River Lyde (Hampshire) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyde
The Lyde River, looking downstream from the A30 Bridge at Water End
Country	England
Counties	Hampshire
Physical characteristics
Main source	Mapledurwell 51°15′21″N 1°02′32″W / 51.2559°N 1.0421°W / 51.2559; -1.0421
River mouth	River Loddon Sherfield on Loddon 51°18′46″N 1°00′31″W / 51.3129°N 1.0087°W / 51.3129; -1.0087
Length	6.2 mi (10.0 km)

The River Lyde is a small river located in Hampshire, England. It begins near Mapledurwell, where its clear water is used to grow watercress. The river then flows mainly north. In the past, its strong current powered many watermills. Eventually, near Sherfield on Loddon, the Lyde joins the River Loddon, which is a branch of the famous River Thames.

Journey of the Lyde River

The Lyde River starts from several natural springs. These springs are found in the chalky ground west of Mapledurwell. Almost immediately, the water flows through special beds where watercress is grown at Huish Farm.

Near the farm, the river goes under the M3 motorway. This spot is also where the Basingstoke Canal once crossed. The canal was built to carry goods, but it was not very successful. Boats stopped using this part of the canal in 1914. Later, the building of the M3 motorway completely blocked this western section of the canal.

After the motorway, more springs and drains add water to the Lyde. The river then turns east towards Priory Farm in Andwell. This farm was once the site of St Mary's Priory, a religious house from 1130 to 1391. Parts of the old priory are now part of the farmhouse. Another stream joins the Lyde here. This stream starts from a spring near the old St Mary church in Mapledurwell, which dates back to the 1200s.

The river then flows north again. Along its path, you can see old sluices and weirs. These were part of Andwell Mill. The mill building is still there. It is a large structure from the 1600s, updated around 1900. Today, Andwell Mill Trout Farm is located a bit further downstream. This farm raises and smokes trout.

At Water End, the river flows under the A30 road. It then passes a large park for mobile homes. After that, it goes under the South Western main line railway. Further along, near Newnham Lane, is the site of Lyde Mill. The mill house dates from the 1600s and 1700s. The river then winds through open fields. It flows very close to the River Loddon before reaching Hartley Mill. This mill was built in the early 1800s. The mill building and house are now one home. The water wheel is gone, but some old iron wheels are kept as decoration. Soon after Hartley Mill, the Lyde River joins the Loddon.

History of Milling on the Lyde

The Lyde River was very important for powering mills. We know for sure that three watermills were on the river. By 1873, all of them were used to grind corn. However, in the 1600s, there were actually five mills working on the Lyde.

The current Andwell Mill building is from the 1600s. Lyde Mill also dates from the 1600s. Records show there was a mill at Lyde as far back as 1086. Lyde Mill is in the area of Newnham. Newnham used to be part of Mapledurwell until 1178. Because of this, it wasn't mentioned in the Domesday Book, a very old survey from 1086. The Domesday Book noted two mills in Mapledurwell. One of these was probably at the site of Lyde Mill.

Newnham has had different types of mills over time. It had two corn mills and even a paper mill. It also had a metal foundry and two brick factories. It's not clear exactly where all these mills were located.

Hartley Mill was built in the 1800s. It is also a historic building.

River Life and Environment

The Lyde is a special type of river called a chalk stream. This means it has very clear water. Many aquatic plants grow in it, like water-crowfoot, water starwort, and water moss.

In 2009, the river's water quality was rated as "Class A," which was very good. The underground water source (aquifer) that feeds the river was also protected.

The river is home to several types of fish that are important for the area's Biodiversity action plan. These include wild brown trout, European bullhead, and brook lamprey. The river used to have many native white-clawed crayfish. But sadly, an invasive species from North America, the signal crayfish, has largely replaced them.

In 2009, a group called the Wild Trout Trust studied a part of the river. They found that the river channel near Lyde Mill seemed to have been changed. Its banks were raised to create more water pressure for the mill. We don't know when this happened, as there has been a mill here since 1086.

The river has also been affected by farming changes after World War II. Farmers drained land and dug out the river channel. This made the channel wider and more uniform than it would naturally be. This causes the water to flow slowly. Sediments can build up on the riverbed. Plants like bur reed and reed sweet-grass can grow all the way across the channel.

For trout to live well, they need different kinds of places in the river. The study found only one small section near the railway that was good for trout to lay their eggs (spawn). However, there were long sections above the railway that were better. These had shallow, fast-flowing areas called riffles with loose gravel. They also had low plants along the edges. These areas are perfect for spawning and for young trout to live.

The report suggested ways to make the river better for trout. If the gates (hatches) at Lyde Mill could be changed to lower the water level slightly, the water would flow faster. Also, cutting down some trees that block too much sunlight would help. The cut wood could be placed in the river as large woody debris. This would make the channel narrower and help clean out sediments from the riverbed. Adding large woody debris has been shown to create more diverse habitats for river creatures.

Water Quality Status

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. One is the "biological status," which looks at the types and numbers of invertebrates, flowering plants, and fish. Another is "chemical status," which checks for harmful chemicals. Chemical status is either good or fail.

Here's how the Lyde River's water quality was in 2019:

The main reasons the water quality is not good are changes made to the river channel. These changes were mostly for draining land and for the mills. They make it hard for fish to move freely along the river. From 2009 to 2013, the water quality was rated "Good." This was because the biological tests at that time only looked at invertebrates, not fish. Since 2014, fish movement has been included in the biological tests. Because there are big barriers stopping fish from moving, the river's quality has been rated "Poor" since then.