River Trent - The Staffordshire Trent

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River Trent

The River Trent, the third longest river in England emerges at around 919ft(280m)on Biddulph Moor and flows for 185 miles (298km) eventually discharging into the Humber Estuary at Trent Falls. The limit of navigation is at Burton on Trent. Upstream of this the Trent & Mersey Canal provides an alternative for boaters.

Source

Biddulph Moor to Knypersley Reservoir

The new river starts life as a fast flowing upland stream passing through the millstone grit landscape. The river drops 100m of level in the 3km between the source and Knypersley Reservoir. The reservoir was built by Thomas Telford in 1827 as a canal feeder for the Caldon Canal.

Knypersley Reservoir to Norton Green

The reservoir and canal feeder influence the river flow between the reservoir and Stoke-on-Trent. In dry weather a large proportion of the flow of the infant Trent seems to be taken off to supply the canal system.



Having dropped a further 40m to reach Norton Green the river enters the city boundary of Stoke-on-Trent and the rural character disappears. This was a working river powering forges and mills.

Norton Green to Stoke

The river catchment has entered the coal measures with mining villages on the high ground and former colliery sites on the lower slopes. The Caldon Canal runs beside the river along the valley bottom.



Bucknall Park provides an unexpected public access to the river although the water quality may be questionable. Leaving the park the river is again hidden from public view as it approaches Stoke.



The river flows through Stoke leaving the city beside the A500 with a series of culverts and channels. There are no photographs for this section yet.

Stoke-on-Trent to Great Haywood

Leaving the city the river flows past Trentham Gardens. Due to effluent discharges the 5km below Stoke has the poorest water quality on the entire river.



It now adopts the character of a lowland river with dairy or sheep and cattle farming on the narrow floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills. The river used to provide cooling water for Meaford Power Station (1947-1990) whose cooling towers were demolished in 1991. The next major settlement, Stone, the ancient capital of Mercia, was a market town famous for its brewers, Joules and Bents.



The river follows a corridor shared with the Trent and Mersey Canal and the railway. The soils between Stoke and Great Haywood are mainly gley based alluvial types overlying Triassic Sherwood Sandstone and Mercian Mudstone.



The farmland is mainly used for grazing with estates at Sandon and Weston.

Great Haywood to Rugeley

At Shugborough the river is joined by its first major tributary, the River Sow with a catchment which includes Stafford, rural areas of west Staffordshire, and from its tributary the River Penk the northwest edge of Wolverhampton.




Passing across the northern edge of Cannock Chase the soils are typical brown earth overlying Coal Measures.




At Rugeley we find the first of the operational power stations that draw cooling water from the river. Rugeley 'A'(1963-1995) a 1000MW station was demolished leaving the newer 1000MW Rugeley 'B' station. Both stations were coal fired taking coal from the adjacent Lea Hall Colliery(closed in 1990).

Rugeley to Alrewas

Leaving Rugeley the river flows east constrained by the higher ground formed by the edge of Cannock Chase to the south passing through a narrow gap between Armitage and Mavesyn Ridware. The settlements on the south side of the river along this section are essentially urban and industrial in nature exploiting the underlying natural resources of coal and clay. North of the river the villages are relatively small and pastoral.



High Bridge at Handsacre marks the end of the high ground with Coal Measures to the south. The river now opens out onto a wider floodplain.



It is joined by the second major tributary the River Blithe near Hamstall Ridware. The River Blithe rises on the eastern edge of Stoke-on-Trent and is impounded at Blithfield Reservoir to provide drinking water for the West Midlands conurbation. From here up to Burton-on-Trent the soils are gley based alluvial.



The next major influence on the River Trent is mineral extraction of sands and gravels. This will be a major feature of the River Trent Washlands. The first major site is at King's Bromley where there are large gravel pits and a flour mill. The next historic crossing point is at Yoxall Bridge. Mean river flows measured here are 12.96m3/s or 170000 gallons per minute.



Flowing across the plain the river is joined from the north by the River Swarbourn north of Alrewas. Alrewas lies near the crossing point of the Roman Ryknield Street over the River Trent. A cotton mill was built in the village in 1793 to take advantage of water power and transport on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Alrewas to Wychnor Bridges

The Trent & Mersey Canal rejoins the river at Alrewas and shares a short section before heading north to Burton-on-Trent. The river and canal are constrained here by the high ground of Needwood Forest to the north.

A lock drops the canal to river level beside the mill stream before joining the main river channel. A weir allows the main river flow to be taken off.


Following the main river channel to the A38 beside Essington Meadows.



Further smaller weirs and sluices on the canal section allow water levels to be managed. Wychnor Lock marks the end of the shared river section.



There are three river crossings on the A38 (Ryknield Street) with the threads rejoining east of the road.

Wychnor Bridges to Burton-on-Trent

Amongst the gravel pits east of the A38 bridges the river is joined by its third major tributary, the River Tame. The River Tame rises on the northern edge of Wolverhampton, flowing through the Black Country and Birmingham before turning north to meet the River Trent.




Burton-on-Trent with its breweries is the limit of navigation on the river.

Burton-on-Trent to the Derbyshire Border

North of Burton-on-Trent the river is joined by its fourth major tributary, the River Dove. The River Dove drains the 'White Peak' limestone area of Derbyshire with tributaries the Churnet, Hamps and Manifold.

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