The Finham Brook is a lower tributary of the

River Sowe The River Sowe is a river in Warwickshire and West Midlands, England. It is a tributary of the River Avon, and flows into it just south of Stoneleigh about 5 miles (8 km) south of Coventry. It is about long. The Sowe rises in Bedwort ...

, it flows through

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...

and

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, England, to join the Sowe near

Finham Finham is a mainly residential part of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England, and is the city's southernmost suburb, approximately from Coventry city centre. Finham shares its northern boundary along the A45 with the suburb of Styvech ...

. Its principal tributaries include the Canley Brook, which drains the

Tile Hill Tile Hill is a suburb in the west of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is mostly residential and partly industrial, with some common land and wooded areas. Tile Hill railway station is located on the West Coast Main Line which links Covent ...

and

Canley Canley is a suburban neighbourhood located in CV4, south-west Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the St ...

areas of Coventry, and the Inchford Brook which rises near Beausale, and then flows in an arc through the parish of Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall. The length of the Finham and Inchford brooks is , which have a total catchment area of .

Course

The brook rises near Burton Green south-west of

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, and flows initially in a south-easterly direction, to reach the outskirts of Kenilworth. It joins the Inchford Brook near

Kenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England managed by English Heritage; much of it is still in ruins. The castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England; with development through to the Tudor pe ...

, where it is crossed by the Tiltyard causeway, beyond which it turns east to flow through Kenilworth. Next to the castle it is crossed by Castle Road via a Kenilworth Ford. In times of high flow this point becomes impassable for vehicles, although pedestrians can cross via the adjacent footbridge. It then flows through

Abbey Fields Abbey Fields is a {{convert, 68, acre, ha, adj=on park that is found in the centre of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The park was once farmland belonging to St Mary's Abbey, which was dissolved in the middle of the sixteenth century and i ...

until it is crossed by the

A452 A45 or A-45 may refer to: * A45 Infantry Support Tank, the chassis of which was developed into the Conqueror tank * A45 Records, a German record label notably producing the band Real McCoy * Article 45 Concern Group, a political party in Hong Kong ...

, and continues through the Mill End area of the town, and alongside the Common to meet the Canley Brook near Crackley. The brook continues in a north-easterly direction, passing beneath the dual carriageway of the A46, to flow through Finham sewage works, to meet the Sowe upstream of Stoneleigh.

History

The Inchford and Finham brooks were dammed by the Tiltyard causeway to create a lake and water defence for Kenilworth Castle by King John in the 13th century. Its tributary Canley Brook was the site of a medieval watermill, near Crackley.

Floods

Areas of Kenilworth are susceptible from flooding from the brook. A flood warning service exists for the catchment, in conjunction with that for the Sowe, Sherbourne and the Canley Brook. The Kenilworth ford also has a localised warning system using signs to inform drivers when the road is flooded, and when they should use an alternative route.

Ecology

The brook has been assessed under the

Water Framework Directive The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC is an EU directive which commits European Union member states to achieve good qualitative and quantitative status of all water bodies (including marine waters up to one nautical mile from shore) by 2015. ...

, and has been divided into its upper and lower reaches with a separate assessment for the Canley Brook. All three fall into the moderate category, which is the middle band of the five part framework scale, which ranges from high, good, and moderate, through to poor and finally bad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finham Rivers of Warwickshire

Course

History

Floods

Ecology

See also

References