River Welland

The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills near Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire and flows northeast for about 65 miles to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. The river forms county boundaries along much of its length, separating Northamptonshire from Leicestershire or Rutland, and later Lincolnshire from Cambridgeshire. Its catchment covers 609 square miles, with 257 miles of main river managed for flood control. The landscape along the Welland is varied, from limestone valleys in the centre to alluvial soils in the east that rely on artificial pumping to prevent flooding. The river has played an important role in drainage and transport for centuries. In the 1660s, a new cut with ten locks was built between Stamford and Market Deeping, creating the Stamford Canal, which was once the longest canal with locks in Britain. Navigation on the upper river ended by 1863, though Spalding remained an active port until after the Second World War. The Environment Agency still manages navigation as far upstream as Crowland, though shallow draught limits progress beyond West Deeping Bridge. The river’s estuary near Fosdyke supports wading birds and migratory species, while the faster headwaters upstream provide habitat for trout. A walk along the Welland reveals traces of its past. In Market Harborough, the river is joined by the River Jordan and crossed by a three-arched bridge built in 1881. Near Harringworth, the Welland Viaduct, with its 82 brick arches, carries the Oakham to Kettering railway line over the valley. At Duddington, a medieval mill building dating from 1664 stands beside a limestone bridge widened in 1919. The Jurassic Way long-distance footpath crosses the river at Turtle Bridge, a structure that may date from the fourteenth century. The river’s banks also hold scheduled ancient monuments, such as Old Lubenham Hall, where King Charles I is believed to have stayed before the Battle of Naseby.