River Adur
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The Adur ( or ) is a river in
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
; it gives its name to the Adur district of
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as
Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles (6.4 km) north of the coastal town of Shoreham-by-Sea. The smaller ...
, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th century the lower river became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters at the mouth of the river in
Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on the ...
.


Watercourse

The Adur begins as two separate branches, the western Adur and the eastern Adur, which meet west of
Henfield Henfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. Th ...
. The western Adur rises at
Slinfold Slinfold is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. Geography The village is almost west of Horsham, just off the A29 road. The parish covers . The 2001 Census recorded a population of 1,647 people living ...
from where it flows around
Coolham Coolham is a small village in the civil parish of Shipley and the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the crossroads of the A272 and B2139 roads 2.8 miles (4.6 km) southeast of Billingshurst. At the crossroads is ...
and then through Shipley, where it meets Lancing Brook and flows on to
West Grinstead West Grinstead is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles (6.3 km) northwest from Henfield. It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber The wester ...
and
Knepp Castle The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 (). The castle ...
. The western Adur is tidal as far north as Bines Bridge near Bines Green, south of West Grinstead. The eastern Adur rises at
Ditchling Common Ditchling Common is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-west of Wivelsfield in East Sussex. It is a country park. which is owned and managed by East Sussex County Council. In many respects, it is a biologically important si ...
, in
East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
, from where it crosses into West Sussex and meets Herrings Stream at
Twineham Twineham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located eight kilometres (5 miles) to the west of Burgess Hill. The civil parish covers an area of In the 2001 census 271 people lived in 100 hou ...
(). At
Shermanbury Shermanbury is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A281 road approximately north of Henfield. The present day village consists mainly of a ribbon development of bungalows on the east side o ...
, the eastern Adur is fed by the Cowfold Stream. The Normal Tidal Limit is just below this at the footbridge near Shermanbury Church although a
weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
just above the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
with the Western Adur means that only the highest tides reach here. Up to the early 1800s boats could navigate to Mock Bridge where the A281 crosses the Adur. West of Henfield, the two branches of the river meet before flowing between
Upper Beeding Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles (6.4 km) north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of 187 ...
and Bramber, past
Coombes Coombes is a hamlet and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. The village is in the Adur Valley northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea. Coombes Church is an 11th-century Church of England parish church that has lost its dedicatio ...
, through a gap in 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. ...
near
Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...
where the Adur is fed by the Ladywell Stream. The river continues on to the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
at
Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on the ...
. The mouth of the Adur is now two miles (3 km) from the town centre of Shoreham due to
longshore drift Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments (clay, silt, pebbles, sand, shingle) along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle incoming wave direction ...
. Previously, the river mouth was further east, in
Portslade Portslade is a western suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century. The arrival of the railway from Brighton in 1840 encouraged rapid de ...
, but an opening to the sea was made which allowed the creation of Southwick Ship Canal. The Baybridge Canal uses part of the Adur's watercourse.


Etymology

The name ''Adur'' is a relatively recent (probably 1612s) invention, based on the name of the Roman fort
Portus Adurni Portus Adurni was a Roman fort in the Roman province of Britannia situated at the north end of Portsmouth Harbour. It was part of the Saxon Shore, and is the best-preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. Around an eighth of the fort has been exca ...
which was mistakenly believed to be at Shoreham. The river had previously been known as the ''Bramber'', and was also recorded as the ''Sore'' in the sixteenth century, the latter probably a
back-formation In etymology, back-formation is the process or result of creating a new word via inflection, typically by removing or substituting actual or supposed affixes from a lexical item, in a way that expands the number of lexemes associated with the c ...
by William Harrison's ''Description of England'' (1577) from Shoreham (often ''Sorham'' in early sources). A further possible translation derived from the Anglo Saxon ''ǽdr'' meaning ''vein or artery''. Other local rivers such as the ''Rother'' deriving from the Anglo Saxon ''róðer'' which means Rower (as in a long river) and the ''Arun'' derived from ''hærn'' meaning ''tidal'' also appear to describe the river and its surrounds.


History

From Norman times the county of Sussex was divided into sections known as ''
rapes Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...
''. Each rape was typically centred on a river and river port and was guarded by a castle. Bramber rape was centred on the port of Bramber and the river Adur, with Bramber Castle located close to the river. At various times in the medieval period, Bramber, Steyning and New Shoreham were all major ports on the river. The western Adur also flows close to
Knepp Castle The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 (). The castle ...
, near Shipley.


Settlements on the river

*
Slinfold Slinfold is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. Geography The village is almost west of Horsham, just off the A29 road. The parish covers . The 2001 Census recorded a population of 1,647 people living ...
* Shipley *
West Grinstead West Grinstead is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles (6.3 km) northwest from Henfield. It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber The wester ...
*
Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling. ...
*
Twineham Twineham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located eight kilometres (5 miles) to the west of Burgess Hill. The civil parish covers an area of In the 2001 census 271 people lived in 100 hou ...
*
Wineham Wineham is a hamlet mainly in the Shermanbury civil parish (and the same ecclesiastical parish) of the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is south of the A272 road, and approximately northeast of Henfield. Historically called Wyndham ...
*
Shermanbury Shermanbury is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A281 road approximately north of Henfield. The present day village consists mainly of a ribbon development of bungalows on the east side o ...
* Bramber *
Upper Beeding Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles (6.4 km) north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of 187 ...
*
Coombes Coombes is a hamlet and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. The village is in the Adur Valley northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea. Coombes Church is an 11th-century Church of England parish church that has lost its dedicatio ...
*
Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on the ...


See also

*
Rivers of the United Kingdom For details of rivers of the United Kingdom, see * List of rivers of England * List of rivers of Scotland * List of rivers of Wales * Northern Ireland: see List of rivers of Ireland and Rivers of Ireland * Longest rivers of the United Kingdom Ov ...


References


External links


Adur District Council - The River Adur

Guide to Adur River and District

Environment Agency flood warnings about river Adur





River Adur Conservation Society
{{authority control Adur