The River Stour Trust is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

and

waterway restoration Waterway restoration is the activity of restoring a canal or river, including special features such as warehouse buildings, locks, boat lifts, and boats. In the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, the focus of waterway restoration is o ...

group. It was founded in 1968 to protect and enhance the right of the public to navigate the

River Stour, Suffolk The River Stour () is a river in East Anglia, England. It is long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, Suffolk, Haverhil ...

, England. It is led by volunteers who are dedicated to its aims and objectives of restoring the navigation from Sudbury to the Sea (a distance of approximately 24.5 miles/37 km). Since its formation, the Trust has restored

Flatford Flatford is a small hamlet close to East Bergholt in Suffolk. It is most famous for Flatford Mill, Willy Lott's Cottage and Bridge Cottage, immortalised in the paintings of John Constable. Access by road Flatford is accessible by Road from Eas ...

and Dedham Locks, Flatford Barge Dock (in association with the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

), rescued an original River Stour

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or c ...

, and restored the Quay Basin, Gasworks Cut and 19th century

Granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...

Building, which has become the headquarters for the Trust. In 1997, the Trust opened the new Millennium Lock at

Great Cornard Great Cornard is a large village and civil parish that is part of the town of Sudbury, in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. History The area now called Great Cornard has been occupied since pre-history, with evidence of ...

(creating through navigation from

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

to Great Henny) and in 2007, opened its new Visitor & Education Centre (adjacent to Cornard Lock) to offer facilities for visiting

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s, other groups and the local community. Since 2007,

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...

, the well-known actor, director, writer and producer, has been a Vice President of the River Stour Trust. He says, "I am a strong supporter of the River Stour Trust and everything to do with it. The riverway is so beautiful and unspoilt, especially with the wildlife and water-lilies and bullrushes, it is just terrific. It is a great example of why rivers should be open to people...I salute the River Stour Trust for opening the locks...it is supposed to be a river that traffic travels on.”

Boating on the River Stour

The River Stour is a statutory navigation and a right to travel by boat along the whole river is still preserved. Almost half of the river is now re-opened for use as a through navigation for boats (from Sudbury to Great Henny on the upper reach and from

Stratford St Mary Stratford St. Mary is a village in Suffolk, England in the heart of 'Constable Country'. John Constable painted a number of paintings in and around Stratford. Stratford (the ford of the Roman ''Via Strata'') with its attached hamlet of High ...

Brantham Brantham is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. It is located close to the River Stour and the border with Essex, around north of Manningtree, and around southwest of Ipswich. History The name Brantham is ...

on the lower reach). However, the remaining

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, which provided through navigation on the unrestored central section, are largely derelict or have disappeared, and the Trust continues to work towards restoring these and other obstacles to enable

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

s to navigate the whole

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

Bylaw A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

s provide that from

Ballingdon Ballingdon is a suburb of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Once a separate village in the county of Essex, today it is part of Sudbury civil parish though it was formerly a separate parish. It is the only part of the town to the south of t ...

bridge (Sudbury) to Great Henny, boats with engines may be used, but are subject to a strict speed limit of 4 mph, which does not create wash or damage to the banks. However, boats with engines are precluded from using the river below Great Henny, unless they were licensed at the time of the Anglian Water Authority Act 1977 (c. i). Currently, only boats light enough to maneuver around many the obstacles may use the river below Great Henny. This restricts most of the river to

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s although, even for such small craft, the river is not sufficiently navigable to allow easy passage along its entire lower section. River Stour Trust volunteers offer boat trips from Easter to October so that members of the public can enjoy the beauty of

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

country.

Sudbury to the Sea

Every year the Trust organises the Sudbury to the Sea event. Canoes,

kayaks A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

and small boats take part in the two-day event, which covers the non-tidal length of the river. The event starts at the Trust Headquarters (The Granary) in Sudbury, with lunch at Bures and an overnight camp at Wissington. The second day takes the participants through Stratford St Mary where the Trust is restoring the lock, and on through the heart of Constable Country via Dedham and Flatford before ending at Cattawade. The event attracts between 200 and 300 boats. While the Trusts event celebrates this scenic navigation with a 'party' vibe, those seeking a more tranquil experience are able to paddle the navigation at any time of the year using their own boats (subject to possession of an EA License) or with any of the hire operators working along the river including
Outdoor Hire Centre Network
who offer self-guided trips an
River Stour Boating CIC
who offer guided trips.

Stratford Lock

The lock at Stratford St Mary was restored over a period of more than 10 years and completed in 2018.Lock Lintel, winter 2007, River Stour Trust It is accessible from the village of Stratford St Mary by a footpath which starts near the wier.

References

External links

* {{Official website
riverstour.com website

Protected areas of Suffolk Organisations based in Suffolk Organizations established in 1967