River Dun

The River Dun is a chalk stream in Wiltshire and Berkshire, flowing for 16 kilometres from its source near Great Bedwyn to its junction with the Kennet at Hungerford. It winds through a valley that has long served as a route between the London Basin and the Vale of Pewsey, carrying both the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Plymouth railway. Two tributaries join the river: the Froxfield Stream on the left bank and the Shalbourne Stream on the right, the latter once diverted into the canal before being restored to its original course. Water quality tests in 2019 rated the river as good after projects reduced nutrients and sediment entering the water. The river’s course is shaped by engineering works from the 19th century. Wilton Water reservoir was created in 1836 to feed the canal, and Crofton Pumping Station still uses its two historic beam engines to lift water into the canal. The outfall from the reservoir, with its three sluices, is Grade II listed, and the river splits into parallel channels near Crofton Crossing Bridge. Between Great Bedwyn and Little Bedwyn it passes under several bridges, including Bedwyn Wharf Bridge and Burnt Mill footbridge, while Froxfield Stream joins on the left bank near Froxfield Bridge. Freeman’s Marsh, a nature reserve owned by the Town and Manor of Hungerford, lies where the river widens into wet grassland. It supports water voles and a variety of birds and has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1986. The river then flows beneath Dun Aqueduct into Berkshire, skirting the trout farm at Hungerford. The Shalbourne Stream, rising from three sources, is culverted under the railway and canal to join the Dun near the town. Historic bridges such as the late 18th-century crossing at Dun Mill and the A338 Bridge Street mark the river’s passage through Hungerford.