All About Rivers
This narrowboat is going under a road bridge on the River Severn in Worcester.
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In this pack you will find out
about rivers and canals, features
of a river and why rivers are
important for transport
and power.
The differences between canals and rivers
There are lots of different types of waterway in Britain,
not just canals! You might be more familiar with rivers.
Which of these are rivers? Can you spot the odd one out?
All rivers are natural (they are created when
rain falls in the hills and flows down to the sea.)
However, some rivers have been adapted and made
wider or deeper so that boats can travel up and down
them. These are navigable rivers or ‘navigations
navigations’.
The River Avon is a well
known river. Did you
know that the word ‘Avon’
comes from ‘afon’ – the
Welsh for ‘river’?
1
2
3
4
5
6
There are many different types of river.
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Canals are man made,
made and were built to carry
goods from one place to another by boat.
Answer:It is the number 6 is the odd one out.
Birmingham Canal Navigation
What is a river?
source
When rain falls on land, some water seeps into the ground,
and some runs downhill. A river is a natural flow of fresh water
that starts in the hills and eventually flows down to the sea.
Where rivers begin is called the source.
source Some rivers flow into the
sea – this is called the estuary or mouth.
mouth Rivers often become
wider and deeper as they flow.
There are three sections to a river as it flows along:
the upper, middle, and lower courses. The upper course
of a river is usually fast flowing, with a strong current.
There might be rapids and waterfalls.
The river is fastest here because
middle course
it has the most energy.
tributaries
upper course
Rivers always
flow downhill because
of gravity.
gravity
lower course
meander
estuary or mouth
The middle course is lower down the river. Here, the water flows more slowly. This is
because it has less energy. The lower course of the river is when it gets closer to the sea.
Here it has a lot less energy, and the water will be smoother, with no rapids or waterfalls.
sea
Smaller streams sometimes flow together to form larger rivers, and these small streams
are called tributaries.
tributaries An area can have lots of rivers which are joined together, making
a river system.
system The water will be smooth, with no rapids or waterfalls. It also becomes
more bendy – the bends are called meanders.
meanders
Facts about rivers
Structures like locks and weirs had to be built on some
rivers so that boats could use them for transporting cargo.
The River Wye has been travelled by boats since Roman
times. Fishing boats, coracles (small boats for one person)
and even a steam tug have travelled down the river.
The River Lee has an
important part to play in the
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
During the building of the park,
1.75 million tonnes of building
materials were carried along
the river by boat.
Image courtesy of the Olympic Delivery Authority
This is the Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich.
Boats enter at the bottom and are lifted up to the top.
Boats are lifted 50
feet up in the air, (more
than 15 metres)!
The River Lee runs through the site of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
The navigable River Weaver is home
to the Anderton Boat Lift, which lifts
boats from the river all the way up to
the Trent & Mersey Canal.
Image courtesy of Mike Peel
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More river facts
The Severn, Thames and Trent are the three longest rivers in Britain.
The River Severn is the longest and passes through many different
areas. It flows past Worcester Cathedral, and under the Iron Bridge
in Shropshire. This was built in 1779.
Did you know that the Iron Bridge in
Shropshire was the world’s first iron bridge?
This is a notice showing what you would
have paid if you wanted to cross the
bridge when it was built. Nowadays,
people can cross for free.
This is the Iron Bridge today. It was not just men
and women who worked in the ironworks where it
was built. Children as young as twelve would help
to carry water and coal.
When the Iron Bridge was
built, even the royal family
had to pay to go across!
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Why are rivers important?
important
Water transport was much cheaper than road transport, as a horse could tow
up to thirty tons on a navigable river – much more than could be carried by
wagon or packhorse on roads. Rivers were often used for the carriage of heavy
loose goods, or cargo, such as sand, gravel, or coal.
This picture shows boats on the busy Weaver Navigation.
Would you like to work on a boat like this?
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of
carrying cargo by river
instead of by road?
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People who made their living from rivers widened and deepened them to make
navigations suitable for bigger barges.
Image courtesy of the Salt Museum, Northwich
Settlements such as towns and cities have always developed near rivers.
Rivers provided drinking water, food, transport and protection for the people
living there.
The Victorian River Weaver boatman
Carrying goods along the river in barges provided a living for
entire families. However, river boatmen often travelled without
their families and were on their own for long periods of time.
The men who operated the boats
on the River Weaver used to go
to work on a Sunday night and
then stay away all week until
Friday night.
How would you feel
about living on your
own during the week?
River workers
It was not just the boatmen who earned a living from the
river. People who owned the wharves where the cargo was
unloaded could also make money from river trade, as could
the owners of the pubs and alehouses where boat crews
stopped for a rest along the way. Water was also diverted
from the rivers to power flour mills and blacksmiths’ forges.
Courtesy of Cheshire County Council Archives
Boatmen took their own clothes,
bedding, soap and towels. They
wore clothes suitable for working:
a dark jacket and trousers with
a high waist held up with a belt
or braces. In cold weather they
might add a cap and a neckerchief.
River Weaver boatmen operating
the boats in Northwich.
Their wives packed up food for
the week in wicker baskets.
They would include half a dozen
eggs, a piece of cured bacon,
cheese, butter, sugar and a can
of condensed milk (fresh milk
would have gone off as they
had no fridges). They also might
take a packet of tea, some tinned
meat and a pot of jam. If they
were lucky they had a fruit cake
or some small pies.
This is Tewkesbury Abbey Mill on the River Avon.
Can you see the weir? A weir is a structure built to manage
the flow of a river. Small dams are built across the river to
change the level or direction of the water.
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A river barge on the River Trent. These cooling towers are part
of a coal fired power station in Nottinghamshire.
River uses
Rivers are used for water supply.
supply Water is pumped
out of the river, and then cleaned (purified) for
use in homes and industries.
In urban (city) areas, rivers are used for cooling
in manufacturing processes.
processes This is why large
cooling towers can be seen along rivers like the
River Trent.
The energy in rivers is often harnessed through
the use of HEP (hydro-electric
hydro-electric power)
power stations.
This works best in mountainous areas where
the river is flowing very quickly.
movement) energy is produced by the
Kinetic (movement
river as it rushes along, and this is turned into
electrical energy in the power stations.
In rural (countryside) areas,
rivers are also used as
drinking water for livestock,
such as cattle and sheep.
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Why do rivers need to be maintained?
Canals and navigations used to be
maintained by separate companies, which
In April 2012
British Waterways will have
would charge people tolls to carry goods
a
new
name. It will be called the
on the different waterways. In 1962,
Canal & River Trust which will look
British Waterways was set up to run and
after many canals and rivers in
maintain many of the river navigations
England and Wales.
and canals in Britain.
More flooding?
In the future, climate change may have an effect on
our rivers. Scientists expect there will be an increase in
precipitation (rainfall). This will have an effect on the
flow of rivers, and may increase flooding. This means that
it is very important for our rivers to be well maintained.
Many navigations are now more than 200 years old, and
so need constant maintenance. Banks need to be repaired
to prevent flooding, and silt and mud need to be cleared
out of the waterways so that they are deep enough
for boats to travel. As we manage about 2,200 miles of
waterways, this is a big job!
Our new charity name is Canal & River Trust
A river bank is repaired on the River Avon near Saltford.
The bank is strengthened with rocks and logs, and then covered
in a hessian material, which plants can grow through.
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If you want to find out more, why not visit
some of the rivers that we look after?
• The River Weaver, home to the famous Anderton Boat Lift.
• Shardlow on the River Trent is an 18th-century shipment town with its own heritage centre.
• Torksey Lock is situated where the River Trent meets the Fossdyke Navigation.
The Torksey Lock interpretation centre is a great place to take part in hands-on interactive
activities, and learn how a lock works.
Anderton Boat Lift,
Cheshire
Shardlow Heritage Centre,
Derbyshire
Torksey Lock Interpretation Centre,
Lincolnshire
Always remember to stay SAFE near water – Stay Away From the Edge.
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