The Bow Brook is a substantial
brook that flows for through
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
, England. It is a lower tributary of the
River Avon which it joins near
Defford
Defford is a small village in the county of Worcestershire, England, located between the towns of Pershore and Upton-upon-Severn. It was once part of the Royal forest of Horewell. The woodlands were mostly removed around the time of the Civil ...
downstream of
Eckington Bridge. Its principal tributaries include the Stoulton, Dean, and Seeley brooks.
Course
It rises near
Upper Bentley to the west of
Redditch
Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, north-west of Alcester and north-east of Worcester. In 2021, the town had a population of ...
, and flows due south through
Feckenham
Feckenham is a village and civil parish in the Redditch district in Worcestershire, England. It lies some south-west of the town of Redditch and some east of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 670 in the 2001 census and its immedia ...
beyond which it turns west to reach Shell, where it is known as the Shell Brook, and onwards to
Himbleton
Himbleton is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. It lies about south-east of Droitwich and north-east of Worcester, England, Worcester. There is an Anglican church, dedicated to Saint ...
. It continues in a southerly direction flowing past
Huddington and
Upton Snodsbury
Upton Snodsbury is a village in Worcestershire, England, located five miles east of Worcester just off the A422 road. It is surrounded by low hills and farmland. The civil parish population was 392 in 2021.
History
The church is dedicated to ...
where it is crossed by the
A422, near
Broughton Hackett, and then past
Peopleton
Peopleton is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 640, with 245 households.
Location
Peopleton is located about south east of Worcester, England, Worcester and ...
beyond which it is crossed by the
A44. The brook is forded by a minor road between Walcot and
Pinvin
Pinvin is a village in Worcestershire, England, a little to the north of Pershore
Pershore () is a market town and civil parish in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At ...
, here it turns south-west, past Ufnell Bridge on the B4084 until it reaches
Besford Bridge where it is measured. It is bridged by the A4104 before it passes Defford the last village on its course, downstream of which it joins the Warwickshire Avon.
[
]
Hydrology
The flow of the Bow Brook has been measured using a weir
A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
, in the lower reaches at Besford Bridge since 1969. This long-term record shows that the catchment
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, th ...
of to the gauging station
A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or vo ...
yielded an average flow of .Tardebigge
Tardebigge () is a village in Worcestershire, England.
The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the county of Worceste ...
. Land use is mainly agricultural, consisting of arable, horticulture and grassland, with some woodland.
See also
*List of rivers of England
This is a list of rivers of England, organised geographically and taken anti-clockwise around the English coast where the various rivers discharge into the surrounding seas, from the Solway Firth on the Scottish border to the Welsh Dee on the W ...
References
External links
Bow Brook water levels at Besford BridgeBow Brook water levels at Feckenham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bow
Rivers of Worcestershire
1Bow