River Loddon

The River Loddon is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises at Basingstoke in Hampshire and flows north for 28 miles to meet the Thames at Wargrave. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 400 square miles. Along its course it passes through water-meadows, peat moor and former gravel pits. The river has been shaped by centuries of milling, with mill ponds, weirs and races still visible. The Loddon powered dozens of mills, most milling corn but one silk mill and one paper mill among them. Several mill buildings survive as homes or hotels, while Longbridge Mill has been restored and still operates occasionally. The river supports diverse wildlife, including rare bulbs and pondweed, and improvements such as a fish bypass at Arborfield Mill help migratory fish. Former gravel workings form Loddon Nature Reserve and Dinton Pastures Country Park. A visitor follows the river through Basingstoke’s Eastrop Park and past the ruins of medieval Basing House. Old brick bridges carry roads and railways over the Loddon, including a three-arch bridge funded by public subscription in 1826. The river curves through farmland and woodland, past Stratfield Saye House, home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817. At Dinton Pastures Country Park, gravel pits have become lakes such as White Swan Lake, while Sandford Mill and other former mills stand in the surrounding fields.