The River Isle (also known as the River Ile) flows from its source near
Combe St Nicholas
Combe St Nicholas is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated northwest of Chard and from Taunton in the South Somerset district on the edge of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish, which includes Wadef ...
, through
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 and discharges into the
River Parrett south of
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
near
Midelney.
Several small springs merge into the river near
Wadeford
Combe St Nicholas is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated northwest of Chard and from Taunton in the South Somerset district on the edge of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish, which includes Wad ...
it then flows north past
Donyatt
Donyatt is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at the source of the River Isle north of Chard in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 347. The parish includes the hamlet of Peasmarsh.
History
The v ...
,
Ilminster
Ilminster is a minster town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, with a population of 5,808. Bypassed in 1988, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to ...
,
Puckington
Puckington is a village and civil parish, situated south-east of Taunton and west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of South Bradon.
History
The name of the village means ''the settle ...
, and
Isle Abbotts
Isle Abbots (also spelled Isle Abbotts) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, around south-east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The village had a population of 205 at the 2011 census.
History
The name of the village come ...
, before joining the Parrett. The first section of the river falls in and then falls less steeply falling during the subsequent . As a result, several mills were built on the upper reaches of the river. At least one mill was in existence at the time of the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
in 1086. These mills were an important part of the local economy connecting with the wool trade.
The road bridge over the river at
Knowle St Giles
Knowle St Giles is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, situated on the River Isle south of Ilminster and north east of Chard. The village has a population of 244.
The parish includes the village of Cr ...
is a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
A lock was built at the junction with the River Parrett, to maintain water levels, when the
Westport Canal
The Westport Canal was built in the late 1830s to link Westport and Langport in Somerset, England. It was part of a larger scheme involving improvements to the River Parrett above Burrow Bridge. Langport is the point at which the River Yeo join ...
was built in the 1830s. The canal joins the river approximately before the confluence with the Parrett.
Chard Reservoir
Chard Reservoir is a reservoir north east of Chard Somerset, England. It is owned and managed by South Somerset District Council and is a recipient of the Green Flag Award.
It was built on the river Isle in 1842 to provide water for the Chard Ca ...
was built by damming the river in the 1840s to provide water for the
Chard Canal.
References
{{authority control
Isle, River
1Isle