps. This made it easier for fish to swim up the river to lay their eggs. Some old pipes that blocked the river were also removed or changed.

Scientists from Durham University watched the fish to see if these changes worked. In 2016, they put tiny radio transmitters on 16 brown trout. They tracked where the fish went to lay their eggs. The study also showed that herons (large birds that eat fish) were a big problem for the fish.

In 2017, the Environment Agency released grayling fish into the river at Ushaw Moor. This was part of a bigger project to add about 7,500 grayling to rivers in the North East of England. The money for this came from people buying fishing licenses.

River Health

The Environment Agency checks the water quality of rivers in England. They give each river a score: high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. This score looks at things like the types of plants and animals living in the river, and how clean the water is from chemicals.

In 2016, parts of the River Deerness were rated as 'poor' or 'moderate'. This was because of things like riverbanks wearing away and changes made to the river channel. Also, sewage discharge affected the lower parts of the river. The reasons for some areas being less than good were still being investigated.