River Stiffkey

River Stiffkey
River
Crossing Ford near Great Walsingham
Country	England
State	Norfolk
Region	East of England
District	North Norfolk
Source	Swanton Novers
Mouth	Freshes creek behind the spit, Blakeney Point
Length	18 mi (29 km)
River Stiffkey within North Norfolk
Watermills Little Walsingham Total Fall 85 meters from source to merger

The River Stiffkey is a chalk stream 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^[2] it runs south past Thorpland Hall,^[2] then north-west through East Barsham,^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[2] The area from Great Walsingham to Stiffkey is prone to flooding and was the subject of a severe flood warning in October 2004.^[4]

Gallery

• 

  The River Stiffkey at Warham

• 

  The river at Wighton

• 

  The river as it flows through the village of Stiffkey

• 

  Stiffkey Salt Marsh and the mouth of the river

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Stiffkey.

v t e Rivers and watercourses of Norfolk River Ainse (or Eyn) River Ant River Babingley Beeston Beck River Bure River Burn River Chet River Cong River Gadder Gaywood River River Glaven River Great Ouse Gur Beck Hagon Beck River Heacham River Hor River Hun River Ingol River Little Ouse River Mun River Nar River Nene North Walsham & Dilham Canal Panford Beck Penny Spot Beck Scarrow Beck Spring Beck River Stiffkey River Tas River Tat River Thet River Thurne River Tiffey River Tud River Waveney River Wensum Wisbech Canal River Wissey River Yare