River Ancholme

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River Ancholme
The River Ancholme in Brigg
Origin	Bishopbridge, Lincolnshire
Mouth	South Ferriby, Lincolnshire (The Humber, North Sea)
Length	27 km (17 mi) (navigable)

The River Ancholme is a river in North Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the Humber estuary. It rises south of Bishopbridge (west of Market Rasen), passes through Brigg and flows into the Humber at South Ferriby. In its natural state, the river's valley was flat-bottomed and fenny. The river still has a distinctly rural character, and the landscape is agricultural. North of Bishopbridge, where the River Rase joins the Ancholme, the river runs in two intertwining channels known as the "Old River Ancholme" and the "New River Ancholme".

While the Old River maintains its natural course, the New River flows almost straight as it is the product of engineering work. The course of the Old River through Brigg was also enlarged, forming "Island Carr". One feature of the river is the number of small bridges, of low capacity which were built to allow access for farmers. Many Parish boundaries still follow the line of the Old River. Strangers have been known to follow a map, until they reach some poorly-maintained riverside track, in an attempt to avoid a long detour.

Today the river is mostly used for recreation, with over 250 boats registered.

1 History
2 Boat trips
3 Troubled Waters (campaign)
4 Trivia
5 Gallery
6 External links
7 See also

[edit] History

Boats have used the river for many centuries, and it was an important route for transporting cargo from the rural communities to the industrial towns. In the 19th century, a passenger packet boat ran from Brigg to South Ferriby and connected with a steamer to Hull. As early as the 13th century local landowners paid subscriptions for work to be undertaken with the aim of facilitating navigation and land drainage. The river's charter is one of the oldest in the country. Lots of steamer vessels used the Ancholme up until the 1980s for transport of cargo to and from the factories along the River bank in Brigg. On Tuesday 4th of July 2006 a local history group held a meeting called "The story of the Swift", which was about a barge which worked between Hull docks and the River Ancholme. The vessel was called "The Swift" and is today privately owned and used as a houseboat. The owner of the vessel plans to bring the "Swift" back to Brigg in the near future. In 1635 Sir John Monson drained the Ancholme valley by cutting a straight new channel making two rivers at Brigg, which made the town less vulnerable to flooding. Sir John was a local landowner based at Owersby, further down the River Ancholme.

[edit] Boat trips

Daily boat trips were a common sight on the Ancholme in the Brigg area between 1999 and 2003, and proved to be hugely successful. The services however ended soon after 2003. Many local people, committee's and businesses hope to restore these trips in the near future, possibly with the help of The Prince's Trust charity.

[edit] Troubled Waters (campaign)

Troubled Waters is an ongoing campaign supported by many residents in the town of Brigg along the Ancholme. The campaign tries to tackle some of the issues regarding rubbish being thrown in the river, and the obstructions caused by fishermen on the riverbank footpath. The campaign has also highlighted the issues caused by youths along the River bank, such as the destruction and damage of tables, benches, life buoys, dustbins and decking, and general vandalism.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

A raft race takes place on the River Ancholme each year
The River Ancholme has been voted as one of the most scenic rivers in Europe
The River has only seriously burst its three times since 1950
The water level in the central Brigg area is often lowered during the winter months for maintenance
The Ancholme Newsletter regularly promote SeaLine and SeaEagle boat manufacturers
There are several canoe clubs along the Ancholme, and canoeing is a popular sport in Brigg