The Derwent is a river in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is 50 miles (80 km) long and is a tributary of the River Trent which it joins south of Derby. For most of its length, the river flows through the Peak District.

Much of the river's route, with the exception of the city of Derby, is rural. However the river has also seen many human uses, and between Matlock and Derby was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution, providing power to the first industrial scale cotton mills. Today it provides a water supply to several surrounding cities, and its steeply sided valley is an important communications corridor through the uplands of the Peak District.

Because of its scenic qualities, the valley of the River Derwent sees many tourist visitors. The upper reaches pass through the Peak District National Park, whilst the middle reaches around the old spa town of Matlock Bath attracts tourists because of its souvenir shops and amusement arcades, together with attractions such as the Heights of Abraham and its cable car.

The name "Derwent" is Celtic and means "a valley thick with oaks".

Course

The River Derwent rises on Howden Moor, on the flank of Bleaklow and some east of Glossop. It flows through the Upper Derwent Valley with its three consecutive reservoirs. In order downstream these are the Howden Reservoir, Derwent Reservoir and Ladybower Reservoir. Howden Reservoir is also fed by the River Westend, whilst Ladybower Reservoir is also fed by the River Ashop. In both cases the former confluences of the two tributaries with the River Derwent are now submerged below the respective reservoirs.

Further south, the Derwent passes by the village of Bamford, where it is joined by the River Noe. Below this confluence, it flows through Hathersage, Grindleford, Calver and Baslow, and through the estate of Chatsworth House, before it is joined by the River Wye at Rowsley.

After passing through Darley Dale, the Derwent reaches Matlock, where, at an oxbow, it collects the great millstream Bentley Brook. It then flows past the villages of Matlock Bath, Cromford, Whatstandwell and Ambergate, where it is joined by the River Amber.

Below Ambergate, the river flows by the town of Belper and the villages of Milford and Duffield. It then enters the city of Derby near Darley Abbey and flows through the centre of the city. The river ends at Derwent Mouth, east of Shardlow, where it flows into the River Trent. Its waters ultimately reach the North Sea via the Humber Estuary.

Natural history

The River Derwent is the habitat for many different animals such as otters , birds, insects, fish and crayfish. It is also a habitat for many wild flowers, as exemplified by the Lower Derwent Trail.

River uses

The lower river from Derwent Mouth upstream as far as Derby was made navigable under an Act of Parliament of 1720, and this stretch opened to navigation in 1721. Traffic ceased about 1795 and the navigation was acquired by the owners of the competing Derby Canal. The river is no longer considered navigable, although the upper river is widely used by kayakers and canoeists who enjoy the fast flowing water and the slalom course at Matlock Bath.

The river was also used to power many cotton mills in the stretch of the river between Matlock Bath and Derby. Amongst these was Richard Arkwright's Cromford Mill, the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill, and an important early site in the development of the Industrial Revolution. Arkright's innovation, along with several local competitors, is remembered today by the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

The reservoirs of Howden and Derwent in the upper valley were built in the early 19th century to supply the cities of Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. The adjacent Ladybower Reservoir was completed in 1945 to cover increasing demand. Treated water from these reservoirs flows down the long Derwent Valley Aqueduct parallel to the river. The river also indirectly supplies Carsington Reservoir, with the water taken from the river by a pumping station at Ambergate in times of high flow. When flows are low water is released back into the river via the same of tunnels and aqueducts, thus allowing greater abstraction rates upstream in the drier summer months. Today all these reservoirs are managed by Severn Trent Water.

The valley of the Derwent provides an important communications route. Between Derby and Rowsley the valley is followed by the A6 road, which was the main road from London to Manchester until the creation of the motorway network, and is still a busy single-carriageway road. The former Midland Railway's lines from Derby to Sheffield and Manchester also followed the Derwent, the former as far as Ambergate and the latter as far as Rowsley. The Sheffield line still operates as part of the Midland Main Line, but the Manchester line was severed north of Matlock in 1968, and the section from Ambergate to Matlock now forms the Derwent Valley Line, a single-track branch line. Between Ambergate and Cromford, the river, road and railway are also paralleled by the Cromford Canal, which was once connected to Manchester across the High Peak by the early Cromford and High Peak Railway.

Naming

The River Derwent provides the name for the oldest hockey club in Derbyshire. Derwent Hockey Club was established in 1897 and played its matches on the banks of the Derwent in Darley Dale, before relocating to Wirksworth.

See also

• List of rivers of England
• Rivers of the United Kingdom

References

External links

• Web page on River Derwent from DerbyshireUK