River Lymn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids River Lymn
The weir at Mill Farm, Partney
Country	England
Counties	Lincolnshire
Physical characteristics
Main source	Belchford 300 ft (91 m)
River mouth	Steeping River Gibraltar Point

The River Lymn is a cool river in Lincolnshire, England. It starts in a hilly area called the Wolds. The river begins on the eastern side of Castcliffe Hill in a place called Fulletby. As it flows, it heads southeast towards the Lincolnshire Marsh. When it reaches the edge of Great Steeping parish, it gets a new name: the Steeping River.

Near Wainfleet All Saints, the river gets extra water from the Wainfleet Relief Channel. This channel helps control floods. The old path of the Lymn also joins this relief channel. After the two channels meet up again, there are three special structures. These structures are like giant gates that protect the area from flooding by the North Sea.

River Lymn's Journey

The River Lymn starts its journey on the southern side of Belchford Hill. This is east of Belchford, about 300-foot (91 m) above sea level. It flows south, then east, until it reaches Tetford. In Tetford, you can see an old water mill and mill house. This building is very old, from the late 1700s, but it might have been built on an even older structure. The water wheel, which is from the 1600s, still works. The machinery for grinding corn is also still there!

After Tetford, another stream called Double Dike joins the river. The Lymn then flows south through forests. It passes west of Somersby and Bag Enderby. Here, a second stream joins the river. This stream starts on the eastern side of Castcliffe Hill in Fulletby. It begins around 280-foot (85 m) high. This second stream flows through a big lake and gets water from Holbeck Manor. Then it goes through Salmonby. By the time these two streams meet, they are below 130-foot (40 m) in height.

The river keeps flowing southeast. It drops another 33 feet (10 m) by the time it reaches the millpond at Stockwith Mill. After the mill, you'll find Stockwith Mill Bridge. The A158 road crosses the river at Aswardby Bridge. The old Aswardby Mill used to be just below this bridge. The next crossing is Sausthorpe Bridge, which is a small road leading to Sausthorpe. Here, the river drops below 65-foot (20 m).

The river continues east, going under the A16 road. This is between Spilsby and Partney at Partney Bridge. Near Mill Farm, there's a weir with a footbridge over it. A weir is like a small dam that controls water flow. After Spilsby, the river turns south. It goes under a small road at Northorpe Bridge and the B1195 road at Halton Bridge. This is east of Halton Holegate. Mill Bridge carries another small road over the river. By this point, the river is in the Fens, a very flat area. The river channel has raised banks on both sides to stop flooding. It crosses the 16-foot (5 m) height mark here.

The Steeping River Section

The River Lymn meets another channel with raised banks called Lady Wath's Beck. This happens between Great Steeping (to the north) and Little Steeping (to the south). At this point, the river changes its name to the Steeping River. The railway line from Boston to Skegness crosses to the north bank. Then it follows the river's path down to Wainfleet All Saints.

The next bridge is Clough's Bridge, which carries a small road over the main river. Just before this bridge, the old path of the Lymn separates from the straight Steeping River. This old path is now a drainage ditch. It is looked after by the Internal Drainage Board (IDB). Next, you'll see Warth's Bridge and Thorpe Culvert Bridge. Both of these roads lead to Thorpe Culvert railway station. The Thorpe Culvert pumping station, owned by the IDB, is just before the second bridge. After it, the Wainfleet Relief Channel turns off and goes under the railway.

There are two more bridges as the main channel crosses Wainfleet Common: Bycroft's Bridge and Crow's Bridge. Crow's Bridge is special because it has a rounded arch made of red bricks. It was designed by a famous engineer named John Rennie in 1812. Salem Bridge carries the B1195 road to Wainfleet railway station. The A52 road crosses east of Wainfleet All Saints. At this point, the channel is also called Wainfleet Haven. Both names are used until it reaches the sea.

The Wainfleet Relief Channel also has the B1195 road crossing it. Soon after, the Lymn joins this channel. Cowcroft Drain, which flows into the Lymn from the north, and the Lymn itself after this meeting point, are both important rivers. They are managed by the Environment Agency. The Croft Lane pumping station is also managed by them. This station pumps water from the Lymn into the relief channel. Croft Lane bridge is next, followed by the A52 road and the Boston to Skegness railway crossing. Then, the relief channel joins Wainfleet Haven again.

The very last part of the river has three flood protection structures. First is Haven House Sluice. A sluice is a gate that controls water flow. After this, the channel splits into two. Wainfleet Clough Outfall is on the western channel. This part of the river becomes tidal below the sluice, meaning the water level changes with the ocean tides. The Burgh Sluice Relief Channel is to the east. Burgh Sluice protects it from the sea just before the two channels meet again. Cow Bank Drain was dug in 1812. This was part of the last big project to reclaim land in the area. Cow Bank pumping station, owned by the IDB, pumps water from this drain into the outfall.

Below the outfall, you'll find the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve to the east. This area has sand dunes and salt marshes. It's a special place for nature, called a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar site. It's home to many birds like grey plover and knot. You can also find plants like brackish water crowfoot and insects such as the red-banded sand-wasp.

The Gibraltar Point Sailing Club is located at Gibraltar Point. The east bank of the river channel is used to tie up yachts. This part of the channel is now called Wainfleet Harbour. It crosses sand and mudflats to reach Wainfleet Swatch. This is an area of water protected from the North Sea by a sandbank called Inner Knock at low tide. The area south of Wainfleet Harbour is called Wainfleet Sand. It's a dangerous area because it has been used for artillery practice since at least 1890. It might have been used for cannons and muskets even earlier! More recently, it was part of RAF Wainfleet. Aircraft used it for target practice until the range closed in December 2009.

River Water Quality

The Environment Agency checks the water quality of rivers in England. They give each river system an overall ecological status. This status can be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor, or bad. To figure this out, they look at different things. They check the types and numbers of invertebrates (like insects), flowering plants, and fish. This is called the biological status. They also check the chemical status. This means they compare how much of certain chemicals are in the water to safe levels. Chemical status is either "good" or "fail."

Here's how the water quality of the Lymn and Steeping rivers was in 2015:

This table shows that in 2015, the Lymn and Steeping rivers had a "moderate" ecological status. Their chemical status was "good." Overall, the water quality was "moderate." The river channel is "heavily modified," meaning humans have changed it a lot.

River's Past: A Look at History

Haven House Sluice on the lower Wainfleet Haven or Steeping River

People have been changing the river's path for a very long time. This goes back to at least the 1200s! Back then, the river was moved south at Firsby Clough. Then it was moved east at White Cross Clough. This created two separate channels. The old channel went through a manor called Croft. It was used to get drinking water for cows. So, in 1240, people made an agreement about how to manage the water.

The water would flow along the old channel for three weeks after Easter. Then it would flow along the new channel for three weeks. This six-week cycle continued until Michaelmas (September 29). This arrangement was officially approved by the Court of Sewers in 1432 and 1501. It was still being used in 1774! The original channel is the Lymn. The southern channel has been straightened and made bigger to become the Steeping River.

Thorpe Culvert gets its name from a culvert that was built under the river. A culvert is like a tunnel for water. This one was built to drain water into the Bell Water Drain. The area north of the culvert became part of the Witham Fourth District in 1818. The culvert was built soon after. Later, in 1930, a new law called the Land Drainage Act was passed. This meant the Witham and Steeping Catchment Board became responsible for the drain. They ordered a new pumping station to be built in 1938. This station would pump water from the drain into the Steeping River.

The pumping station had two large diesel engines made by Ruston and Hornsby. These engines powered big pumps that could move a lot of water. They could pump 322 million gallons (1,460 million litres) of water per day when both were running!

Later, the Anglian Water Authority took over the drain and pumping station. They built a new electric pumping station, which started working in 1983. The old diesel station was kept, but it started to get old and worn out. By the early 1990s, only one of the engines worked. But a small group of volunteers started to fix up the station and engines in 1994. They did this at the request of the Lindsey Marsh IDB. Now, the site is open for visitors three times a year!

Thanks to their hard work, the old station was used twice in 2000 and once in 2004. This happened when the electric station couldn't work because of power cuts. During the floods of 2007, both diesel engines ran to help the electric pumps. The team of volunteers was led by Dennis Quincey. After he passed away in 2002, the Drainage Board renamed it Quinceys Pumping Station in his honor.

In the Middle Ages, Wainfleet was a very important port. A port is a place where ships can load and unload goods. Wainfleet also had a busy salt industry. They got salt from sea water. The town was much closer to the sea back then. But over time, the channel filled up with mud and sand. Land on both sides of the river was also enclosed. This led to the port becoming less important. Its job was taken over by Boston.

The channel, known as Wainfleet Haven, was still used by ships. But bigger ships had to unload their cargo onto smaller river barges near Gibraltar Point. From there, the barges would travel up the river to Wainfleet. Boats stopped using the Haven for business in the 1920s.

Places to See Along the River