The River Cong is a stream in the west of the county of
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, only in length. It is a tributary of the
River Babingley
The River Babingley is a chalk stream and minor river in the northwest of Norfolk in England.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 250 - Norfolk Coast West''. . It runs from its source at Flitcham to the River Great Ouse at Wootton Marshe ...
. The spring rises in a meadow pool on the
Hillington side of Manor Farm,
Congham
Congham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It is situated some east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich.
History
Congham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English ...
. From there, it flows through the wood and over a small waterfall, where in the past it powered all the machinery within the Congham Oil Mill (), which is now known as Congham Lodge.
[Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 250 – Norfolk Coast West''. .]
The name of the stream does not appear on current Ordnance Survey maps, and few sources name it. One appearance of the name is in the neighbouring village of
Congham
Congham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It is situated some east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich.
History
Congham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English ...
, whose name is listed by one source as meaning "dwelling by the River Cong", though more recent sources suggest a possible direct meaning of dwelling "at the hill".
Congham Oil Mill
The mill is said to have been built for processing whales. Whales were transported from King's Lynn docks by horse and wagon. The mill produced oil from whale blubber. The resultant whale bones were then taken by road to
Narborough Bone Mill
Narborough Bone Mill was a watermill that operated on the River Nar in the west of the English county of Norfolk.”OS Explorer Map” 236, King’s Lynn, Downham Market & Swaffham The watermill was downstream of the village of Narborough. The ...
where they were ground into fertiliser. Some of the whale bones remain as ornaments at Congham Lodge to this day. The waterfall that drove the mill still remains. There would have been a horrendous smell especially in the summer, which was why the mill was situated away from King's Lynn itself. The Cong then flows on under the
A148 and joins the Babingley close by the Gatton Waters caravan site.
See also
*
The River Babingley
References
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Cong