The River Stiffkey is a

chalk stream Chalk streams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. Since chalk is permeable, water percolates easily through the ground to the water table and chalk streams therefore receive little surface runoff. As a result, th ...

running through an area of north

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 ...

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 ...

from its source near Swanton Novers to flow out into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

on the north Norfolk coast near the village of Stiffkey. The river has been dredged historically, presumably for agricultural purposes, and has a self-sustaining population of brown trout.

Course

The river's source is a small wooded lake just north of the village of Swanton Novers, after which the river passes close to Fulmodeston, then north to pass through the village of

Great Snoring Great Snoring is a rural village in North Norfolk by the River Stiffkey, in the east of England. It is situated approximately north-west from the city and county town of Norwich, and north from the larger village of Little Snoring. At th ...

, which is noted in the

Domesday book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

as having a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

. From

"Rivers of East Anglia, By James Turner: Publisher: Cassell & Company Limited, 1954, Chapter III The Stiffkey.:AASIN B0007JD6TQ it runs south past Thorpland Hall, then north-west through

East Barsham East Barsham is a village and former civil parish of Barsham, in the North Norfolk district, in the English county of Norfolk. In 1931 the parish had a population of 144. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished to form Barsham. The village is ...

North Barsham North Barsham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Barsham, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 79. The village is one of four settlements within the par ...

and

Houghton St Giles Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townsh ...

Little Walsingham Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Little (album), ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt *Little (film), ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's nov ...

, the largest settlement on its course. The

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

in Little Walsingham was built with stone from

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

which had been towed up the River Stiffkey in flat-bottomed barges. The priory had a watermill on the river but this was demolished early in the 20th century. From here it flows north past

Great Walsingham Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, then through

Wighton Wighton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some south of the town of Wells-next-the-Sea, north of the town of Fakenham, and north-west of the city of Norwich. The medieval pilgrimage centre ...

and Warham before passing through the village of Stiffkey and out to its estuary on Stiffkey Salt Marshes. The area from Great Walsingham to Stiffkey is prone to flooding and was the subject of a severe flood warning in October 2004.

History

The river is probably named after the village of Stiffkey, whose name means "Island with tree-stumps".

Gallery

Image:River Stiffkey 5th April 2007 (10).JPG, The River Stiffkey at Warham Image:River Stiffkey 5th April 2007 (5).JPG, The river at Wighton Image:River Stiffkey in Stiffkey5th April 2007.JPG, The river as it flows through the village of Stiffkey Image:Stiffkey Salt Marsh 9,04,2007 (4).JPG, Stiffkey Salt Marsh and the mouth of the river

References

{{authority control Stiffkey river Walsingham