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The River Loddon is a river in the English counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames, rising within the urban area of Basingstoke and flowing to meet the Thames near the village of Wargrave. The river has a total length of and, together with its tributaries, drains an area of . Historically, the river has been important for milling, and the channel has been modified by the creation of mill ponds, weirs and sluices. Most of the mills used water wheels to generate their power, although two used water turbines. One was a silk mill for a short period, and one was a paper mill, with the rest milling corn or producing flour. Several have been converted to become homes or hotels, but one is still operated on an occasional basis. The river has been used for navigation in the past, although its exact nature is unclear. The river is an important resource for wild life. Former gravel workings have become Loddon Nature Reserve and Dinton Pastures Country Park. A section of it is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest due to rare populations of bulbs and pondweed. It supports several species of fish, and recent improvements have included the provision of a fish bypass, to enable migrating fish to move around the mill site at Arborfield. The scheme has been implemented to comply with the Water Framework Directive and is expected to be a benchmark for similar schemes on other rivers. ==Course== The River Loddon rises at West Ham Farm in Basingstoke, and in its first mile flows under the Festival Place shopping centre that forms the main part of the central area of that town; the adjacent bus station sits on the site of the wharf at the start of the Basingstoke Canal. The river emerges again in Eastrop Park, where it now runs alongside and just below Eastrop Way which follows the course of the disused canal. Eastrop Park was the site of Basingstoke Corn Mill in 1873,〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1873〕 but by 1932 it was called Vince's Farm, although the buildings still spanned the river.〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1932〕 The river then passes through some water meadows where it is joined by small streams from springs and ponds at Black Dam. The flow from these previously had to pass under a wide bend of an embankment which held the Basingstoke Canal. Basingstoke Upper Mill was to the south of the embankment. Again it was a corn mill in 1873,〔 but just a farm in 1932.〔 The area near where the streams meet was a peat moor, and parts of it were used for growing watercress.〔Ordnance Survey, 1:10,560 map, 1961〕 The Basingstoke Union Workhouse was on the north bank.〔 It later became a hospital〔 and is now the site of a private hospital. The river then flows close by the village of Old Basing and the ruins of Basing House.〔Explorer Map 144 - Basingstoke, Alton & Whitchurch. Ordnance Survey (2005). ISBN 0-319-23606-4.〕 It is crossed by a brick-built railway viaduct, with four arches,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Vol 2: Basingstoke and Dearne )〕 which carries the Southern Railway line to Basingstoke railway station. Just beyond it was Old Basing Mill, still marked as a corn mill in 1932〔 but now called Barton's Mill. There were more watercress beds to the north of the mill.〔 Pyotts Hill and The Street meet at a narrow bridge over the river, which is built of brick and has three arches. Funding to construct it was obtained by public subscription, and it was opened in 1826.〔 Immediately below the bridge, the river widens, as it formed a reservoir for the Lower Mill, a corn mill in 1872,〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1872〕 but disused by 1932.〔 Leaving the environs of Basingstoke behind, the river flows north through open north Hampshire countryside. There are two channels, the Upper River to the north and the Lower River to the south. There are various interconnections and tributary streams, before the Lyde River joins it just above the village of Sherfield on Loddon. Hartley Mill was on the Lyde just above the confluence, but was disused by 1968.〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1968-1976〕 At Sherfield, Longbridge Mill is just above Long Bridge, which carries the A33 road over the river and a backwater. North of Sherfield the river passes the site of Lilly Mill and crosses under Broadford Bridge, before passing through the ornamental grounds of Stratfield Saye House, the home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817. Within the park is a cast iron grade II * listed bridge designed by Thomas Wilson in 1802. Stanfordend Bridge is to the north of the park, and is grade II listed. It has two small arches separated by buttresses, and bears the date 1787. Stanfordend Flour Mill was just beyond it, but it was disused by 1961.〔 Entering Berkshire, the river passes through the embankment of the A33 road, which bypasses the village of Swallowfield, and then under King's Bridge, which carries a minor road. The B3349 from Swallowfield crosses next, near the weirs of Sheepbridge Mill, which was a corn mill in 1872 〔 but had become a hotel by 1968.〔 Just north of Swallowfield the River Loddon is joined by the River Blackwater which adds substantially to its flow. The A327 road crosses at Arborfield Bridge, beyond which was Arborfield Paper Mill, close to the ruins of St Bartholomews Church, already ruined in 1873,〔 while the mill was disused by 1899.〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1899〕 Next comes the M4 motorway bridge, and the much smaller bridge carrying Mill Lane over the river by Sindlesham Mill, once a flour mill but now a hotel. The river flows close to the east of the Berkshire suburbs of Earley and Woodley, and is crossed by two road bridges and a railway bridge to the west of Winnersh, before it reaches Dinton Pastures Country Park.〔Explorer Map 159 - Reading. Ordnance Survey (2006). ISBN 0-319-23730-3.〕 The third of the three bridges carried the A329(M) road, now downgraded to the A3290, and was subject to a catastrophic failure during construction in 1972. The formwork which should have supported the concrete while it was being poured collapsed. Three men died and ten were injured in the wreckage. The Bragg report subsequently considered why the accident had happened and made recommendations as to how formwork should be designed and tested, to make bridge construction safer. Around 500 tons of concrete, with the steelwork and planking that should have supported it, dropped into the river. It was the eighth span of a total of 33 which make up the viaduct. Shortly after Dinton Pastures is Sandford Mill, a corn mill in 1873〔 which was disused by the 1960s.〔Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1960-1969〕 Near the village of Hurst the river is joined by the Emm Brook. It then splits into two channels, the western one labelled "Old River" on modern maps, although both have followed their present course since at least 1873.〔 Several large lakes indicate where sand and gravel have been extracted, and after both channels are crossed by the railway line from Paddington to Reading, further lakes have become the Loddon Nature Reserve. The river then flows close to the village of Twyford, passing the site of Twyford Flour Mill, after which it is crossed by the A3032 and A4 road bridges, and is joined by St Patrick's Stream, a backwater of the River Thames. About a mile further on it flows into the main channel of the Thames, just downstream of Shiplake Lock and close to the village of Wargrave.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「River Loddon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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