River Dove, Barnsley
| River Dove, South Yorkshire | |
|---|---|
 River Dove on the outskirts of Darfield | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Worsbrough Reservoir |
| • coordinates | 53°31′34″N 1°28′27″W / 53.52611°N 1.47417°W |
| • elevation | 56 metres (184 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | River Dearne nr Darfield |
• coordinates | 53°31′43″N 1°22′9″W / 53.52861°N 1.36917°W |
| Length | 4.92 miles (7.91 km) |
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The River Dove is a river that extends through the Low Valley in Barnsley, England. It flows from Worsbrough Reservoir to its confluence with the River Dearne.
Course
The River Dove starts at the outfall of Worsbrough Reservoir, which was built for the opening of the Dearne and Dove Canal in 1804.[1] It supplied the Worsbrough Arm of the canal as well as the river. It is fed by a number of streams, the main ones being the Brough Green Brook and the Rockley Dike. Rockley Dike rises to the north of Thurgoland, close to the 660-foot (200 m) contour, and heads east. The upper reaches are called Crane Moor Dike on the Ordnance Survey map. Near Rockley Abbey Farm, it is joined by another branch which rises near Tankersley and runs parallel to the M1 motorway. The combined flow passes under the motorway to enter the southern end of the reservoir. These have a total length of 6.3 miles (10.1 km) and a catchment area of 6.51 square miles (16.9 km2).[2][3]
The northern tributary is called Dodworth Dike by the Environment Agency. It consists of four main streams, two of which rise near Silkstone Common and Berry Moor. They join near a disused railway embankment, and are joined by the Bagger Wood Dike, further to the east. The Dove Valley Trail, a long distance footpath, runs along the northernmost railway embankment, having left the Trans Pennine Trail to the south west of Silkstone Common. The combined streams are known as Stainborough Dike, and are in turn joined by Dodworth Dike, which flows southwards from its source in Dodworth. It then becomes the Brough Green Brook, flows under the motorway, and enters the reservoir. This system has a total length of 8.64 miles (13.90 km) and a catchment area of 6.43 square miles (16.7 km2).[4][3]
After its construction, Worsbrough Reservoir was extended in 1826. The shareholders of the Dearne and Dove Canal had wanted to build a completely new reservoir near Wentworth Castle, on the Stainborough Dike, but the House of Lords committee imposed certain conditions on the scheme, and the company withdrew the bill rather than accept the conditions. Instead the engineer George Leather suggested raising the water level of the existing reservoir by 4.5 feet (1.4 m), and this was carried out. It increased the surface area by 20 acres (8.1 ha).[5] Although the Worsbrough Branch of the canal was closed to traffic in 1906, due to subsidence from coal mining, the reservoir continued to serve its function, as the closed branch was still used as a water feeder for the main canal.[6] In order to comply with the Reservoirs Safety Act, two new spillways were constructed in 1984.[7]
At the foot of the dam is the
Almost immediately after leaving the reservoir, the River Dove is crossed by the
Below the basin, the Blacker Dike, which rises near Birdwell, joins from the south, and then Station Road crosses on a bridge.[3] The station which gave the road its name was Wombwell Central railway station, which was on the South Yorkshire Railway line between Barnsley and Mexborough. It closed in 1959.[11] There are then a series of railway bridges. Swaithe Bridge is the first, while the next three were part of a complex railway junction, but all the tracks have been removed.[3]
The
Water quality
The water quality of the river and its tributaries is variable. The
The water quality of the Dove was as follows in 2019.
| Section | Ecological Status | Chemical Status | Overall Status | Length | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockley Dike from Source to River Dove[15] | Moderate | Fail | 6.3 miles (10.1 km) | 6.51 square miles (16.9 km2) | heavily modified |
| Dodworth Dyke from Source to River Dove[16] | Good | Fail | 8.6 miles (13.8 km) | 6.43 square miles (16.7 km2) | heavily modified |
| Dove from Source to River Dearne[17] | Moderate | Fail | 7.2 miles (11.6 km) | 9.73 square miles (25.2 km2) | heavily modified |
The water quality has improved since 2009, when the main river had a poor ecological status, and the overall status was also poor. Like many rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment.
Points of interest
| Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source of Brough Green Brook | 53°30′50″N 1°34′15″W / 53.5140°N 1.5708°W | SE285020 | |
| Source of Rockley Dike | 53°30′41″N 1°33′36″W / 53.5114°N 1.5601°W | SE292017 | |
| Outflow from Worsbrough Reservoir | 53°31′34″N 1°28′30″W / 53.5262°N 1.4750°W | SE349034 | |
| Swaithe railway bridge | 53°31′44″N 1°26′15″W / 53.5288°N 1.4375°W | SE373037 | |
| A633 Aldham Bridge Wombwell | 53°32′06″N 1°25′06″W / 53.5349°N 1.4182°W | SE386044 | |
| B6096 Stoneyford Bridge | 53°31′44″N 1°23′18″W / 53.5290°N 1.3883°W | SE406037 | |
| Junction with River Dearne | 53°31′44″N 1°22′08″W / 53.5289°N 1.3689°W | SE419037 | mouth |
Bibliography
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
- Firth, Christopher (1997). Domesday to the dawn of the New Millennium - 900 years of the Don fishery. Environment Agency. (This is available online at The Don Catchment Rivers Trust. Page numbers refer to the pdf file).
- Hadfield, Charles (1973). The Canals of Yorkshire and North East England (Vol 2). David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5975-4.
References
- ^ Hadfield 1973, pp. 283–285
- ^ "Rockley Dike from source to River Dove". Environment Agency. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map
- ^ "Dodworth Dike from source to River Dove". Environment Agency. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Hadfield 1973, pp. 287–288.
- ^ Hadfield 1973, p. 419.
- ^ a b "Worsbrough Mill". Barnsley Council. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Worsbrough Corn Mill (1151044)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Bridge near Worsbrough Mill Museum (1151045)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "New bridge over River Dove". Barnsley MBC. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 253
- ^ Firth 1997, pp. 23–24.
- ^ "Dove from source to River Dearne". Environment Agency. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Catchment Data Explorer Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status)". Environment Agency. 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Rockley Dike from Source to River Dove". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Dodworth Dyke from Source to River Dove". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Dove from Source to River Dearne". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
Sources
- "Barnsley". Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012.
- Map of River Dove in Barnsley, Streetmap