The River Windrush is a tributary of the

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

in central England. It rises near Winchcombe in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and flows south east for via Burford and Witney to meet the Thames at

Newbridge Newbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Newbridge, New South Wales *Newbridge, Victoria * Newbridge Heights Public School England * Newbridge, Bath, electoral ward *Newbridge, Cornwall, three places in Cornwall with the same name * Newbridge, ...

in Oxfordshire. The river gives its name to the village of Windrush in Gloucestershire.

River

The Windrush starts in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire northeast of

Taddington Taddington is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish, together with neighbouring Blackwell in the Peak and Brushfield parishes, as taken at the 2011 census, was 457. It lies over above sea level ...

, which is north of Guiting Power, Temple Guiting, Ford and Cutsdean. It flows for about : through

Bourton-on-the-Water Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village had a population of 3,296 at the 2011 census. Much of the villa ...

, by the village of Windrush, Gloucestershire, into Oxfordshire and through Burford, Witney,

Ducklington Ducklington is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush south of Witney in West Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,581. History Ducklington is one of the earliest Saxon parishes to be recorded in Ox ...

and Standlake. It meets the Thames at Newbridge upstream of Northmoor Lock. The river-name ''Windrush'' is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 779, where it appears as ''Uuenrisc''. It appears as ''Wenris'' and ''Wænric'' in charters of 949, and ''Wenríc'' in one of 969. The name means 'white fen', from the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

''gwyn'' and the Old Celtic ''reisko''. The river may still host

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-sa ...

grayling Grayling or Greyling may refer to: Animals Fish * Grayling, generically, any fish of the genus ''Thymallus'' in the family Salmonidae ** European grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), the European species of the genus ''Thymallus'' ** Arctic grayli ...

, perch,

chub Chub is a common fish name. It pertains to any one of a number of ray-finned fish in several families and genera. In the UK, the term ''chub'' usually refers to the species ''Squalius cephalus''. In addition, see sea chub. In family Cyprinidae ...

, roach and dace. It held good populations of native crayfish until at least the 1980s. Its waters were used in cloth and woollen blanket making in Witney from mid 17th century. In 2007, it was among many of the district's rivers to flood. It flooded generally but perhaps most acutely in Witney, whose only bridge across the river was submerged. Some decline has been noted, especially in years of release of untreated sewage from plants of Thames Water. The river after drier spells sees algae formations. The ship , synonymous with postwar immigration of West Indian people to the UK, was named after the river.

References

{{authority control Windrush, River Windrush, River West Oxfordshire District Cotswolds 1Windrush

River

See also

References