River Chelmer near Little Baddow
The
River Chelmer is a river that flows entirely
through the county of Essex, England
.
The source
of the river is near Debden Green, a
village near Thaxted
.
The source
of the River
Can
is also nearby. The River Chelmer
flows past Thaxted, south
through the district of Uttlesford
around the northeast of Great Dunmow
. It continues flowing south-southeast into the
borough of Chelmsford
and on into the town of Chelmsford
where the River Can flows into it. It then flows east
through the borough and into the district of Maldon until it meets the River Blackwater near Maldon
. It discharges into the North Sea
via the River Blackwater,
History
The
Chelmer and
Blackwater Navigation
Company was established by act of parliament in
1793. Work then commenced on constructing the
navigation from Chelmsford to Colliers Reach in the tidal estuary
of the River
Blackwater
. The work was completed in 1797.
The
navigation mainly followed the course of the River Chelmer from
Chelmsford to Beeleigh near Maldon.
From
there it continued through a short cut and then followed the course
of the River Blackwater to Heybridge
.
According the Edward Arthur Fitch, the Fullbridge (the Chelmer
river crossing at the bottom of Market Hill, Maldon ) was a shallow
ford. This was before the waters of the River Blackwater were
combined with the Chelmer at Beeleigh, resulting in a much greater
flow of water past the Fullbridge.
In the spring of 1812 the Chelmer above the Fullbridge was
straightened and many important changes were made to the bed of the
river. Some of these changes are clearly visible today. For
example, an island that's shown on the 1777 Chapman and Andre map
of Essex was moved from the middle of the river to fill in a curve
to the north near where Tesco's is today. Further upstream, near
the golf course, similar earthwork is visible and, from that point
to Beeleigh weir the channel appears to be a cut bypassing the
original course of the river.
At Beeleigh, there was a
water mill on
the original course of the Chelmer. This mill operated until 1875,
when it was destroyed by fire. The mill had two bays inside, where
lighters were loaded with flour to be taken to the port at Maldon,
about a mile downstream.
There it would be loaded onto Thames sailing barges and taken to
London
. Part
of the mill still remains and is leased by
Essex County Council with the intention
of restoring it.
Gallery
Image:Chelmer howe street tl698147.jpg|River Chelmer at Howe
StreetImage:Chelmer howe street tl699146.jpg|River Chelmer at Howe
StreetImage:Chelmer tl707127.jpg|River Chelmer at Little
WalthamImage:Chelmer tl763085.jpg|River Chelmer near Little
BaddowImage:Chelmer tl761085.jpg|River Chelmer near Little
BaddowImage:Chelmer tl844076.jpg|River Chelmer at Maldon
References
See also
Wikis
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