The River Sherbourne is a river that flows under the centre of the city of

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, in the West Midlands, in England. The source of the river is in the fields near Hawkes End in the parish of

Allesley Allesley () is a suburban village and civil parish in the City of Coventry metropolitan borough, West Midlands, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west-northwest of Coventry city centre and 4 miles (6.5 km) east-south-east of Meriden. Located in ...

. It flows for about 8 miles or 13 km in a generally southeastern direction. In the centre of Coventry it flows through

Spon End Spon End is a suburb of Coventry, England. It is situated west of Coventry city centre. The Butts Park Arena and a Premier Inn hotel are situated on the main road through Spon End. The Butts Park Arena, which was opened in 2004, is the home of C ...

(where it is spanned by Vignoles Bridge) and it is culverted just before it reaches the Inner Ring Road and

Spon Street Spon Street (sometimes referred to as Historic Spon Street or Medieval Spon Street) is an historic street in central Coventry, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. The street was once part of a route that ran from Gosford St ...

, and continues through the suburb of Whitley. It joins the River Sowe (a tributary of the River Avon) south of the

A45 road The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42 motorway, M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 motorway, M45 until it ...

near Baginton. The name Sherbourne is said to derive from ''Scir Burna'', "clear stream" in Old English. In 1935 and on eight more recent occasions, the upper Sherbourne around

has dried up almost completely.

Coventry City Council Coventry City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the city of Coventry in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Coventry has had a council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasi ...

has plans to open up a stretch of the river which is currently culverted, and runs beneath The Burges, a street in the city centre. As part of the Sherbourne Valley Project, there are plans to return the river to its natural course, avoiding the current culverts and weirs, in the area of Coundon Wedge, west of Coventry. Specifically where the river is joined by the North Brook. This would allow fish to pass up and down the river more easily. The grade II-listed Sherbourne Viaduct carries the

Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line The Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line (also known as the Birmingham loop) is a railway line in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is a Loop line (railway), loop off the West Coast Main Line (WCML) between Rugby, Warwickshi ...

over the river near the Charterhouse.

List of crossings

In downstream order from source to confluence with the Sowe: * Spon End Viaduct * Spon Bridge (grade II listed) * Vignoles Bridge *''River is culverted beneath Coventry City Centre'' * Gosford Street *Bridge at the Charterhouse, off London Road * Sherbourne Viaduct *A4082 London Road * Whitley Abbey Bridge (grade II listed) *

(Stonebridge Highway)

References

Rivers of Warwickshire Rivers of the West Midlands (county) Rivers of Coventry 2Sherborne {{England-river-stub