River Frome, Somerset

Coordinates: 51°20′17″N 2°17′50″W / 51.33806°N 2.29722°W / 51.33806; -2.29722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with other Rivers Frome.

River Frome
Bridge at Tellisford over the River Frome
Path of the River Frome [1]
Location
CountryEngland
CountySomerset
CityFrome
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationWitham Friary, Mendip, Somerset, England
 • coordinates51°10′05″N 2°22′01″W / 51.16806°N 2.36694°W / 51.16806; -2.36694
MouthRiver Avon
 • location
Freshford, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, England
 • coordinates
51°20′17″N 2°17′50″W / 51.33806°N 2.29722°W / 51.33806; -2.29722
Length43 kilometres (27 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMells River, Henhambridge Brook
 • rightMaiden Bradley Brook, Rodden Brook

The River Frome is a river in

Bradford on Avon
.

The river is approximately 43 kilometres (27 mi) in length, comprising 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from its source to the confluence with Maiden Bradley Brook,[2] 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) through Frome to the confluence with the Mells River,[3] and 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the Avon.[4] Below Frome the river passes close to Beckington, Rode, Tellisford, Farleigh Hungerford and Iford Manor.

The name Frome comes from the

Old British word ffraw meaning fair, fine or brisk and describing the flow of the river.[5] The name was first recorded in 701 when Pope Sergius gave permission to Bishop Aldhelm to found a monastery "close to the river which is called From" (Latin: "juxta fluvium qui vocatur From").[6]

Weirs and bridges

There are many

wild swimming, the latter still hosted by one of the oldest river swimming clubs in England, founded in 1933. [8]
There are many bridges on the river. In the centre of Frome, the first bridge perhaps appeared in the 14th century. A later 16th-century bridge was widened in the 18th century and buildings were built across it.
turnpike bridge from around 1777;[11] Tellisford bridge, a packhorse bridge probably from the 17th century;[12] Iford bridge, circa 1400;[13] and Freshford bridge, 16th century.[14]

Ruins of a drying house, Willow Vale, frome
Ruins of a drying house, Willow Vale, Frome

Mills

Over the centuries, the river provided power to mills, at first for the grinding of flour. Later, as local industries developed, there were mills for

textile mill, Tuckers, further downstream at Wallbridge, closed in 1956.[20]

Incidents

On 2 May 1932, five boys, one of them on his 10th birthday, were watching floodwater from part of an old mill just upstream from the main bridge in Frome. The old masonry collapsed; the youngest boy, aged 9, was pulled out by friends. A police constable dived in to save the others; the waters took him through the arches of the main bridge but then his cape was caught up by branches and he was pulled out. The next day four bodies were retrieved at Welshmill. The police officer was awarded the King's Police Medal for Bravery for his attempt to save their lives.[21]

In January 2013, a policeman rescued a man from the river near the Cheese & Grain in the centre of Frome; he pulled the unconscious man from the freezing water and up the steep banks to save his life. The constable was awarded a Royal Humane Society Bravery Award.[22]

In May 2016, the director of Cross Keys Farm Ltd, Frome, pleaded guilty to causing an unpermitted water discharge into the River Frome.[23] The farm released slurry which killed at least 1,700 fish in the river, and caused considerable damage to its ecosystem.[24] The stretch of river immediately downstream from the farm was a popular swimming, fishing, and canoeing site; these activities were ceased under health concerns. In order to protect the ecosystem, hydrogen peroxide was sprayed into the river to restore oxygen levels for fish, animal, and plant life. The director of the farm was fined more than £22,000.[23]

References

  1. ^ "River Frome, Somerset". www.somersetrivers.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Frome - source to conf Maiden Bradley Bk". Environment Agency - Catchment Data Explorer. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Frome - (Maiden Bradley to Mells)". Environment Agency - Catchment Data Explorer. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Somerset Frome conf with Mells to conf B. Avon". Environment Agency - Catchment Data Explorer. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  5. ^ Belham, Peter (1985). The Making of Frome (2 ed.). Frome society for local study.
  6. ISBN 978 1 906978 50 1
  7. ^ "River Frome (Somerset)". British Canoe Union South West. Archived from the original on 18 November 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  8. ^ https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/20223133.popular-tv-presenter-opens-new-stone-steps-farleigh-district-swimming-club/
  9. ^ Gathercole, Clare (2003). "An archaeological assessment of Frome" (PDF). Somerset Urban Archaeological Surveys (EUS). Somerset County Council. p. 10. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Wall Bridge (1057739)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Rode Bridge (1175476)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Bridge over River Frome, Tellisford (1176205)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Iford Bridge (1115316)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Freshford Bridge (1158368)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  15. ^ Gathercole, Clare. "op.cit" (PDF). pp. 30–31.
  16. ^ "Blatchbridge Mill :: Somerset Rivers :: The Rivers of the County of Somerset in England". www.somersetrivers.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  17. ^ "AYRES John". www.gomezsmart.myzen.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  18. ^ Belham, Peter (1985). op.cit. p. 148.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Dye House (1174827)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  20. ISBN 978-0-9930605-5-7
    .
  21. ^ "Dark Somerset". SomersetLive.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Frome police hero bravery award". Frome Times. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  23. ^
    Somerset Live
    . Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Hundreds of fish killed by farm slurry in Somerset river". BBC News: Somerset. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=River_Frome,_Somerset&oldid=1172396421"