River Gowy

River Gowy
River Gowy
	The River Gowy at Foulk Stapleford
	Location of the mouth within Cheshire
Location
Country	England
County	Cheshire
District	Cheshire West and Chester
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	near Peckforton
• coordinates	53°05′56″N 2°41′02″W / 53.0988°N 2.6838°W
Stanlow Refinery
• coordinates	53°17′29″N 2°51′08″W / 53.2914°N 2.8521°W
Length	32 km (20 mi)

The River Gowy is a river in Cheshire, England, a tributary of the River Mersey.

It rises in western Cheshire in the hills near

syphon under the Manchester Ship Canal

to meet the Mersey near Stanlow. Its total length is around 20 miles (32 km).

Perennially popular with fishermen and home to several rare invertebrates,

Stanlow and the arrival of the nearby M53 and M56

motorways, leading to schemes by environmental groups to clean up the area and to restock the fish population.

The

Shell UK, has been created as a nature reserve by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Surveys by the Environment Agency show that the Gowy's eel

population has held up well despite a Europe-wide massive decline in numbers. The reasons for this are unclear but local anglers suggest that eel in the river may not follow normal migration patterns because of the partially closed nature of the river flow caused by the system of syphoning under the ship canal.

At one time the river provided power for up to 20 watermills. Today only a few remain: Bates Mill and Walk Mill (both in private ownership), Bunbury Mill (now owned by a Trust) and Trafford Mill. The latter is owned by United Utilities plc. Bunbury Mill is open to the public at times. Trafford Mill is being developed as a museum and an educational and training resource concentrating on conservation-related activities.

The river's length has been increased over the centuries as land has been reclaimed by draining the marshes. It was on the marshes at

Gibbet’s Field near Mickle Trafford

that James Brown and Thomas Price were hanged in January 1795 for the abduction and robbery of a mail boy.

Tributaries

References

^ "Gowy Meadows Management Plan 2010-2020". Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
^ Askeland, Erikka (June 2004). "Otters, Orchids and Oil" (PDF). Source NW. Mersey Basin Campaign. p. 21. Retrieved 13 July 2018.

[managementplan-1] "Gowy Meadows Management Plan 2010-2020". Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 31 July 2012.

[Askeland-2] Askeland, Erikka (June 2004). "Otters, Orchids and Oil" (PDF). Source NW. Mersey Basin Campaign. p. 21. Retrieved 13 July 2018.