Mesopotamia is a narrow

ait An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

, or

river island River Island (stylised as RiverIsland and abbreviated as RI) is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis (entrepreneur), Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores ...

, situated in the

River Cherwell A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

within the

University Parks The Oxford University Parks, commonly referred to locally as the University Parks, or just The Parks, is a large parkland area slightly northeast of the city centre in Oxford, England. The park is bounded to the east by the River Cherwell, tho ...

in the English city of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. The island extends approximately in length and in width. It is positioned between two branches of the Cherwell, which flow at different levels; the higher of these was formerly the mill stream serving Kings Mill. A footpath, Mesopotamia Walk, runs along the island from

Parson's Pleasure Parson's Pleasure in the University Parks at Oxford, England, was a secluded area for male-only nude bathing on the River Cherwell. It was located next to the path on the way to Mesopotamia, Oxford, Mesopotamia at the south-east corner of t ...

to Kings Mill, providing part of a pedestrian link between the city centre and

Marston Road Marston Road is a road in the east of Oxford, England. It links London Place, the junction of St Clement's, Oxford, St Clements, the foot of Headington Hill (Headington Road), and Morrell Avenue by South Park, Oxford, South Park to the south wi ...

. 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

records the existence of 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 mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

on the site now occupied by Kings Mill, indicating the site's historical significance since at least the 11th century. The present structure dates from the late 18th century, and milling operations continued there until 1825. The exact date of construction of the mill stream — which led to the formation of Mesopotamia — is unknown. The mill building is constructed of rubble stone with dressed quoins, and comprises two storeys and an attic. Now a Grade II listed structure, it has been converted into a private residence. Although the mill wheel is no longer extant,

sluice A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...

s remain visible in the former

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a m ...

. The island was purchased by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

during the expansion of the Oxford University Parks between 1860 and 1865. Mesopotamia Walk was laid out in 1865; the name Mesopotamia is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "between rivers", a reference shared with the historic region located between the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

and

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

rivers in present-day

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Until 1926, a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

operated from a point halfway along the walk, when it was replaced by a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

. File:King's Mill Lane Area, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 3585157.jpg, Kings Mill, viewed from the downsteam end of Mesopotamia File:River Cherwell Below The Weir - geograph.org.uk - 3215922.jpg, One of two overflow weirs that pass under bridges along the island File:Parson's Pleasure Weir, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 3585917.jpg, The upstream end of Mesopotamia seen from Parson's Pleasure

References

{{reflist, 30em Footpaths in Oxford Parks and open spaces in Oxford University of Oxford sites 1865 establishments in England

See also

References