The Adur ( or ) is a river in
Sussex,
England; it gives its name to the
Adur district of
West Sussex. The river, which is
long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as
Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th century the lower river
became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters at the mouth of the river in
Shoreham-by-Sea.
Watercourse
The Adur begins as two separate branches, the western Adur and the eastern Adur, which meet west of
Henfield.
The western Adur rises at
Slinfold from where it flows around
Coolham and then through
Shipley, where it meets Lancing Brook and flows on to
West Grinstead
West Grinstead is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles (6.3 km) northwest from Henfield. It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber
The western ...
and
Knepp Castle
The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 ().
The castl ...
. The western Adur is tidal as far north as Bines Bridge near
Bines Green, south of West Grinstead.
The eastern Adur rises at
Ditchling Common
Ditchling Common is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-west of Wivelsfield in East Sussex. It is a country park. which is owned and managed by East Sussex County Council. In many respects, it is a biologically important site o ...
, in
East Sussex, from where it crosses into West Sussex and meets Herrings Stream at
Twineham (). At
Shermanbury, the eastern Adur is fed by the Cowfold Stream. The Normal Tidal Limit is just below this at the footbridge near Shermanbury Church although a
weir just above the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
with the Western Adur means that only the highest tides reach here. Up to the early 1800s boats could navigate to Mock Bridge where the A281 crosses the Adur.
West of Henfield, the two branches of the river meet before flowing between
Upper Beeding and
Bramber
Bramber is a former manor, village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It has a ruined mediaeval castle which was the ''caput'' of a large feudal barony. Bramber is located on the northern edge of the South Down ...
, past
Coombes
Coombes is a hamlet and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. The village is in the Adur Valley northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea.
Coombes Church is an 11th-century Church of England parish church that has lost its dedicati ...
, through a gap in the
South Downs near
Lancing College where the Adur is fed by the Ladywell Stream. The river continues on to the
English Channel at
Shoreham-by-Sea. The mouth of the Adur is now two miles (3 km) from the town centre of Shoreham due to
longshore drift. Previously, the river mouth was further east, in
Portslade, but an opening to the sea was made which allowed the creation of
Southwick Ship Canal
The Southwick Ship Canal or Southwick Canal is a canal in Southwick, West Sussex that branches off from the estuary of the River Adur near Hove. The canal is 1.75 miles in length, running east–west and parallel with the shoreline, providing fa ...
.
The
Baybridge Canal
The Baybridge Canal was a short canal built entirely within the parish of West Grinstead in the English county of Sussex. It opened in 1826, and closed in 1875.
History
The River Adur is formed when the Western Adur and the Eastern Adur join ne ...
uses part of the Adur's watercourse.
Etymology
The name ''Adur'' is a relatively recent (probably 1612s) invention, based on the name of the Roman fort
Portus Adurni
Portus Adurni was a Roman fort in the Roman province of Britannia situated at the north end of Portsmouth Harbour. It was part of the Saxon Shore, and is the best-preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. Around an eighth of the fort has been exc ...
which was mistakenly believed to be at Shoreham. The river had previously been known as the ''Bramber'', and was also recorded as the ''Sore'' in the sixteenth century, the latter probably a
back-formation
In etymology, back-formation is the process or result of creating a new word via inflection, typically by removing or substituting actual or supposed affixes from a lexical item, in a way that expands the number of lexemes associated with the c ...
by
William Harrison's ''Description of England'' (1577) from
Shoreham (often ''Sorham'' in early sources).
A further possible translation derived from the Anglo Saxon ''ǽdr'' meaning ''vein or artery''. Other local rivers such as the ''Rother'' deriving from the Anglo Saxon ''róðer'' which means Rower (as in a long river) and the ''Arun'' derived from ''hærn'' meaning ''tidal'' also appear to describe the river and its surrounds.
History
From Norman times the county of Sussex was divided into sections known as ''
rapes''. Each rape was typically centred on a river and river port and was guarded by a castle.
Bramber rape was centred on the port of Bramber and the river Adur, with
Bramber Castle
Bramber Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle formerly the ''caput'' of the large feudal barony of Bramber long held by the Braose family. It is situated in the village of Bramber, West Sussex, near the town of Steyning, overlooking the R ...
located close to the river. At various times in the medieval period, Bramber, Steyning and New Shoreham were all major ports on the river. The western Adur also flows close to
Knepp Castle
The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 ().
The castl ...
, near Shipley.
Settlements on the river
*
Slinfold
*
Shipley
*
West Grinstead
West Grinstead is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2135 road four miles (6.3 km) northwest from Henfield. It is within the ancient division of the Rape of Bramber
The western ...
*
Ditchling
*
Twineham
*
Wineham
*
Shermanbury
*
Bramber
Bramber is a former manor, village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It has a ruined mediaeval castle which was the ''caput'' of a large feudal barony. Bramber is located on the northern edge of the South Down ...
*
Upper Beeding
*
Coombes
Coombes is a hamlet and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. The village is in the Adur Valley northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea.
Coombes Church is an 11th-century Church of England parish church that has lost its dedicati ...
*
Shoreham-by-Sea
See also
*
Rivers of the United Kingdom
References
External links
Adur District Council - The River AdurGuide to Adur River and DistrictEnvironment Agency flood warnings about river AdurRiver Adur Conservation Society
{{authority control
Adur