The River Banwell is a small river in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. It begins life as a series of springs near the Church of St Andrew in

Banwell Banwell is a village and civil parish on the River Banwell in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its population was 2,919 according to the 2011 census. History Banwell Camp, east of the village, is a univallate hillfort which h ...

where they once filled a large pool below the church. It then flows north east of

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

and on to Woodspring Bay where it enters the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

, at St Thomas's Head, which forms the eastern boundary of Sand Point and Middle Hope, a short distance from

Woodspring Priory Woodspring Priory (originally Worsprynge or Worspring) is a former Augustinian priory. It is near the scenic limestone promontory of Sand Point and Middle Hope, owned by the National Trust, beside the Severn Estuary about north-east of Weston ...

. Through an Act of Parliament, and despite local protests, the Banwell springs were capped in 1915 and the pool slowly dried up. The water became part of the Weston Water Company's supply. Thereafter the old pool was filled in and became the village bowling green. Flooding has occurred on Banwell Moor, despite previous canalisation, and feasibility studies have been carried out to see if this could be managed to reduce the risk of floods in the

area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banwell, River Rivers of Somerset