The River Yare is a
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 ...
in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
county of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of
The Broads
The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly use ...
and connects with the rest of the network.
The river
rises south of
Dereham
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of the England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city ...
to the west to the village of
Shipdham
Shipdham is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district, in Norfolk, England, approximately south-south-west of Dereham. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,145 in 899 households, falling at the 2011 Census to a popul ...
. Above its confluence with a tributary stream from
Garvestone
Garvestone (or Garveston) is a village in the civil parish of Garvestone, Reymerston and Thuxton, located south-east of Dereham and north-west of Wymondham. The village is located on the upper reaches of the River Yare.
History
Garveston's nam ...
it is known as the Blackwater River.
[Ordnance Survey of Great Britain] From there it flows in a generally eastward direction passing
Barnham Broom
Barnham Broom is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated on the River Yare, 9 miles (15 km) West of Norwich. and 4 miles (6 km) North-West of Wymondham.
The villages name means 'Beorn's hom ...
and is joined by the
River Tiffey
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 wat ...
before reaching
Bawburgh
Bawburgh () is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, lying in the valley of the River Yare about west of Norwich city centre. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 466, increasing to 595 a ...
. It then skirts the southern fringes of the city of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
, passing through
Colney
Colney () is a village in the western outskirts of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk.
History
Colney's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'Cola's' island.
Colney is listed in the Domesday Book as a settl ...
,
Cringleford
Cringleford is a civil parish and village in the England, English county of Norfolk. The village sits on the River Yare and forms part of the outskirts of Norwich.
History
Cringleford's name is of mixed Vikings, Viking and Anglo-Saxon origin and ...
,
Lakenham and
Trowse
Trowse (pronounced by those from Norwich and by elderly residents of the village), also called Trowse with Newton, is a village in South Norfolk which lies about south-east of Norwich city centre on the banks of the River Yare. It covers an ...
. At
Whitlingham
Whitlingham is a small churchless parish and hamlet at the mouth of the River Wensum in Norfolk, England. It is located 3 miles (5 km) east of Norwich, on the south bank of the River Yare, reached from Trowse along Whitlingham Lane.
Church
...
it is joined by the
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare, despite being the larger of the two rivers. The river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.
The Wensum is ...
and although the Wensum is the larger and longer of the two, the river downstream of their confluence continues to be called the Yare. Flowing eastward into
The Broads
The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly use ...
it passes the villages of
Bramerton
Bramerton is a village in South Norfolk 4¾ miles (7½ km) south-east of Norwich, just north of the main A146 Norwich-Lowestoft road and on the south bank of the River Yare.
Geography
In the 2001 census it contained 158 households and a popu ...
,
Surlingham
Surlingham is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk situated on the Broads in eastern United Kingdom. It lies approximately 6½ miles (10½ km) south-east of Norwich on the south bank of the River Yare between Bram ...
,
Rockland St. Mary and
Cantley. Just before
Reedham at Hardley Cross (erected in 1676) it is joined by the
River Chet
The River Chet is a small river in South Norfolk, England, a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in Poringland and flows eastwards through Alpington, Bergh Apton, Thurton and Loddon. At Loddon it passes under the A146 through Loddon Mill and ...
. The cross marks the ancient boundary between the City of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
and Borough of
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
. Beyond Reedham the river passes the famously isolated marshland settlement of
Berney Arms
Berney Arms is a settlement on the north bank of the River Yare, close to Breydon Water in the English county of Norfolk. It is part of the civil parish of Reedham, in the district of Broadland, and lies within The Broads. It comprises a rail ...
before entering the tidal lake of
Breydon Water
Breydon Water is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It is a Local Nature Reserve, a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is part of the Berney Marshes and Breydon Water nature reserve, which ...
. Here the Yare is joined by the Rivers
Waveney Waveney may refer to:
* River Waveney, a river that forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England
* Waveney District, a local government district in Suffolk, England
* Waveney (UK Parliament constituency)
* Waveney class lifeboat, a class ...
and
Bure and finally enters the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
at
Gorleston
Gorleston-on-Sea (), known colloquially as Gorleston, is a town in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, England, to the south of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the River Yare it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Book ...
,
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
.
The Yare is the frequent subject of landscape paintings by members of the early 19th century
Norwich School
Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as a ...
of artists. The
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
in Washington D.C. contains an oil painting by
John Crome
John Crome (22 December 176822 April 1821), once known as Old Crome to distinguish him from his artist son John Berney Crome, was an English landscape painter of the Romantic era, one of the principal artists and founding members of the Norw ...
entitled ''Moonlight on the Yare''.
Joseph Stannard
Joseph Stannard (13 September 1797 7 December 1830) was an English marine, landscape and portrait painter. He was a talented and prominent member of the Norwich School of painters.
After attending the Norwich Grammar School, his parents paid ...
depicted the river in ''Thorpe Water Frolic, Afternoon'' (1824) and ''Boats on the Yare near Bramerton'' (1828) which is in the
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...
, Cambridge.
The river is navigable to small coastal vessels from
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
to the sea, and in former times carried significant commercial traffic to that city. At Reedham the river is joined by the
Haddiscoe Cut
The Haddiscoe Cut or New Cut is a canal in the English county of Norfolk and in The Broads National Park.). The cut was conceived as a way to provide a more direct route from Lowestoft to Norwich, and was built as part of a larger scheme which i ...
, a canal which provides a direct navigable link to the River Waveney at
Haddiscoe
Haddiscoe is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk Non-metropolitan district, district of Norfolk, England, about southeast of Norwich. The parish is on the county boundary with Suffolk, about west-northwest of Lowestoft. The parish ...
avoiding Breydon Water.
Navigation
The river provides a navigable link between
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
and the North Sea, but silting has been a long-standing problem. In 1698, an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
was obtained which allowed duty to be collected for any coal traffic using the river. The money raised was to pay for improvements to the course of the river and to the harbour at Great Yarmouth, but the majority of it went towards harbour improvements, and little improvement of the river occurred. Three more acts attempted to rectify the situation, but the river continued to be neglected. A fifth act, obtained in 1772, sought to address the problem in a different way, and specified how the tolls were to be used. 15 per cent was to be given to Norwich for river improvements between the city and Hardley Cross, 25 per cent was given to Yarmouth for improvements to the lower river between Hardley Cross and the town, with a further 40 per cent set aside for maintenance of Yarmouth harbour. Other rivers benefitted from the remaining 20 per cent.
The size of vessels that could reach Norwich was limited by the shallow channel crossing Breydon Water, and so all goods arriving from the North Sea had to be trans-shipped to smaller vessels at Yarmouth. In order to improve the situation the merchants of Norwich asked
William Cubitt
Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an eminent English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, England, he was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of ...
to look for a solution in 1814. His proposal consisted of dredging a new channel to the south side of Breydon Water and making various improvements to the river. This was costed at £35,000, but the plan was opposed by Yarmouth Corporation when it was made public in 1818.
John Rennie, acting for the Corporation, concluded that the plan might result in silting of the harbour, and so Cubitt proposed an alternative, which would link the Yare to
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
. This was also opposed by Yarmouth Corporation, but despite the cost being more than double, and assurances from
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...
and James Walker that improved navigation to Norwich would not harm Yarmouth, this was the plan that was laid before Parliament in 1826.
[
The Act would authorise dredging of the Yare between Norwich and Reedham, from where a canal would be built to connect to the River Waveney at Haddiscoe. Oulton Dyke would be enlarged, and a cut and lock built to link ]Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk.
The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 ...
to Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, , and hence the North Sea. At the formal enquiry, six engineers gave evidence for the proposal, but the opposition of Yarmouth and local landowners who feared potential flooding resulted in the bill being narrowly defeated. Similar plans were submitted in the next parliamentary session, with Yarmouth spending £8,000 to ensure its defeat. Evidence for the plan included details of widespread theft during the transshipment process at Yarmouth. A man had hidden in a wicker basket to record the conversations and activities of the thieves, and ultimately 18 men were convicted of taking the goods and one of receiving it. The Act was granted on 28 May 1827.[
The Act allowed the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company to raise £100,000 as capital, with an additional £50,000 if necessary. Work started at the Lowestoft end, with Alderman Crisp Brown of Norwich cutting the first sod in the autumn. The lock and channel between Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing were completed by 1829, and the first vessel used Lowestoft harbour on 3 June 1831. Costs overran, and to complete the Haddiscoe cut, the additional £50,000 authorised by the Act was raised by taking a loan from the ]Exchequer Bill Loan Commission
The Exchequer Bill Loan Commission of the United Kingdom was set up under the Poor Employment Act, Poor Employment Act 1817, to help finance public work projects that would generate employment. Commissioners included Thomas Telford and Francis Ludl ...
ers. The cut was completed in 1832, and the improvements of the remaining to Norwich were finished by the autumn of 1833. A grand opening was held on 30 September 1833, when it was planned that the ''Jarrow'' would tow two vessels, the ''City of Norwich'' and the ''Squire'', which were moored at Lowestoft, to Norwich. Unfortunately, the ''Jarrow'' was at Yarmouth, and the Corporation refused to open the bridge at the head of Breydon Water to allow the vessel to pass. The captain eventually cut down the funnel, but the delay resulted in him missing the tide, and he had to wait to cross Breydon Water. The convoy reached Norwich the following day, where 10,000 people lined the banks of the river to witness the event.[
Despite high hopes, the venture was not a success, as operating costs exceeded revenue, and the loan from the ]Exchequer Bill Loan Commission
The Exchequer Bill Loan Commission of the United Kingdom was set up under the Poor Employment Act, Poor Employment Act 1817, to help finance public work projects that would generate employment. Commissioners included Thomas Telford and Francis Ludl ...
could not be repaid. The arrival of the railways added an element of competition, and the Commissioners took over the Haddiscoe Cut in 1842, selling it on to Sir Samuel Morton Peto
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet (4 August 1809 – 13 November 1889) was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer, and, for more than 20 years, a Member of Parliament (MP). A partner in the firm of Grissell and Peto, he ...
, a railway developer.[ A new cut was made at Thorpe in 1844, where the railway crossed a loop in the river. The bridges at both ends of the old course restrict headroom to about .][''Inland Waterways of Great Britain'', (2009), Jane Cumberlidge, Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson, ] The City of Norwich attempted to buy the navigation in 1848, but were again opposed by Yarmouth, and withdrew their bill from Parliament. Silting of Lake Lothing became a problem, and traffic gradually reverted to using the route through Yarmouth. A grandiose plan to build a ship canal between Yarmouth and Norwich with a commercial dock at Whitlingham and a naval base at Rockland Broad, proposed in 1908, came to nothing, but steam tugs continued to haul barges of coal to Norwich until the 1960s. Commercial traffic has now been replaced by leisure boating.[
The river is tidal as far as Trowse Mills, with a tidal range of at Reedham and at Norwich. High water at Reedham occurs some hours after high water at Yarmouth, and at Norwich it is hours after Yarmouth.][
]
Wherryman's Way
Opened in 2005, the 35 mile long Wherryman's Way
Wherryman's Way is a long-distance footpath in the English county of Norfolk.
Route
Wherryman's Way is long, running between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It follows the course of the River Yare where possible, with some significant stretches a ...
follows the route of the historic Broads trading wherries between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It winds through existing footpaths, open marshes, reedbeds, grazing meadows and riverside villages along the banks of the River Yare. The path passes numerous information panels, sculptures and audio posts which seek to bring to life the characters and history of the route.Wander the Wherryman's Way - Broads Authority
/ref>
External links
*
References
{{authority control
Breckland District
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk Broads
Yare