River Lim Path

The River Lym or River Lim is a short river, some 5 km (3.1 mi) in length, that flows through the Devon-Dorset border. It rises from multiple springs at Raymond's Hill, near the village of Uplyme in East Devon, and flows southeasterly through Dorset, into the English Channel via Lyme Bay in the town of Lyme Regis, Dorset. The river falls over 200 metres from its source.River Lym (or Lim)
''LymeRegis.org'', "the Pearl of Dorset". Retrieved 17 July 2021.

Some of the northern parts of the river are partly underground, and some points at Lyme Regis are culverted. Lyme Regis has grown around the southern course of the river, with residential houses, holiday cottages and bridges connected to it. In Saxon times, the abbots of Sherborne Abbey had salt-boiling rights on land adjacent to the River Lym, and in the 12th century the river powered three watermills, however today Town Mill, dating back to at least 1340, is the only watermill still in use.

Etymology

The name is of British origin and probably cognate with the Welsh '' llif'' meaning flood or stream. The River Lym (or Lim) appears in the ''Domesday Book''.James, Alan G. (2008)
A Slippery Customer: proto-Indo-European *(s)lei- and its progeny in some place-names in Britain
. (revised, 2010). Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2 August 2021.

Course

Some 5 km (3.1 mi) in length, the River Lym rises from a group of springs in Raymond's Hill near the village of Uplyme in East Devon. It flows southward down a steep hill past a cricket ground and tennis courts into Uplyme, before flowing east at Church Street to Tappers Knapp in Devon. After about 1 km (0.621 mi) it resumes a southwesterly course, crossing into Dorset, and flows into the town of Lyme Regis, where it flows past residential houses, holiday cottages and under bridges, alongside Windsor Terrace, then Jericho, before reaching an intersection between Mill Green and Coombe Street – known as the Lynch – where it briefly splits in two, with the east side powering Town Mill – the only present watermill in the area. The west side of the river continues its southerly course and turns slightly west for about 50 m (164 ft), flows for another 150 m (492 ft) under a culvert and eventually Buddle Bridge – an English Grade I listed building – before flowing into the English Channel via Lyme Bay in Lyme Regis. It falls over 200 metres from its source.

File:River Lym in Uplyme.jpg, The River Lym in Uplyme, East Devon, near its source
File:River Lym running into Town Mill.jpg, The right-side split near Mill Green and Coombe Street (named the Lynch) powers Town Mill
File:Lyme Regis, River Lim behind the mill - geograph.org.uk - 983373.jpg, The river, flowing behind Town Mill
File:River Lim in Lyme Regis (2799).jpg, The River Lym flows into the English Channel

Human activity

The town of Lyme Regis has grown around the south part of the river, with residential houses, holiday cottages, bridges and a watermill connected to it. The River Lim Path is a recreational footpath designated alongside the river.River Lim Path
''LoveLymeRegis.co.uk''. Retrieved 18 July 2021. Three other recreational footpaths, the Wessex Ridgeway, Liberty Trail and East Devon Way, coincide with sections of the river.Ordnance Survey (1 February 1997) "Explorer Map: Lyme Regis and Bridport Sheet No. 29 (OS Explorer Map)". Retrieved 17 July 2021. Buddle Bridge, which crosses over the river at Lyme Regis, became a Grade I listed building by Historic England in 1952.Buddle Bridge
Historic England. List entry 1110811. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

In Saxon times, the abbots of Sherborne Abbey had salt-boiling rights on land adjacent to the River Lym. Town Mill, a watermill dating from 1340, is powered by the River Lym via a leat running along a lynch. The ''Domesday Book'' records a mill at Lyme in 1086, so the site may be much older. After being restored, the mill now produces flour. In 2012, graffiti artist Banksy stencilled an origami crane on a wall adjacent to the River Lym at the intersection of Mill Green and Coombe Street.Banksy's graffiti crane found in Lyme Regis
29 May 2012. ''BBC News''. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

Flooding

The usual water level of the river at Uplyme is between 0.00m and 0.79m. The river has flooded on several occasions, usually after heavy rainfall. The most costly was in 1890, when residents of Coombe Street had to be evacuated.

River Lim Path

The River Lim Path is a public footpath, 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long, that follows the River Lym from Town Mill in Lyme Regis, Dorset to Uplyme in Devon. It was funded and supported by the Coastal Communities Fund, and the footpath also forms part of the East Devon Way. The Uplyme Parish Council published a guide pamphlet. Improvements were coordinated by Lyme Forward and the Dorset Coast Forum in 2018 and 2019, and a local furniture maker and artist built animal houses and seating areas themed around the old watermills alongside the path.Welch, Lottie (20 July 2019
New seating and animal homes installed along the River Lim Path
''Bridport News''. Retrieved 20 July 2021.

Notes

References

Sources

*Matthews
Discover the River Lym
''Lyme Bay Holidays''.
2015 Bathing Water Profile for Lyme Regis Front Beach
Environment Agency - Catchment Data Explorer. environment.data.gov.uk.

External links

River Lim
at Wikishire

Rivers of Dorset
Rivers of Devon

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