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38-744: The River Medway in England flows for 70 miles (113 km) from Turners Hill , in West Sussex , through Tonbridge , Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent , to the River Thames at Sheerness , where it shares the latter's estuary. The Medway Navigation runs from the Leigh Barrier south of Tonbridge to Allington just north of Maidstone. It is 19 miles (31 km) in length. The Environment Agency

76-475: A draft of 4 feet (1.2 m) can navigate the river. The shallowest point is just below Sluice Weir Lock, which is prone to silting after heavy rain. Small craft such as canoes can sometimes travel as far as Penshurst . The stretch from Leigh to Allington is known as the Medway Navigation , and is 19 miles (31 km) in length. The Environment Agency is the navigation authority . Downstream of

114-458: A flood barrier was constructed downstream from Leigh to protect Tonbridge, which had been severely affected by the flooding of 1968. During periods of high flow, the flow is controlled by impounding the water and allowing up to 1 square mile (2.6 km ) of farmland upstream of the barrier to flood. However, this did not prevent significant flooding in Tonbridge in winter 2013–14. In recent years

152-570: A 400kV electricity circuit. There is no public access. The middle section of the Medway above Tonbridge, partly because of the various tributaries entering the river in this stretch – in particular the River Eden – has always been subject to extensive flooding . Tonbridge has suffered frequent flooding over the centuries, so much so that the higher part of the town to the north is called "Dryhill". Flood protection measures have therefore been taken. In 1981,

190-500: A bridge since Roman times. In the 14th century the Wardens and Commonalty of Rochester Bridge were instituted by Sir John de Cobham to pay for the rebuilding and upkeep of the bridge. Until 1963 the nearest crossing to Rochester Bridge was the 14th-century bridge at Aylesford, 12 miles (19 km) upstream. Since then the following additional crossings have come into use: Three other major crossings are at Tonbridge, where bridges carry

228-465: A draft of 4 feet (1.2 m) can navigate the river. The shallowest point is just below Sluice Weir Lock which is prone to silting after heavy rain. The draughts along the navigation are: Tonbridge to Yalding 4 feet; Yalding to Maidstone 5 feet 6 inches; Maidstone to Allington Lock 6 feet 6 inches. Headroom is 8 feet 6 inches below Tonbridge. College Lock, in Maidstone, was removed in 1899. Stoneham Old Lock

266-727: A west–east direction south of the North Downs ; at the confluence of the River Beult, however, it turns north and breaks through the North Downs at the Medway Gap , a steep and narrow valley near Rochester , before its final section to the sea. Until 1746, the river was not navigable above Maidstone. Below that point each village on the river had its wharf or wharves: at Halling , Snodland , New Hythe and Aylesford . Cargoes included corn, fodder, fruit, stone and timber. In 1746, improvements to

304-568: Is a song by local man George Gilbert; it was written in the mid-1960s and is often played in local folk clubs and at festivals in Kent. The River Medway is featured at Maidstone in the studio backdrop of the ITV1 regional news programme Meridian Tonight . At 7.15 p.m. on 1 May each year, local Morris dancers Kettle Bridge Clogs dance across Barming Bridge (otherwise known as the Kettle Bridge) to mark

342-450: Is the navigation authority responsible for the navigation. Until 1746 the river was impassable above Maidstone. To that point each village on the river had its wharf or wharves: at Halling , Snodland , New Hythe and Aylesford . Cargoes included corn, fodder, fruit, stone and timber. In 1746 improvements to the channel meant that barges of 40 long tons (41 t) could reach East Farleigh , Yalding and even Tonbridge. The channel

380-425: Is working for a commercial trade. See Medway watermills , and Medway watermills on the upper tributaries , the middle tributaries and the lower tributaries for more details. Medway scenes: Wharf A wharf commonly comprises a fixed platform, often on pilings . Commercial ports may have warehouses that serve as interim storage: where it is sufficient a single wharf with a single berth constructed along

418-651: The A227 road and a rail link over the river; there is also a two-span viaduct which takes the A21 over the Medway Valley near Haysden. The lowest crossing of the Medway are two cable tunnels between the Isle of Grain and Chetney marshes. These were built between 1973 and 1976 in anticipation of the commissioning of Grain power station . The tunnels are 1700 m long, 2.54 m in diameter and between 34 and 47 m below ordnance datum; each carries

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456-641: The Thames is given extensive treatment by Edmund Spenser 's The Faerie Queene in the 16th century (Book IV, Canto xi). Joseph Conrad describes the view up the Medway from the Thames Estuary in The Mirror of the Sea (1906). For the 1999 film The Mummy the river was filmed at Chatham Dockyard , in an imitation of a "port at Cairo ". The scene is brief but involves the main protagonists departing on their mission to

494-567: The Weald and Ashdown Forest . The major tributaries are: Minor tributaries include: Former minor tributaries include the Old Bourne River, which flowed through the Brook, Chatham (not to be confused with the main tributary River Bourne). The river and its tributaries flow through largely rural areas, Tonbridge , Maidstone and Medway being the exceptions. The Medway itself initially flows in

532-581: The staith spelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example, Dunston Staiths in Gateshead and Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk . However, the term staith may also be used to refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges. Quay , on the other hand, has its origin in the Proto-Celtic language . Before it changed to its current form under influence of

570-619: The Medway , in 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War . In the 18th century Samuel Ireland published an illustrated book about a journey up the river, to the River Bewl at Bayham Abbey. The book's map shows some of the tributaries (unnamed). The illustrations include the castles at Queenborough , Upnor , Leybourne , Tonbridge and Hever ; Penshurst Place ; and the bridges at Teston , Maidstone , Aylesford, East Farleigh , Barming , Branbridges and Tonbridge. The hop fields in

608-449: The Medway bridges (M2, HS1) the river comprises a sequence of tidal reaches: One of the channels on the southern side of the estuary, Stangate Creek, is the subject of a painting by William Turner . In a location described as "opposite the Isle of Grain , Sharpfleet Creek, and the lower-end of the Hope", a quarantine site for ships was proclaimed on 16 September 1709, during an outbreak of

646-518: The United States. In some contexts wharf and quay may be used to mean pier , berth , or jetty . In old ports such as London (which once had around 1700 wharves ) many old wharves have been converted to residential or office use. Certain early railways in England referred to goods loading points as "wharves". The term was carried over from marine usage. The person who was resident in charge of

684-621: The channel meant that barges of 40 long tons (41 t) could reach East Farleigh , Yalding and even Tonbridge. In 1828, the channel was further improved up to Leigh . There are eleven locks on the river. The lowest, opened in 1792, is at Allington , and is the tidal limit . The others are at East Farleigh , Teston , Hampstead Lane , Stoneham Old Lock (disused), Sluice Weir Lock , Oak Weir Lock , East Lock, Porter's, Eldridge's and Town Lock in Tonbridge . The locks will take craft up to 80 feet (24 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m), and vessels with

722-599: The city of the dead. The Maidstone River Festival, to celebrate the River Medway, running annually since 1980, is held on the last Saturday of July. It features events on and around the river and attracts thousands to Kent's county town. The festival was cancelled in 2012 due to the London Olympics, but returned in 2013. However, the 2013 event did not include a funfair or a fireworks display as in previous years, and lasted just one day instead of two. Medway Flows Softly

760-519: The flood-swollen river. In 1914 HMS Bulwark exploded while moored at Kethole Reach near Sheerness, killing 741 men with only 12 survivors. The following year HMS  Princess Irene exploded in Saltpan Reach with the loss of 352 lives. In 1942 the world's first test of a submarine oil pipeline was conducted with one laid across the Medway in Operation Pluto . The Medway's 'marriage' to

798-460: The land adjacent to the water is normally used; where there is a need for more capacity multiple wharves, or perhaps a single large wharf with multiple berths, will instead be constructed, sometimes projecting over the water. A pier, raised over the water rather than within it, is commonly used for cases where the weight or volume of cargos will be low. Smaller and more modern wharves are sometimes built on flotation devices ( pontoons ) to keep them at

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836-552: The lower Medway Valley; later Jutish burial sites have also been found. The Domesday Book records many manors in the Medway valley. Castles became a feature of the landscape, including Rochester , Allington , Leeds (near Maidstone), and West Malling . Two military actions are named after the river: the Battle of the Medway (43 CE , during the Roman invasion of Britain ); and the Raid on

874-769: The northeast and east of England the term staith or staithe (from the Norse for landing stage) is also used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in the Kingdom of Northumbria used the Old English spelling staith , southern sites of the Danelaw took the Danish spelling staithe . Both originally referred to jetties or wharves. In time, the northern coalfields of Northumbria developed coal staiths specifically for loading coal onto ships and these would adopt

912-466: The plague . The area had been leased to oyster fisherman, so compensation was paid to them. Nearly 150 ships quarantined there in the first six months of 1712, and the site was again used between 1721 and 1743. In 1918 to 1920, damages were sought for damage done to an oyster fishery in Stangate Creek. Until recently the lowest public crossing of the Medway was at Rochester , where there has been

950-580: The river at Yalding . At West Peckham , it is joined by the Wealdway which continues through Tonbridge, thus linking with the Eden Valley Walk. Maidstone Millennium River Park is a 10 kilometres (6 mi) walk from Teston Country Park to the Museum of Kent Life at Sandling . The park, built between 1998 and 2001, has transformed 18 acres (7.3 ha) of wasteland and three new footbridges have been built over

988-462: The river lies in East Sussex, with the remainder being in Kent. The Medway has a catchment area of 930 square miles (2,409 km ), the second largest in southern England after the Thames . The map opposite shows only the major tributaries : a more detailed map shows the extensive network of smaller streams feeding into the main river. Those tributaries rise from points along the North Downs ,

1026-542: The river. Ancient sites abound throughout the length of the River Medway. The area around Aylesford is a notable Stone Age site where the Medway megaliths are a group of Neolithic chamber tombs including the Coldrum Stones and Kit's Coty House . Bronze Age ornaments and beakers have been found along the river; other burial sites and finds come from the pre-Roman Iron Age . The Romans left evidence of many villas in

1064-557: The same level as the ship, even during changing tides. In everyday parlance the term quay (pronounced 'key') is common in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland, and may also refer to neighbourhoods and roadways running along the wayside (for example, Queen's Quay in Toronto and Belfast ). The term wharf is more common in

1102-415: The start of their Morris dancing season. Recreationally the river is used by many. For example, individuals and many clubs have paddling trips along many different parts of the Medway (e.g. Bewl Canoe Club). Individuals and club members paddling on the Medway and most other rivers should be members of British Canoeing . The Medway is said to divide the county of Kent into two parts: this may allude to

1140-407: The traditional county absorbed into London since the 1880s. The power of the Medway has been harnessed for a millennium or more. Waterwheels and turbines powered by the waters of the Medway and its tributaries have been used to mill corn , make paper, make cloth , smelt iron, pump water and generate electricity. There are over 200 sites on the Medway where such usage is known. Today, only one mill

1178-615: The two dioceses into which Kent has been divided since the year 604: Canterbury and Rochester. The tradition has grown up, and is kept alive by the "Association of Men of Kent and Kentish Men", that those born in West Kent – the area north of the river, but including Maidstone, Gillingham (other than Rainham), Rochester and Chatham – are labelled Kentish Men (or Maids ); while those born in East Kent are Men (or Maids ) of Kent . This labelling applies equally to those born in those parts of

Medway Navigation - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-427: The vicinity of the latter are also described; and the easterly River Len , which then supplied Maidstone with its piped water. The book states that Within about two miles of Tunbridge the Medway branches out into several small streams, five of which unite at the town ... having each its stone bridge . The Thames and Medway Canal , duplicatively linking the estuary at Strood to Gravesend for adverse tides and weather

1254-546: The village of Yalding , about 12 km downstream at the confluence with the River Beult, has been more prone to flooding than Tonbridge. The Medway Valley Walk follows the river from Rochester to Tonbridge along the bank most of the way above Allington . It starts on the Saxon Shore Way at Rochester. The North Downs Way crosses the river using the Medway Viaduct or motorway bridge. The Greensand Way crosses

1292-620: The wharf was referred to as a "wharfinger". The word wharf comes from the Old English hwearf , cognate to the Old Dutch word werf , which both evolved to mean "yard", an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard ( Dutch : scheepswerf ) or a lumberyard (Dutch: houtwerf ). Originally, werf or werva in Old Dutch ( werf , wer in Old Frisian ) simply referred to inhabited ground that

1330-465: Was completed in 1824 but was not a commercial success; by 1849 the South Eastern Railway had taken over its tunnel through a hillside. The western part of the canal remained in use until 1934. The Hartlake disaster of 1853 saw the deaths of 30 hop-pickers when a wagon carrying them crashed through the side of a rotten wooden bridge at Golden Green near Hadlow , throwing its passengers into

1368-583: Was dismantled in 1915 as part of a reconstruction of that section of the waterway. The locks on the navigation are as follows. River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England . It rises in the High Weald , West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge , Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent , before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness , a total distance of 70 miles (113 km). About 13 miles (21 km) of

1406-447: Was further improved to Leigh in 1828. There are eleven locks on the river. The lowest, opened in 1792, is at Allington , and is the extent of tides. The others are East Farleigh , Teston , Hampstead Lane , Stoneham Old Lock (disused), Sluice Weir Lock , Oak Wier Lock East Lock, Porter's, Eldridge's and Town Lock in Tonbridge (see table). The locks will take craft up to 80 feet (24 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m), and vessels with

1444-456: Was not yet built on (similar to " yard " in modern English), or alternatively to a terp . This could explain the name Ministry Wharf located at Saunderton, just outside High Wycombe, which is nowhere near any body of water. In support of this explanation is the fact that many places in England with "wharf" in their names are in areas with a high Dutch influence, for example the Norfolk broads. In

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