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River Key
River Key, Purton Stoke - geograph.org.uk - 438519.jpg
Key at Purton Stoke
Country England
Counties Wiltshire
Physical characteristics
Main source Purton, Braydon Forest
51°35′11″N 1°51′57″W / 51.58639°N 1.86583°W / 51.58639; -1.86583
River mouth River Thames
Cricklade
51°38′22″N 1°51′27″W / 51.63944°N 1.85750°W / 51.63944; -1.85750

The River Key is a small river in England. It flows through the county of Wiltshire. This river is a "tributary," which means it is a smaller river that flows into a larger one. The River Key eventually joins the famous River Thames.

Exploring the River Key

The River Key begins its journey in a place called Braydon Forest, near the town of Purton. From there, it flows through a village named Purton Stoke.

Where the River Key Starts and Ends

The river then joins the River Thames. This meeting point is on the southern bank near Cricklade. It is just a little bit upstream from the A419 Road Bridge. The place where a river starts is called its "source." The place where it ends by joining another river or the sea is called its "mouth."

How the River Key Connects to History

The River Key has been important for travel and transport in the past. It was crossed by the Wilts & Berks Canal, which was a waterway built for boats. This crossing happened a few hundred yards south of Cricklade.

In December 2000, people started working to fix up the canal. They began to rescue the River Key Aqueduct. An aqueduct is like a bridge that carries water over another obstacle, in this case, the River Key. The river was also crossed by a bridge for the Midland & Southwestern Junction Railway. This shows how the river was part of important travel routes long ago.

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