An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which generates income for its owner.
96-747: The River Blackwater is a tributary of the Loddon in England and sub-tributary of the Thames . It rises at two springs in Rowhill Nature Reserve between Aldershot , Hampshire and Farnham , Surrey . It curves a course north then west to join the Loddon in Swallowfield civil parish, central Berkshire . Part of the river splits Hampshire from Surrey ; a smaller part does so as to Hampshire and Berkshire. The source
192-495: A reed , as recounted in Ovid 's Metamorphoses - from which work he also draws the familiar plot device of the chaste female delivered from the unwelcome attentions of a lustful god by her prayed-for transformation into a plant or watercourse. He chose a variant of the name of this mythological river for its obvious similarity to that of the Loddon, which ran for part of its course through Windsor Forest (the much-reduced remnant of which
288-642: A 220-yard (200 m) bypass around weirs at Arborfield in 2010 – a project of the Environment Agency , Thames Water , the University of Reading , Farley Estate and Arborfield Angling Society, meeting the public spending commitment directed by the Water Framework Directive . This provided: Cain Bio-Engineering carried out the construction work and have claimed that the project constitutes
384-542: A benchmark for such schemes. In 2018, the first phase of a scheme to improve the river near Sandford Mill for fish was completed. Over the years, dredging of the river led to water flowing slowly through the enlarged channel, particularly in summer so the bed silted. Thames Water, Twyford and District Fishing Club, the Angling Trust, the Environment Agency and Wokingham Council thus felled trees to improve light, used
480-519: A brick culvert under the embankment, but major reconstruction took place over the winter of 1994-95 as part of a project to route the A331 road along the river valley. Because bats were known to roost in the culvert, a new home for them was built on a nearby island. The central section of the embankment was then removed and replaced with a three-span aqueduct , with a centre span of 130 feet (40 m) and two side spans of 56 feet (17 m) each. The structure
576-484: A gas works and railway sidings, but is now known as Blackwater Park, as far as the A30 road bridge. The small town of Blackwater is on the left bank and Camberley sewage treatment works is on the right bank at York Town. This was the cause of a serious pollution incident in 2012, when a malfunction resulted in partially treated effluent released, contaminating the river for 1 mile (1.6 km) downstream. This resulted in fish in
672-626: A hotel since 1968). Two fields north, the flow is more than doubled by the Blackwater . After many fields and a little woodland the A327 takes Arborfield Bridge on which sits that house that served as Arborfield Paper Mill, out of production by 1899. To left are meadows and woodland, to right fields. The M4 bridge follows. After 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) of meadows (and the main outlet of Barkham Brook having meandered north from Barkham ), Mill Lane crosses by Sindlesham Mill, extended to north to make
768-451: A lane; rectory gardens/fields; Stratfield Saye church; and the ornamental grounds of Stratfield Saye House , the home of every Duke of Wellington since the first received that highest ennoblement in 1817 for leading in the Battle of Waterloo . In the park is a cast iron grade II* listed bridge of Thomas Wilson, 1802, design. Two-arch, thick-buttressed, Stanfordend Bridge – under which
864-452: A many-roomed hotel – in centuries past milling grain into flour. The meadows and those below abut the eastern suburbs of Berkshire : Earley and, downstream, Woodley , between which places and Winnersh five road bridges and a rail bridge stand. The largest bridge carries the A3290, and has a construction defect, of 1972, see A329(M) motorway and Loddon Bridge disaster . The course
960-497: A nature reserve to the south-west of Aldershot. The 55-acre (22 ha) site contains a range of habitats, its estate once produced timber and bricks. The river curves east-south-east , passing under the railway line to Aldershot station, between two lakes, under Badshot Lea Road and past some more lakes, which form part of Tice's Meadow nature reserve, a hop farm from 1851 until 1958, after which 140 acres (57 ha) were quarried by Hanson Aggregates between 1998 and 2010. The site
1056-512: A new garden escape, except that there is no garden. how so ornamental a plant, growing in so public a place, could have escaped the prying eyes of the many Botanists who have resided in London for such a length of time. A 2.5-mile (4.0 km) stretch of the Loddon near Stanford End Mill , together with the adjacent hay meadows, which are periodically waterlogged, is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Loddon has been part of
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#17331071072711152-408: A section of Twyford Brook was culverted, to allow the buildings to extend onto land between the brook and the Loddon (ex-marsh). The owners became bankrupt in the 1990s, and in 2001 the site was redeveloped for housing. Much of the building has four storeys, as did the pre-1976 building with cosmetic features to hark back to the forerunners. Sandford Mill was used for milling feed for animals until
1248-399: A silk mill was built in 1810. Silk worms thrive on mulberry trees. Queen Elizabeth I encouraged planting of them in her reign. The Wokingham area was known for its production of silk stockings, and the turn-of-the 19th century brothers, Thomas and George Billing from Macclesfield sought out a profitable business of processing. The spun silk was woven on looms set up in cottages, and for
1344-747: A soft, silver Stream dissolv'd away. The silver Stream her Virgin Coldness keeps, For ever murmurs, and for ever weeps; Still bears the Name the hapless Virgin bore, And bathes the Forest where she rang'd before... The watry Landskip of the pendant Woods, And absent Trees that tremble in the Floods... The Loddon slow, with verdant alders crown'd... Extracts from Windsor Forest by Alexander Pope The amiable and erudite Thomas Warton , negligent clergyman but diligent poet, spent much of his childhood beside
1440-424: A tenant called William Banastre. When a dower was assigned to Ella de Bradeston in 1374, to provide for her should she become widowed, there was only one mill, which was ruined by 1435. There is no subsequent mention of a mill in the records of the manor. New Mill at Eversley dates in part from the 15th century, with 17th, 19th and 20th century alterations and additions. It is powered by an undershot water wheel, in
1536-488: A water wheel to generate its power, and was owned by the Reading-based Simmonds family, who were involved in banking and brewing. Later, it was acquired by Garfield Weston, and produced flour for the biscuit manufacturer Huntley & Palmers until the 1960s. It is now part of a hotel. Milling had been performed at Arborfield since at least 1500, as foundations dating to that time were discovered in 1953. The mill
1632-410: A while they were reasonably successful with labour costs kept down, employing children who should have been at Polehampton School. The law liberalised to allow silk to be imported more freely from France, and only mills equipped with up-to-date equipment could compete. Thomas died in 1824. The mill was sold to become a flour mill soon after. The wooden building was burnt down in a fire in 1891. A new mill
1728-400: Is Hollybush Park, an ex-sand quarry and deep-set landfill, now an attractive grassland with wild flowers. The lakes to the north were the subject of a Planning Enquiry in 2020, to build 21 floating holiday homes and an equestrian centre. The tree-lined river path is hemmed in by railways, roads, and small lakes and is crossed by the railway line to Farnborough station, continuing north close to
1824-521: Is Sandford Mill, a corn mill in 1873 which was disused by the 1960s. In fields west of Hurst : After the lakes the flows are crossed by the Great Western Main Line railway. Northwest is Charvil Country Park, amid the flows is Loddon Nature Reserve and northeast is Twyford , its Flour Mill at Silk Lane replaced by commercial blocks above which it received the Broadwater or Twyford Brook ,
1920-460: Is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest due to rare populations of bulbs and pondweed. Improvements made to the river under the Water Framework Directive , have included the installation of a fish bypass at Arborfield Mill for migratory species including salmon. The Loddon rises at West Ham Farm, and two springs north of Bramblys Drive, in Basingstoke, and in its first mile flows under
2016-633: Is a large control structure at the outlet of the Lower Lake, impassable to fish, and then a series of high weirs of that status. Below the grounds of the Academy, the stream flows in a culvert under a car park for a retail outlet, and several more culverts under roads to reach the Blackwater. The confluence used to be the point at the three-county tripoint , but when the Blackwater Valley road was built in 1990,
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#17331071072712112-545: Is a listed building. The mill at Stanfordend, to the north of Stratfield Saye Park, has been disused since the 1930s. Power was generated by the use of three turbines, rather than a water wheel. It is owned by the Duke of Wellington's estate, who had plans in 2000 to restore it to working condition. Hartley Mill, on the Lyde just above its junction with the Loddon, is now a residence, but the water wheel has been retained, and can be seen from
2208-540: Is a nationally important habitat for dragonfly and damselfly . The stream then flows through the grounds of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , entering Bathing Pool, and then passing through a series of engineered ponds and weirs, which create a significant obstacle to the movement of fish, to reach the Lower Lake. This is also supplied with water from the Upper Lake, to the south of the stream. There
2304-465: Is clearly shown on a map produced in 1790 by Thomas Pride, and on an Enclosure Map for Swallowfield, produced in 1817 and held at the Berkshire Record Office . Further evidence for the use of the river was the death of John Alfred Dymott in 1917, who drowned after falling out of a punt, moving materials. He often performed such duties, here assisting the estate carpenter to erect fencing near
2400-650: Is locally rare heath within the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area, due to the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area . After 20 miles (32 km) the Blackwater is joined by the Whitewater near Eversley. The river gives its name to the town of Blackwater , extending back from the bank facing Camberley , and the wider urban area including Aldershot, Farnborough, and Camberley is sometimes collectively referred to as
2496-641: Is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Naturalists Trust. The rest is managed by Bracknell Forest Council, Shepherd Meadows. The river is crossed by a small part of the Basingstoke Canal SSSI, which supports the widest variety of aquatic species in England. The Valley is the key verdant buffer zone and park amenity for local residents. As well as the SSSIs, there are three nature reserves. Much of
2592-491: Is now known as Windsor Great Park ). He makes a further connection between the then royal protectress of Windsor, Queen Anne , and the goddess Diana , protectress of the Arcadian woods and the nymphs who dwelt in them. The personal, yet classically inspired mythology that Pope creates for his poem fables that Diana and her attendant nymphs once roamed the 'Windsor shade': Here, as old Bards have sung, Diana stray'd Bath'd in
2688-418: Is then in the west part of Dinton Pastures Country Park . To east are vast lakes, from gravel and sand extraction, started modestly in the 19th century, ramped up in the 1960s and 70s. The near, long resultant lake is White Swan Lake. By the late 1970s, these were exhausted and left stopped up to flood, so Wokingham Borough Council could take ownership and create the country park. Shortly after Dinton Pastures
2784-592: The A331 , until it reaches junction 4 on the M3 motorway . After the M3 junction, the river is joined by Cove Brook , which starts as a series of streams near Farnborough Airport and flows northwards. For much of its route it is bordered by housing on both sides, but then passes beneath the North Downs railway line to reach the junction. The tree-lined section immediately afterwards was once
2880-615: The Festival Place shopping centre of the town centre. The main bus station takes up where the wharf stood by what is no longer the Basingstoke Canal , its westernmost three miles having been filled in. The river emerges again in Eastrop Park , where it runs alongside Eastrop Way which supersedes the disused canal reach, on the park stood Basingstoke Corn Mill in 1873, but by 1932 it was called Vince's Farm, mill buildings still spanning
2976-547: The Lyde joins, flowing from east of Old Basing. At Sherfield on Loddon , Longbridge Mill stands above Long Bridge of the main road to Reading, Berkshire . North, the river is joined the Bow Brook . The two flows sandwich the north half of Sherfield. Bow Brook rises about the same distance as the Loddon's source, but west, as four streams around Pamber End . The Loddon then passes: Lilly Mill, Lilly Mill Farm; fields; Broadford Bridge for
River Blackwater (River Loddon) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-517: The Royal Parks if owned by the royal family. The ownership of these estates for hunting was in practice strictly restricted until the 19th century when legal changes to game hunting meant the nobility, gentry and other wealthy families could purchase land for the purposes of hunting. At the administrative centre of these sporting estates is usually a sporting lodge . These are also often known as shooting or hunting estates. In modern British English ,
3168-493: The South West Main Line . The house that was Old Basing Mill, a corn mill in 1932, Barton's Mill, is 95 metres north. Early 20th century watercress beds continued just north. A suburban hill road with access to a wooded east Basingstoke neighbourhood and key roads of Old Basing are linked by a brick, three-arch bridge of three arches over the Loddon; funded by public subscription, it opened in 1826. Immediately below,
3264-477: The United Kingdom , historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, tenanted buildings, and natural resources (such as woodland) that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house , mansion , palace or castle . It is the modern term for a manor , but lacks a manor's now-abolished jurisdiction. The "estate" formed an economic system where
3360-464: The 1950s, and was powered by two waterwheels. It is known to have existed during the English Civil War , as it was mentioned in reports. Following a period of disuse, it has been converted into a residence. The main structure of Sindlesham Mill dates from the late 1800s, but it may incorporate part of an earlier structure, as some of the timbers are much older than that. It used a turbine rather than
3456-399: The 1:2500 calls it as in general at each end and Broadwater in the middle, reflecting local broadening. This last option was the convention in the 1899 (forerunner) map at that scale. The river runs along the centre of the Blackwater Valley, which is maintained as a largely tree-planted open space, with some bog, marsh and water-meadows. It runs for approximately 22.5 miles (36 km) from
3552-454: The Arborfield estate, one of which still exists, one near Mill Lane at Sindlesham, and another at Woodley, near to Colmansmoor Lane. Other evidence includes postcards in the collection at Reading Local Studies Library, which show a punt at Twyford and rowing boats at Sindlesham Mill and Arborfield Hall. Old postcards also show that The George public house at Winnersh used to have rowing boats on
3648-470: The Blackwater Valley. This article reverses the term found by Ordnance Survey mapmakers, old and continued there, Blackwater River . A stretch west of Finchampstead is called Long Water in 1897 and on recent maps. The adjacent final section from the Whitewater to the Loddon is known by alternative names. In Ordnance Survey maps: the 1:50,000 calls it as in general; the 1:25,000 calls it (the) Broadwater ;
3744-438: The Blackwater and one at Wargrave. The Environment Agency measure water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares
3840-496: The Loddon enters its second and last county, Berkshire – marks the northern end of the park, against a skirting of woodland and is likewise listed . It bears the date 1787. Its namesake flour mill lay north, disused by 1961. Past fields and scattered copses the river undershoots: the A33 road (bypassing Swallowfield ), the lane borne by King's Bridge, then the bridge of Basingstoke Road next to Sheepbridge Mill (a corn mill in 1872,
3936-509: The Loddon, near its sources in Basingstoke, for the infant Loddon then flowed through the grounds of the Parsonage House that belonged the living of the Vicar of Basingstoke, an incumbency filled by his father, Thomas Warton the elder from 1723 until his death in 1745. The 300-line poem The Pleasures of Melancholy , written by the precocious younger Warton at the age of just seventeen, contains
River Blackwater (River Loddon) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-509: The River Loddon. There is clear evidence for one watermill on the Blackwater, but when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086 there were four mills in the locality. The manors of Little Bramshill and Great Bramshill had one each, while there were two in the manor of Eversley. By 1237, the manor of Eversley was owned by William de Wauton, who mentioned a mill pond in an agreement he made with
4128-570: The SSSI since 1986. The meadows are cut for hay in July then grazed by cattle until the end of the year. This cycle has resulted in an increase in numbers of the snake's head fritillary ( Fritillaria meleagris ), another flowering bulb, which thrives in damp meadows when not regularly cut short by cutting. The river is included for its mainstay population of Loddon pondweed ( Potamogeton nodosus ). The River Loddon has an identifiable array of fish, differing from
4224-627: The Shepherds Meadow SSSI suffocating and dying. Thames Water upgraded the works after the incident. To the north of the bridge, the river is joined by the Wish Stream demarcating Surrey and Berkshire. This rises at Wishmoor Cross, in a danger area with restricted access, and flows to the south west along Wishmoor Bottom, a pineferous wood-lined, boggy ravine. It is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its populations of Dartford warbler , nightjar and woodlark , and
4320-684: The Springs, or sought the cooling Shade; Here arm'd with Silver Bows, in early Dawn, Her buskin 'd Virgins trac'd the Dewy Lawn . Above the rest a rural nymph was fam'd, Thy Offspring, Thames! the fair Lodona nam'd... Pan saw and lov'd, and furious with Desire Pursu'd her Flight; her Flight increas'd his Fire ... Let me, O let me, to the Shades repair, "My native Shades — there weep, and murmur there. She said, and melting as in Tears she lay, In
4416-516: The Thames at Wargrave in Berkshire . Together, the Loddon and its tributaries drain an area of 400 square miles (1,036 km ). The river had many active mills , and has many remnants of flow modifications by the building up of mill pond reaches with weirs and sluices and the adjacent mill races (also called leats) . Most of these used wheels to generate their power – two used water turbines. One
4512-511: The assessment. Named for the river Loddon is the Loddon lily, Leucojum aestivum , a member, not of the lily family, but of the daffodil family Amaryllidaceae and known also as summer snowflake. A bulbous plant, which increases well on heavy clay soils, it is somewhat similar in appearance to a large snowdrop and thrives in wet meadows and willow thickets, being also prolific along the river banks and islands. Although less abundant than they used to be, Loddon lilies can still be found along
4608-655: The buildings dating from the 15th century. They were subsequently used as a restaurant, with the restored mill wheel, gears and machinery visible from the seating area, encased behind glass screens. The river follows the northern edge of Bramshill Plantation, 3,200 acres (13 km) of woodland managed by the Forestry Commission. It is a Special Protection Area in view of the number of bird species to be found there, and also has large populations of damselflies, dragonflies and silver studded blue butterflies. Notable flora includes marsh clubmoss and pillwort. The river turns to
4704-406: The concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail. The water quality of the Loddon was as follows in 2019. Water quality improved after 2009, when the ecological status of the middle two sections was poor, and the chemical status of the lower Loddon to the Thames was fail. From 2015–16 the upper section improved to moderate, but the lower section
4800-554: The conversion process, a refurbished waterwheel was fitted while the machinery was shielded by a glass screen so that it could be seen from the restaurant area. The restaurant became insolvent in 2012 and closed down. The Basingstoke Canal runs from the Greywell Tunnel at Greywell in the west to the River Wey in the east, and crosses the Blackwater Valley on an embankment in the village of Ash . Thk Blackwater used to flow through
4896-426: The counties of Surrey and Hampshire . On the left bank is Aldershot sewage treatment works that in dry weather supplies more than half of the local flow opposite is Willow Park Fishery. The river passes under an aqueduct carrying the Basingstoke Canal , and is then bordered by Lakeside Nature Reserve to the east and Gold Valley Lakes fishery to the west. The A331 road makes the first of the crossings. Further north
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#17331071072714992-515: The depth The woodman 's stroke, or distant tinkling team Or heifers rustling through the brake , alarms Th' illuded sense, and mars the golden dream. To the River Lodon (1777) Ah! what a weary race my feet have run Since first I trod thy banks with alders crowned, And thought my way was all thro' fairy ground, Beneath thy azure sky and golden sun; Where first my muse to lisp her notes begun! While pensive Memory traces back
5088-427: The dining room. The Lower Mill at Old Basing is a four-storey building dating from the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and is grade II listed. Old Basing mill is another four-storey building, which still contained much of the original machinery in 2000, although it was not operational. Whilst chalk underlies much of the drainage basin , it only appears at the bed near Wargrave and Basingstoke. For
5184-632: The five works could discharge up to 74.4 Ml per day, and in summer months accounted for around 85% of flow above the confluence with the Whitewater. The valley has large pockets of deep gravels, quarried since the 1950s. This explains the many lakes in the valley, as old workings (pits) fill with water. Many have been landscaped as park lakes and used for fishing and sailing. A number of them are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), having rich and diverse ecology. The Blackwater Valley SSSI covers 86.55 acres (35.03 ha), comprising unimproved alluvial meadows, swamp, and wet woodland. Part of it
5280-523: The following lines concerning a poet lost in reverie by a shady, wooded stream at eventide that convey the strong impression of inspiration by the slow and drowsy Loddon: ...in embowering woods By darksome brook to muse, and there forget The solemn dulness of the tedious world, While Fancy grasps the visionary fair: And now no more th' abstracted ear attends The water's murmuring lapse, th' entranced eye Pierces no longer through th' extended rows Of thick-ranged trees; till haply from
5376-447: The former manor house of Woodstock. Before the 1870s, these estates often encompassed several thousand acres, generally consisting of several farms let to tenants ; the great house was supplied with food from its own home farm (for meat and dairy) and a kitchen garden (for fruit and vegetables). A dower house may have been present on the estate to allow the widow of the former owner her own accommodation and household when moved out
5472-402: The late 16th century, after which it was privately owned until 1965. The large country house was built in the late 17th century, was altered in 1820, and restored in the 1970s. The house and adjoining stable block are grade II* listed. The main drive to the house crosses the river on a five-arched brick bridge, dating from the late 18th century. The river continues through the park until it reaches
5568-552: The late 1940s and early 1950s, many of these estates had been demolished and subdivided , in some cases resulting in suburban villages named for the former owners, as in Baxter Estates, New York . An important distinction between the United States and England is that "American country estates, unlike English ones, rarely, if ever, supported the house." American estates have always been about "the pleasures of land ownership and
5664-402: The mainstream Thames locally including shoals of bream , chub , roach , rudd and large barbel . The record for the largest barbel caught on the river stands at 18 lb 1 oz (8.19 kg), caught in 2008. Other records include a 17 lb 12 oz (8.05 kg) pike caught in 1995 and same-weight carp caught in 2002. To facilitate migrating fish, £485,000 was spent creating
5760-528: The mill building. In 1948 it was bought by Squadron Leader Royston Albrecht, who restored it almost single-handedly between 1949 and 1976. He was a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings , who used the restored mill to produce provender. Some of the machinery is believed to date from 1746, and the wheel drives two pairs of stones. The building was sold in 1995 to become a restaurant, and as part of
5856-455: The mill, which housed a steam engine manufactured in Reading by Barrett, Exall & Andrews. Two steam engines later powered the paper mill. The mill was owned by Guthrie Allsebrook from the 1920s, who hoped to supply water to the local authority, because he also owned the water rights. The ground floor of the building still exists, and was in use by Thames Water in 2004. Records show that milling
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#17331071072715952-466: The money for their improvement and maintenance usually comes from fortunes earned in other economic sectors besides agriculture. They are distinguished from ordinary middle-class American houses by sheer size, as well as their landscaping, gardens, outbuildings, and most importantly, recreational structures (e.g., tennis courts and swimming pools). This usage is the predominant connotation of "estate" in contemporary American English (when not preceded by
6048-529: The north-west, and is joined by the River Whitewater , flowing northwards from Greywell , near Greywell Tunnel , the present end of the Basingstoke Canal. As it approaches Swallowfield, the channel splits and there are weirs on both branches. They enter Swallowfield Park, a grade II listed park and gardens. The park was enclosed by King Edward III in 1354, and remained the property of the monarch until
6144-457: The opportunity to enjoy active, outdoor pursuits ." Although some American estates included farms, they were always in support of the larger recreational purpose. Today, large houses on lots of at least several acres in size are often referred to as "estates", in a contemporary updating of the word's usage. Most contemporary American estates are not large enough to include significant amounts of self-supporting productive agricultural land, and
6240-562: The outlet of The Cut , until diverted east to Bray Lock around 1820. The A3032 crossing follows, then the A4. Half of St Patrick's Stream , a backwater of the River Thames , joins; 7 ⁄ 8 mile (1.4 km) north is junction with the Thames, just downstream of Shiplake Lock , on the southern limit of Wargrave . The river has powered more water mills than the many mentioned above. At Twyford, there have been mills since at least 1365, and
6336-407: The owner of Arborfield Hall , is thought to have demolished part of the mill some time after 1861, but it was offered for sale again in 1919, and at the time included a 40-horsepower (30 kW) water wheel and a 28-horsepower (21 kW) turbine. Pumps and a dynamo supplied water and electricity to the hall, and powered the machinery on the farm. In the 1840s or 1850s, an engine house was built near
6432-637: The primary house on the estate. The agricultural depression from the 1870s onwards and the decline of servants meant that the large rural estates declined in social and economic significance, and many of the country houses were destroyed , or land was parcelled off to be sold. An urban example of the use of the term estate is presented by the "great estates" in Central London such as the Grosvenor and Portman , which continue to generate significant income through rent. Sometimes London streets are named after
6528-537: The profits from its produce and rents (of housing or agricultural land) sustained the main household, formerly known as the manor house . Thus, "the estate" may refer to all other cottages and villages in the same ownership as the mansion itself, covering more than one former manor. Examples of such great estates are Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire , England, and Blenheim Palace , in Oxfordshire , England, built to replace
6624-465: The quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish, and chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations. Chemical status is rated good or fail. The water quality of the Blackwater system was as follows in 2019. Reasons for the quality being less than good include discharge from sewage treatment works; drainage from roads and transport infrastructure; contaminated land adjacent to
6720-466: The rest of its course the chalk lies beneath the Reading Beds and London Clay . The terrace gravels and sand of the valley have been partly extracted, as stated above. The basin has large, quite dense population centres in Basingstoke and eastern Reading, plus the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area so the Loddon takes treated sewage effluent from nine main plants, Basingstoke's (see above), seven of
6816-425: The rest of the drainage basin not built upon is ecologically important. Thirty-one 'Wildlife Sites' have been designated by the local planning authorities and a 23-mile (37 km) riverside path has opened up much of the riverbank. A large running club in local ranks use the path regularly. A cycle route runs alongside the river for most of its length. The Blackwater rises as a series of springs on Rowhill Copse,
6912-418: The right bank and enters Trilakes Country Park. Former gravel pits flank the river on both sides, and as it passes the village of Finchampstead , the channel is briefly called Long Water. Soon it reaches New Mill, where there is a weir and sluice. The mill was a corn mill in 1871 and produced animal feed until the 1950s, when the building was sold. The watermill and mill house are grade II listed , with parts of
7008-431: The river Loddon, mainly in the vicinity of Sandford Mill . Imagine, if you have never seen the wild Loddon Lily, a black swamp on the edge of the Thames, alders or willows overhead, a swamp which quivers and soggs and stinks. In the gloom, not the more usual light of Marsh Marigolds , but white flowers hanging in a severe purity from the end of the long stems. One thinks at first of an extra long Snowdrop , then of
7104-461: The river and remove timber from it. Download coordinates as: Characterised generally as slow, swampy and tree-girt, the Loddon has inspired more than one work in verse. In his lengthy and politically charged poem Windsor Forest Alexander Pope invents a nymph of the Loddon named Lodona, giving her a form of the name of the river Ládōn in Arcadia where the nymph Syrinx was transformed into
7200-520: The river available for hire. There was a boathouse on the opposite bank to the public house, one of eleven on the river around the 1900s. Lady Constance Russell, writing in 1901 recorded that Sir Henry Russell, who owned Swallowfield Park and died in 1852, spent his latter years "improving" that, which included filling in the canal which "ran from the Lock Pool near the church to the Bow Bridge". The canal
7296-439: The river passes Aldershot, Ash, Ash Vale, Frimley, Farnborough, Camberley, Blackwater, Sandhurst and Yateley; the continuous urbanisation extends to Fleet in the west and to Farnham in the south, with a combined population of over 300,000 people at the 2011 Census. Beneath the catchment are chalk, Bagshot Formation sand and greensand aquifers, covered by varying depths of London clay-based soil, mostly very weakly permeable. Some of
7392-605: The river under the new road to rejoin its original route. The new Ash Aqueduct affords views of the surrounding countryside. In the distance to the south is the Hog's Back , which runs between Farnham and Guildford , and is where the North Downs narrows. The Environment Agency measures water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at
7488-525: The river widens, as it formed a head of water (mill pond) for the Lower Mill, a corn mill in 1872, disused by 1932. The river curves northward in a series of bends, past north Hampshire farms and a woodland-set golf course on the west bank in the south. Geodesically for 1.4 miles (2.3 km) two channels co-exist, often the northern being considered "upper". Petty's Brook (next to the town's main sewage works) joins, then after just under double that distance
7584-410: The river. The river then passes through water-meadows where it is joined by small streams from the springs and reduced ponds of the north of Black Dam. These had to drain under a wide bend of canal embankment. Basingstoke Upper Mill stood south, 14 metres west of Redbridge Lane, still a corn mill in 1873, fields by 1932, now woodland by a multi-lane roundabout. Where the flows meet is woodland that
7680-620: The river; physical barriers such as weirs and impounding of the water which prevent the free migration of fish and other species; and the presence of the North American signal crayfish , an invasive species. 51°23′06″N 0°57′29″W / 51.385°N 0.958°W / 51.385; -0.958 River Loddon The River Loddon is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises at Basingstoke in Hampshire and flows northwards for 28 miles (45 km) to meet
7776-508: The round, Which fills the varied interval between; Much pleasure, more of sorrow, marks the scene. Sweet native stream! those skies and suns so pure No more return, to cheer my evening road! Yet still one joy remains, that, not obscure, Nor useless, all my vacant days have flowed, From youth's gay dawn to manhood's prime mature; Nor with the muse's laurel unbestowed. the ninth sonnet of Thomas Warton (8th Poet laureate , 20 April 1785 – 21 May 1790) Estate (land) In
7872-510: The rural estates of aristocratic landowners, such as in the case of Wimpole Street . From the Norman era, hunting had always been a popular pastime with the British royalty and nobility, and dating from the medieval era, land was parcelled off and put aside for the leisurely pursuits of hunting. These originated as royal forests and chase land, eventually evolving into deer parks , or sometimes into
7968-460: The source at Rowhill Nature Reserve near Aldershot in the south, northwards to Swallowfield where the river is joined by the " Whitewater " and then joins the River Loddon . The Loddon flows into the Thames on the southern borders of Wargrave . For many miles banks of the lower half are semi-rural or rural. The upper half of the river for more than a mile each side is highly urbanised –
8064-590: The stream was moved slightly north, for the roundabout that links the A30, A321 and A331 roads. The river then flows through Shepherd Meadows, an SSSI noted for the Black Poplar tree, and a variety of wild flowers, including sneezewort , knapweed , betony , meadowsweet and great burnet . As the river curves to the west, it passes under the North Downs Line railway bridge, flows past Sandhurst sewage treatment works on
8160-893: The term "estate" has been generalised to any large parcel of land under single ownership, such as a housing estate or industrial estate . Large country estates were traditionally found in New York's Long Island , and Westchester County , the Philadelphia Main Line , Maine's Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island , and other affluent East Coast enclaves; and the San Francisco Bay Area , early Beverly Hills, California , Montecito, California , Santa Barbara, California and other affluent West Coast enclaves. All these regions had strong traditions of large agricultural, grazing, and productive estates modeled on those in Europe. However, by
8256-428: The water flows from springs from the aquifers, but by far the largest component of the flow is the discharge from five major sewage treatment works on the upper reaches and two smaller ones on the lower reaches. The springs are quite acidic for natural, non-hydrothermal springs. After flowing over the London clay deposits, the underlying geology is more permeable near the mouth, the "Bagshot and Bracklesham" Sands. In 1992,
8352-447: The wood as flow deflectors as meanders, 80 tonnes of gravel were added and the faster flow prevent silting. Fast-flowing shallow riffles make spawning grounds for dace, chub and barbel. Means to prevent young fish from being washed downstream, in flood, exists in the dug-out Redlands backwater. The lower Loddon was used for at least recreational navigation. On many reaches of the river, boat houses are marked on old maps, including two on
8448-510: Was the peat moor, at this point watercress was latterly grown such as in 1961. The Basingstoke Union Workhouse and added workhouse infirmary , stood where the Hampshire Clinic stands, a private hospital. East is the older third of Old Basing and the ruins of medieval Basing House (and Tudor/Jacobean house, north) below an old citadel with remnant ramparts and defensive walls. A brick railway viaduct of four arches crosses –
8544-532: Was a silk mill for a short period, and one a paper mill, with the rest milling corn or producing flour. Several have been converted to become homes or hotels, but Longbridge Mill has been restored and still operates occasionally. The river has been used for recreational and possibly minor commercial navigation and in drier spells it can be safely canoed in some places. The Loddon is a habitat for diverse wildlife. Former gravel workings have become Loddon Nature Reserve and Dinton Pastures Country Park . A section of it
8640-408: Was adopted as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) in 2009, and was restored after quarrying stopped. Beyond, the river sweeps a large curve to head northwards, and is joined by the A331, which follows the valley until past most of the conurbation. From its source up until the three-county tripoint east of Blackwater station , the river almost exactly marks the longstanding boundary between
8736-415: Was built of post-tensioned concrete, using four cables on each side of the navigation channel, which were jacked apart until each was exerting a force of 820 tonnes to keep the concrete in compression. In order to avoid the aqueduct piers, the river channel was diverted to run through the western side span, and a new course was constructed until the road had risen sufficiently for a box-section culvert to carry
8832-404: Was built, and in 1927 was bought by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Farmers Ltd, a farmers' co-operative, milling animal feed. The mill was powered by water wheels bolstered by diesel (and from the 1960s, electric) motors. A distribution warehouse was added in 1969, but a fire destroyed the mill in 1976, and construction of a new mill was completed in 1979. The new building was much larger than the old, and
8928-431: Was originally a grist mill , used for grinding corn or flour, but George Dawson converted it to a paper mill. A Mr. Hodgson was the paper maker in 1787, and in 1794 the business was auctioned as a going concern. In 1826, the large water wheel powered a 48-inch (120 cm) paper making machine. Three years later there was a fire at the mill, and another in 1861. Output from the mill included fine brown paper. Mrs Hargreaves,
9024-505: Was producing animal feed, and continued to use water power until 1961. Commercial operation of the mill ceased in 1977, and it was damaged by fire in 1991. Restoration of the damaged building began soon afterwards, and was completed in 1997. Since then the mill has been operated on a monthly basis by the Hampshire Mills Group, and is used to grind flour on open days. The building dates from the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, and
9120-563: Was taking place near Sherfield on Loddon in 1274, when the miller was called John. There is also reference to a water mill in 1316, and a document recording holdings passed to the Manor in 1601 listed two water mills, a fulling mill and another mill. By 1819, there were two water wheels at the Longbridge mill, which powered four pairs of grinding wheels. By the end of the Second World War , the mill
9216-556: Was worse, moving from moderate to poor. Reasons for the water quality being less than good include the discharge of sewage effluent, physical barriers to the movement of fish caused by modifications to the channel, and dominant, disease-carrier North American signal crayfish . Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), neither of which had previously been included in
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