River Wensum
'the loveliest of Norfolk's rivers' - John Wilson
(Angler, author and TV presenter)
The River Wensum takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon
word for 'winding' and begins its life near the village of
South
Raynham. From here it
flows northwards through Raynham Park which is the home
of Viscount Townshend - a descendent of 'Turnip'
Townsend - who wrote Horse Hoeing Husbandry.
River Wensum at
Ringland Bridge
Just before Fakenham the river enters Sculthorpe Moor - a place that the writer Richard Mabey
visits in his moving autobiographical book Nature
Cure. The Moor, which is a nature reserve managed by
the Hawk and Owl Trust, borders the river. This is how
Mabey described the place:
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'Sculthorpe seemed
more ancient and echoing than any wet place I'd seen.
Huge willows had collapsed like broken sheaves, arching
over the peat and here and there talking root at their
tips. Their branches were draped - upholstered almost -
with moss and lichen and epiphytic ferns. In danker
spots there were mounds of tussock sedge, iron-dark and
fusty, which in Norfolk were once cut to make fireside
seats and church kneelers.' |
After Fakenham the river flows through another nature
reserve - this time Pensthorpe. Pensthorpe was created
from a series of flooded gravel pits and the Wensum
meanders through the heart of it. The river here is home
to the rare white clawed crayfish. Pensthorpe offers a
wide range of habitats and has recently provided the
location for the BBC's Springwatch programme -
which is presented by Kate Humble, Bill Oddie and Chris
Packham. It is owned by Deb and Bill Jordan -
the breakfast cereal moguls.
After Pensthorpe, the Wensum flows through Little and
Great Ryburgh and then heads south-east towards Guist.
Close to Guist, lies the beautiful Bintree Mill - which
was used by the BBC in its 1997 production of The
Mill on the Floss.
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Bintree Mill
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Further downstream, the river enters Parson Woodforde
country. In his diary entry for May 16th 1781, he
records the activities of a fishing party which took place at Lenwade and Morton.
Parson Woodforde lived at nearby
Weston Longville.
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'Between 7 and 8 o'clock this morning went down to
the River a fishing with my Nets. Ben, Will, Jack, Harry
Dunnell and Willm Legate (Ben's Brother) were my
Fishermen. We begun at Lenewade Mill and fished down to
Morton. And we had the best day of Fishing we ever had.
We caught at one draught only ten Pails of Fish, Pike,
Trout and flat fish. The largest Fish we caught was a
Pike, which was a Yard long and weighed upwards of
thirteen pound after he was brought home.' |
Another fisherman who loves the Wensum is John Wilson
- who has caught many specimen chub and barbel -
particularly around Costessey (pronounced 'Cossey'). He describes
the Wensum as: 'the loveliest of Norfolk's rivers'. John
lives at Great Witchingham (Lenwade) where he has his
own private lake. John is also the author of a
guidebook called Fresh and Saltwater Fishing in Norfolk
and Suffolk which was first published by Jarrold in
1974. |
Eventually the Wensum enters the city of
Norwich.
In Lavengro George Borrow describes the river:
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'At the foot of the heights flows a narrow and deep
river, with an antique bridge communicating with a long
and narrow suburb, flanked on either side by rich
meadows of the brightest green' |
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Quayside Norwich Another writer with a
connection to the river was Borrow's German master
William Taylor
(1765-1836). Taylor used to take a swim in the river
every afternoon before going out drinking in the
evening. From September 2003 to June 2004 I kept a haiku diary
about the Wensum - recording daily impressions
of the river between Whitefriars Bridge and
Bishops Bridge in Norwich. Here are a few of the poems:
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Electric - blue - shock
Flying at full pelt, parting
The ordinary.Today your iron-
Grey surface barely reflects
The iron-grey sky.
Summer heat, and the
Crane's concrete counter balance
Wobbles in your glass.
One foot above you,
The kingfisher's firework
Flashes and is gone.
Read complete sequence |
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Cow Tower Norwich
At Trowse - just south-east of Norwich - the Wensum
merges with the smaller River Yare and
(rarely unfairly) loses its identity for good.
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Links:
More River Wensum Photographs
River Wensum Initiative |
Supported
by Norfolk Tourism