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The River Lavant is a winterbourne that rises at East Dean and flows west to
Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
, then south past West Dean and Lavant to
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
. From east of Chichester its natural course was south to the sea at
Pagham Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 6,100. It lies about two miles to the west of Bognor Regis. Governance Pagham is part of the electoral ward called Pagham a ...
, but the
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diverted it to flow around the southern walls of Chichester and then west into
Chichester Harbour Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour in West Sussex and Hampshire. It is situated to the south-west of the city of Chichester and to the north of the Solent. The harbour and surrounding land has been designated as an Area of Outstandin ...
.


History

The Lavant may once have had its source north of Midhurst, with the increased drainage area possibly leading to size more akin to the River Rother; however, erosion and weathering over centuries have led to its current source and size. The Lavant's course has changed on multiple occasions, one significant instance being in Roman times when the river was believed to have been diverted through Chichester to provide drinking water for the town. The Lavant is believed to have made its way to the sea via Pagham Rife and Pagham Harbour. Newbury notes historians have conjectured this diversion may have taken place in either Roman or medieval times, one side effect being less stress on drainage to lands to the north of Pagham.


Floods

The Lavant has been responsible for multiple flooding events throughout recent centuries, with the St Pancras area of Chichester being most typically affected. Floods were recorded in 1713, 1763, 1771, 1797, 1809, 1826, 1938 and 1960. In January 1994 heavy rainfall caused the River Lavant to burst its banks, causing extensive flooding in Chichester and surrounding villagesthe worst for 130 yearsand forcing the closure of the A27 and
A259 The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye and F ...
roads. Military "
Green Goddess The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump manufactured by Bedford Vehicles, a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office until 2004, and a ...
" fire engines were stationed in the city for several weeks pumping out groundwater through miles of pipes. When exceptionally high rainfall in the autumn of 2000 threatened renewed flooding of Chichester a project was led by the
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
, using emergency powers to build a relief channel to divert excess water back into the natural route of Pagham Rife. This brought forward work planned for 2001, compressing it into two weeks, and was completed days before the anticipated flood surge in the River Lavant occurred. The emergency work was subsequently made into a permanent relief channel, with sluices at
Westhampnett Westhampnett (or West Hampnett) is a village and civil parish in the district of Chichester in West Sussex, England, located northeast of Chichester on the former A27 road, now by-passed. The village is pre-Norman and is home to many listed bui ...
.


Course

The Lavant rises at East Dean, in the foothills of the
South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the east. ...
, approximately north-north-east of Chichester. At East Dean the Lavant may emerge as small springs in various gardens and roadways, and may contribute to the filling of the village pond, though at other times the river may simply begin to form as a trickle at some point alongside its course to Charlton, a village about to the east along the valley. The river continues east to
Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
, then curves southwards remaining a little to the east of the A286 road past West Dean and Mid-Lavant and through to East Lavant. The Lavant continues through farmland towards the former site of Westhampnett Mill, passing Summersdale and Graylingwell to the west and Goodwood airfield and racing circuit to the east. Near to site of the former mill, which is now the top end of ''The Barn'' retail park, the Lavant bifurcates, the eastern
distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributar ...
taking a clockwise course to come in on the north side of the A285, the western distributary heading to join the other where Church Road meets Westhampnett Road. The meeting is now immediately after
culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...
s constructed under Abel Smith Way, completed 2020. The Lavant continues westwards towards Chichester, crossing to the south side of the A285 at St. James Road before proceeding beside it to the Green Lane footbridge. Thereafter it runs between the A285 and A286 before it enters a long culvert starting from about middle of the A286 one way system at Hornet / St Pancras about 100m from Eastgate. The river continues in the culvert along or beside Market Road, eventually exiting the culvert in the garden of ''Market Walls''. It flows under the former Southgate, emerging the other side of South Street, and again bifurcates. Distributaries and tributaries join south of the Chichester bypass and the Lavant outflows to Chichester Harbour past the sewerage works between Fishbourne and Apuldram.


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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavant Rivers of West Sussex