River Kent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Kent |
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The River Kent in Kendal
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| Country | England |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Hall Cove above Kentmere reservoir |
| River mouth | Morecambe Bay |
| Length | 32 km (20 mi) |
| Discharge (location 2) |
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| Tributaries | |
| River Kent | |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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River Kent near its source in Kentmere
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| Area | 109.12 ha |
The River Kent is a short river in Cumbria, England. It starts in the hills around Kentmere and flows for about 20 miles (32 km). The river ends in the northern part of Morecambe Bay. The upper parts of the river are inside the Lake District National Park.
The River Kent flows mostly from north to south. It passes through towns and villages like Kentmere, Staveley, Burneside, Kendal, and Sedgwick. Near Sedgwick, the river goes through a rocky gorge with small waterfalls. This part is popular with kayakers because it has exciting whitewater after it rains.
The river has been used for power since the 1200s. In 1848, the Kentmere Reservoir was built. This helped mills along the river have a steady supply of water all year. Mills used the river's power to grind corn, make bobbins, and produce paper. Even today, a turbine at the old Staveley mill uses water to make electricity.
The River Kent flows right through the town of Kendal. This means Kendal sometimes gets flooded. A big flood happened in 1898, and more floods occurred in 1954 and 1968. After the 1968 flood, new flood defenses were built between 1972 and 1978. These included making the river wider and deeper in some places. Even with these defenses, Kendal flooded again in 2015. New plans for better flood protection were made in 2018.
The River Kent is a special area for nature, called a Special Area of Conservation. This is mainly because it is home to the endangered white-clawed crayfish. It also has three types of game fish: salmon, brown trout, and sea trout. Since 1986, fish passes have helped salmon reach the upper parts of the river to lay their eggs.
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River Kent Name
The name of the River Kent is quite old and its exact meaning is not fully known. It is thought to come from an ancient British language, not from Germanic languages.
River Kent's Journey
The River Kent begins in the Lake District National Park. It starts as small streams that flow quickly down hills into the Kentmere Reservoir. This reservoir was finished in 1848 to control the river's flow for the mills downstream. Other small streams also join the river as it flows down towards Kentmere.
The river flows under Low Bridge and then through Kentmere Tarn. This tarn was drained in the 1840s to create farmland. This draining was a big reason why Kentmere Reservoir was built. The tarn used to have tiny algae called diatoms. When they died, they formed a layer of diatomite at the bottom. From the 1930s to 1971, this diatomite was dug out, making the tarn smaller than it once was.
Further downstream, the river passes under Ullthwaite Bridge and Scroggs Bridge. Then it reaches Barley Bridge, which is an old stone bridge, possibly from the 1600s. Near here, the Staveley Weir used to power a corn mill and a woollen mill. Today, the Staveley Weir helps create hydroelectric power for the Staveley Mill Yard.
After the River Gowan joins it, the Kent leaves the national park. It then flows towards Cowan Head, where a large weir once supplied a paper mill. There were also paper mills at Bowston and Burneside, each with its own weir. At Burneside, a channel from the mill used to power turbines to make electricity. Burneside Bridge was washed away in floods in 2015 and was rebuilt. The River Sprint joins the Kent near Burneside.
On the edge of Kendal, the river turns south. The River Mint joins it here. After this, a large lagoon was built in the 1970s. This lagoon acts as a trap for gravel that the river carries downstream, helping to prevent blockages in the town.
Kendal Town Bridges
Inside Kendal, many bridges cross the river. There's a railway bridge for the Windermere branch line, three footbridges for walkers, and five bridges for roads. Just before the railway bridge is a suspension footbridge, which was put there in 1993.
The first main road bridge is Victoria Bridge, built in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's special anniversary. Next is Stramongate Bridge, which has four arches and dates back to 1794. Parts of an even older bridge from the 1600s are still there. A weir is located just downstream of this bridge. Gooseholme footbridge was damaged in 2015 floods and later removed. A new single-span bridge is planned to replace it.
Miller Bridge carries the A65 road. This bridge was built in 1818 to connect the town to the Lancaster Canal. Jennings Yard footbridge was also damaged in floods and rebuilt as part of flood protection work. The river was made much wider here.
Parts of Nether Bridge are from the 1600s, but it has been made wider over time. The newest part was added in 1908. The last bridge in Kendal is Romney Bridge, a modern bridge built in 1993.
Lower River Journey
After Kendal, the river flows past the sewage treatment works. It then makes a big loop around an ancient Roman fort site called Watercrook. This site was used by Romans from 90 CE to 369 CE, and its remains are still well-preserved underground.
As the river continues south, there's a large weir that once supplied a snuff mill. This mill, now a Grade II listed building, still has its old snuff-grinding machines. West of Natland, the river flows through a small limestone gorge. Hawes Bridge, an 18th-century stone bridge, crosses this gorge.
Further down, on the west bank, are the ruins of the Sedgwick gunpowder works. The river then goes under Force Bridge. On the east bank are the remains of Basingill gunpowder works, another historic site. The river turns southwest and goes under a large bridge for the A590 road. It then enters Levens Park. As it leaves the park, the A6 road crosses the river on Levens Bridge, which is from the 1600s.
The river from Kendal to Sedgwick is popular with kayakers. It has exciting rapids and drops, rated as grade 3 and sometimes grade 4 for difficulty. This whitewater section ends at Force Falls.
The river becomes tidal soon after, widening into an estuary. The River Gilpin and the River Bela join it here. At Arnside, the Furness line railway viaduct crosses the river. The River Winster flows into the estuary just before the Kent enters Morecambe Bay. Morecambe Bay is a huge area of mudflats and sand.
Because of the tide and the shape of the estuary, a special wave called the Arnside Bore forms near Arnside. This wave can be seen during high spring tides. A siren sounds about 15-20 minutes before the bore arrives at Arnside to warn people.
River Kent's Past
The River Kent has a long history of being used for water power. Around 1800, wealthy people bought farms near Kentmere and tried to improve the land for farming. They drained the land, including Kentmere Tarn, hoping for good farmland. This draining, however, made the river's flow change a lot, which was bad for the mills that relied on steady water.
In 1844, mill owners decided to build reservoirs to control the river's flow. They hired an engineer, John Frederick Bateman, and a plan was approved by Queen Victoria in 1845. Only the Kentmere Head reservoir was built, finished in 1848. Mill owners who benefited from the reservoir had to pay a fee based on how much the water level dropped at their mill.
Old Mills Along the Kent
Many different types of mills once stood along the River Kent.
- Corn Mills: Low Bridge corn mill at Kentmere and Ullthwaite were early corn mills. They closed as roads improved and it became easier to transport goods.
- Bobbin Mills: Goose Howe mill and Scroggs mill made bobbins, which are spools for thread. Goose Howe mill was later demolished.
- Woollen Mills: At Barley Bridge, there was a corn mill on one side and a woollen mill on the other. These mills used water power until 1971. Staveley Mill, also a bobbin mill, is now part of Staveley Mill Yard, a business park. It still uses water power to generate electricity.
Paper Mills
Three mills along the river were important for making paper:
- Cowan Head: This mill started as a fulling mill (for cleaning cloth) in 1735. It became a paper mill in 1746. James Cropper, a famous paper manufacturer, bought it in 1854. It used water power until the 1970s.
- Bowston Mill: This mill processed rags and ropes to make pulp for other paper mills.
- Burneside Mill: This site had a corn mill in the 1200s. Later, it became a woollen mill and then a cotton mill. In 1828, it was turned into a paper mill. James Cropper bought it in 1886 after it burned down. It used water power until about 1970. Today, James Cropper PLC still makes paper here.
Kendal's Woollen Mills
In Kendal, the mills mainly served the wool industry.
- Dockray Hall Mill: This mill made dyed wood and woollen cloth. It burned down in 1824 but was rebuilt. Carpets were made here from 1850 until 1940.
- Castle Mills: Built in 1805, this mill made things like travelling rugs and blankets. It was a large mill, employing about 500 people. It used water power until 1940.
- Low Mills: This large mill had three water wheels and made horse clothing and woollens. It burned down in 1891 but was rebuilt and continued making woollens until 1924.
Snuff and Gunpowder Mills
- Helsington Laithes: Around 1800, an architect named Francis Webster built two water mills here. One polished local limestone, and the other was a saw mill. Later, one of the mills was used as a workshop. The smaller mill was sold to Gawith, Hoggarth & Co around 1880. They used it to make snuff. It was the last water-powered snuff mill in Britain until it closed in 1991.
- Sedgwick Gunpowder Works: There were two gunpowder mills at Sedgwick. Old Sedgwick Mill opened around 1770. It was located on the east bank of the river. The Wakefields, who owned it, made sure the Lancaster Canal came close to their works for transport. They moved to a new site in 1850. In 1857, the New Sedgwick Works was built on the west bank. This large site used water power from the river. It closed in 1935. After it closed, many buildings were burned or torn down to remove any explosive traces. The site is now owned by the National Trust and is part of a caravan park. You can still see the remains of many old mill buildings and the water system.
- Basingill Mill: This mill was built in 1790 to help with gunpowder production. It closed in 1935, and its wooden buildings were burned to remove explosives. The stone walls and water system still remain.
Hydro Power Today
Besides the Staveley Mill Yard, there have been other ideas to use the Kent for hydro power. In 2009, people in Kentmere suggested building a small system near Jumb Falls. This would have generated electricity to sell to the national grid, with profits going to community projects. The plan was approved in 2010 but was never built.
Protecting Kendal from Floods
Kendal's location by the River Kent means it can flood. In 1954, a major flood covered about 39 acres (16 ha) of land and flooded nearly 300 houses. In 1968, Kendal flooded again. The Lancashire River Authority then built a flood defense system between 1972 and 1978.
This system covered about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the river. The river channel was made wider, from about 66 feet (20 m) to 125 feet (38 m) in some places. The channel was also made deeper. Old river walls and bridges were protected from erosion. New walls were built, and some banks were protected with limestone blocks. A large lagoon was also built near where the River Kent and River Mint meet. This lagoon acts as a gravel trap, catching gravel that the river carries downstream. This makes it easier to remove the gravel and prevents it from blocking the river in town.
The new defenses worked well in 1985 during a flood similar to the one in 1954. However, in December 2015, Storm Desmond brought extreme rainfall. The River Kent and River Mint both overflowed their banks in Kendal. Nearly 2,150 properties in the town were flooded. The sewage treatment works was also flooded and damaged. After the flood, thousands of tonnes of gravel were removed from the river. In 2018, the Environment Agency proposed new plans for a £30 million flood defense scheme for Kendal.
To help control floods, some natural methods are also being tried. In 2020, work started in Town View Fields in Kendal. A buried stream, Dyers Beck, was uncovered and given a winding path into a small wetland. This helps slow down the water flow into the main river during heavy rains.
River Kent Wildlife
The River Kent is a special place for wildlife, especially for the endangered White-clawed Crayfish. This species lives in high numbers here, particularly in some of the smaller streams that flow into the Kent. The river is also important for bullhead fish and the endangered freshwater pearl mussel.
The river has plants like water-crowfoot and water starwort. These plants can form floating mats of white flowers in summer, providing food and shelter for fish and small creatures.
Fish in the River Kent
The river has many salmon, brown trout, and sea trout. The Kent Angling Association manages fishing in an 8-mile (13 km) stretch around Kendal. In 1986, special fish ladders were built next to dams. These ladders help fish swim past the dams to reach the upper parts of the river. Salmon quickly started using these new breeding grounds. Since 1989, a fish counter at Basinghyll has tracked fish moving through the river. In 2013, special passes for eels were also installed at Stramongate weir and Basinghyll.
Water Quality
The Environment Agency checks the water quality of rivers in England. They give each river an overall ecological status: high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. This status looks at the number and types of invertebrates (like insects), flowering plants, and fish. They also check chemical status, which is rated as good or fail based on chemical levels.
In 2019, most of the River Kent system had a "good" ecological status but a "fail" chemical status. This "fail" was due to certain chemicals like polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), and mercury compounds, which were not checked before 2019.
Projects are underway to improve water quality. For example, on the River Gowan, a tributary, work has been done to reconnect it to its flood-plain. These projects also help control flooding in a natural way.
