Castle Mill Stream is a long backwater of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

in the west of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It has its own secondary backwater, known as the Wareham Stream, that is long.

Course

Castle Mill Stream

The Castle Mill Stream leaves the main course of the River Thames at the south end of

Port Meadow Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England. Overview The meadow is an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and according to legend has never bee ...

, immediately upstream of

Medley Footbridge Medley Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge across the River Thames near the village of Binsey in Oxford, England. It is also known as Rainbow Bridge, although there is another bridge of that name in the University Parks The Oxford Universit ...

, split by the northern part of Fiddler's Island to the west. It flows between Port Meadow to the north and Cripley Meadow (largely allotments) to the south. It then passes under the Cherwell Valley railway line and turns south, alongside the southern end of the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in southern central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to th ...

and the railway tracks, across which is the

Castle Mill Castle Mill is a graduate housing complex of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Overview Castle Mill is located north of Oxford railway station along Roger Dudman Way, just to the west of the railway tracks and the Oxford Down ...

graduate housing development of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Further south, the Isis Lock gives access to the Oxford Canal, and the short Sheepwash Channel leads west under the railway tracks to the main stream of the Thames. The stream then flows past the vestigial remains of

Rewley Abbey The Cistercian Abbey of Rewley was an abbey in Oxford, England. It was founded in the 13th century by Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall. Edmund's father, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, founder of Hailes Abbey, had intended to establish a college or ...

before reaching Upper Fisher Row, where the Wareham Stream leaves the main channel. The stream then flows under a series of bridges: Hythe Bridge (on Hythe Bridge Street), Pacey's Bridge (on

Park End Street Park End Street is a street in central Oxford, England, to the west of the centre of the city, close to the Oxford railway station, railway station at its western end. Location To the east, New Road, Oxford, New Road links Park End Street to ...

}, Quaking Bridge (between St Thomas' Street and Tidmarsh Lane), and Swan Bridge (on Paradise Street and once known as Castle Bridge), outside the original medieval city walls of Oxford, near

Oxford Castle Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and ...

. It is then re-joined by the Wareham Stream and continues under Oxpens Road and rejoins the Thames immediately upstream of the Gasworks Bridge.

Wareham Stream

The Wareham Stream leaves the Castle Mill Stream at the upper end of Upper Fisher Row. It then flows under Little Hythe Bridge (on Hythe Bridge Street), Pacey's Bridge (on

} and Bookbinders' Bridge (on St Thomas' Street) before re-entering the Castle Mill Stream near to the city centre campus of the City of Oxford College.

History

The stream was altered greatly in

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

and early Norman times. There was a mill here even before the castle existed. In the winter of 1142, there was a siege at the castle.

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

(aka Queen Maud, 1102–1167), the daughter and dispossessed heir of Henry I, was there during her power struggle with King Stephen (1096–1154). The queen escaped from the castle after her guards lowered her over the walls. She was clothed in a white dress that camouflaged her against the snow. Matilda crept through the enemy lines and across the Castle Mill Stream to escape to freedom. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the stream was used for navigation, at least above Hythe Bridge. During the 16th century, hay, wood, stone, and slate were unloaded at a wharf at Hythe Bridge. When the Oxford Canal was built, it provided an easier route into the centre of Oxford, and in 1795-96 Daniel Harris built Isis Lock to allow Thames river traffic to access the canal wharves. The stream then fell out of use for navigation.

Gallery

File:The Castle Mill Stream at Quaking Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1573979.jpg, The Castle Mill Stream at Quaking Bridge. File:The Old Malthouse on Castle Mill Stream - geograph.org.uk - 1573993.jpg, The restored Old Malthouse on the Castle Mill Stream and Tidmarsh Lane, dating from the early 19th century. File:The malt house and stone dog, reflected - geograph.org.uk - 1574011.jpg, On the left is the walkway along the Castle Mill Stream, leading from St Thomas' Street to

. File:Mill stream to the College - geograph.org.uk - 1408218.jpg, The Castle Mill Stream, near Oxpens Road. File:Back up the millstream - geograph.org.uk - 1410531.jpg, Looking the mill stream towards Oxford Castle. File:CastleMillStream.jpg, The Castle Mill Stream flowing under Hythe Bridge. File:Isis Lock, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 320206.jpg, Isis Lock, linking the mill stream (right) and the

(left). File:A goods train crosses a minor tributary of the Thames on its way towards Oxford Station - geograph.org.uk - 1555200.jpg, The railway bridge over the mill stream near

, north of

Oxford railway station Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, one of two serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road. It is the busiest station in Oxfords ...

and just south of Walton Well Road.

References

External links

*
''Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide: Oxford Old River''
{{authority control Geography of Oxford History of Oxford Rivers of Oxfordshire 0CastleMillStream