River Stiffkey

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River Stiffkey
A ford on the River Stiffkey near Great Walsingham (photo by David Williams)
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A ford on the River Stiffkey near Great Walsingham (photo by David Williams)

In North Norfolk
North Norfolk
Shown within Norfolk
In the United Kingdom
River Stiffkey

Geography
Origin: Swanton Novers
Grid reference: TG 01 32
Mouth: Freshes creek behind the spit, Blakeney Point
Grid reference: TF 99 45
Length: unknown
fall: 85 meters to the tidal flow
Catchment Area: unknown
Tributaries: unknown
Water Mills: unknown

The River Stiffkey is a chalkstream running through an area of north Norfolk, England from its source near Swanton Novers to flow out into the North Sea on the north Norfolk coast near the town of Stiffkey. The river has been dredged historically, presumably for agricultural purposes, and has a self-sustaining population of brown trout.[1]

The river's source is a small wooded lake just north of the village of Swanton Novers, after which the river passes close to Fulmodeston, then north to pass through the village of Great Snoring, which is noted in the Domesday book as having a watermill. From Great Snoring it runs south past Thorpland Hall, then north-west through East Barsham, North Barsham and Houghton St Giles to the town of Little Walsingham.

The Priory in Little Walsingham was built with stone from Northamptonshire which had been towed up the River Stiffkey in flat-bottomed barges. The priory had a watermill on the river but this was demolished early in the 20th century.[2]

From here it flows north past Great Walsingham, then through Wighton and Warham before passing through the village of Stiffkey and out to its estuary on Stiffkey Salt Marshes. The area from Great Walsingham to Stiffkey is prone to flooding and was the subject of a severe flood warning in October 2004.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vaughan Lewis, Windrush AEC on behalf of Tom Coke, Holkham Estate and Nick Zoll (2002). Habitat Advisory Visit, Rivers Stiffkey and Burn, Norfolk. originally available as http://www.wildtrout.org/WWT/library/papers/AU18.pdf. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
  2. ^ Jonathan Neville (2003). Norfolk Mills - Little Walsingham watermill. Norfolk Mills. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
  3. ^ National Flood Warning Centre (2006). River Stiffkey from, and including Great Walsingham to Stiffkey. Environment Agency. Retrieved on 2006-04-01.