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The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a
The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in England, and a tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell.
It is usually called the ''River Ouzel'', except near Newport Pagnell where both names are used. The name ''Lovat'' was recorded (in the form 'Lovente') in the thirteenth century, a map of 1724 marks the river as "Lowsel R", and a map surveyed in 1765 shows it as 'Ouzel River'. The modern Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...
uses only the name ''Ouzel'', except north of Willen Lake where it is marked as 'River Ouzel or Lovat'.
Course
From springs just north ofDagnall
Dagnall is a village in the parish of Edlesborough, in Buckinghamshire, England.
The place name is derived from the Old English for "Daegga's Knoll". In manorial rolls of 1196 it was listed as ''Dagenhale''.
The spelling ''Dagenhale'' appears ...
, the river initially forms the boundary between Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
and Buckinghamshire. It is joined by the Ouzel Brook from Houghton Regis
Houghton Regis is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, East of England.
The parish is located in Central Bedfordshire, which includes the hamlets of Bidwell, Thorn, and Sewell. Houghton Regis, along with its contiguous neighbour ...
, and by Whistle Brook (also known at Ivinghoe
Ivinghoe is a village and civil parish in east Buckinghamshire, England, close to the border with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is northwest of London, north of Tring and south of Leighton Buzzard, close to the village of Pitstone.
Ety ...
as ''Whizzle Brook'')F. G. Gurney, ''Yttingaford and the tenth-century bounds of Chalgrave and Linslade'', Bedfordshire Historical Record Society 5, 1920, p. 175, note 25. from Pitstone. Near Grove Lock, just south of Leighton Buzzard, it was once joined by Ledburn Brook, which has since been diverted into the Grand Junction Canal (now the Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
). At Leighton Buzzard, the river is joined by Clipstone Brook from Milton Bryan via Hockliffe and Clipstone, and to the north of the town the excess water from the canal is released into the river at the Twelve Arches. The river then flows through Milton Keynes, where the flood risk it presents (both locally and to communities downstream on the Ouse) is managed by two large balancing lakes, Caldecotte Lake and Willen Lake. After flowing east under the M1, the river is joined by Crawley Brook from Husborne Crawley. Finally, the river flows through Newport Pagnell to its junction with the Great Ouse.
References
{{Coord, 51, 52, 56, N, 0, 38, 08, W, display=title, region:GB_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Milton Keynes Ouzel Ouzel Ouzel