River Wey

This article is about the river in south east England. For the river in Dorset, see River Wey, Dorset.

River Wey
Elstead Bridge, originally built by the monks of Waverley Abbey
Map of the River Wey
Location
Country	England
Counties	West Sussex Hampshire Surrey
Districts / Boroughs	Chichester (district), East Hampshire (district), Waverley, Guildford, Woking, Elmbridge, Runnymede
Towns	Alton, Haslemere, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Weybridge
Physical characteristics
Source	spring
• location	Alton, East Hampshire, Hampshire
• coordinates	51.145°N 0.995°W / 51.145; -0.995
• elevation	109 metres (358 ft)
2nd source	pond
• location	Black Down, West Sussex, Chichester, West Sussex
• coordinates	51.059°N 0.700°W / 51.059; -0.700
• elevation	199 metres (653 ft)
Source confluence
• location	Tilford, Waverley, Surrey
• coordinates	51.184°N 0.752°W / 51.184; -0.752
• elevation	51 metres (167 ft)
Mouth	River Thames
• location	Weybridge, Elmbridge, Surrey
• coordinates	51.380°N 0.456°W / 51.380; -0.456
• elevation	12 miles (19 km)
Length	140 km (87 mi)
Basin size	904 km2 (349 sq mi)
Discharge
• location	Weybridge (mouths)
• average	6.76 m3/s (239 cu ft/s)
• minimum	1.30 m3/s (46 cu ft/s) 12 August 1990
• maximum	74.8 m3/s (2,640 cu ft/s) 29 December 1979
Discharge
• location	Farnham (north/western branch)
• average	0.73 m3/s (26 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Tilford (confluence of both branches)
• average	3.25 m3/s (115 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Guildford
• average	5.17 m3/s (183 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Wey (north branch), Wey, Thames Wey (south branch), Wey, Thames
River system	Thames Basin
Tributaries
• left	Nadder Stream, Bentworth Stream, Oakhanger Stream, Kingsley Stream, Oxney Stream, Hoe Stream, Hollywater, Deadwater, River Slea, Hampshire
• right	River Tillingbourne, Cranleigh Waters, River Ock, East Clandon Stream, Guileshill Brook, Royal Brook, Stratford Brook, Truxford Brook

The River Wey in south east England is the longest tributary of the Thames, excluding the Medway which enters into its lower estuary. Its two branches, one of which rises near Alton in Hampshire and the other in West Sussex to the south of Haslemere, join at Tilford in Surrey where the river meanders in a broad vale through high ground of the Lower Greensand Group, until past Godalming in the east, then the river heads north, passing through the centre of Guildford and places such as Sutton Place and RHS Wisley to meet the Thames at Weybridge. Its lower part is the backdrop to Newark Priory and setting of Brooklands.

The consecutive Wey and Godalming Navigations, built in the 17th century share in a little of the river but are mainly in-canal, alongside, from Godalming to the mouth, passing into the third-lowest reach of the Thames which is controlled by weirstreams and locks.

The Wey has a drainage basin of 904 square kilometres (350 sq mi): taking in a little bit of north Hampshire and West Sussex, and almost all of the south-west quarter of Surrey. Its average rank of discharge to the Thames is third, being behind the Kennet and Cherwell, again, excluding the Medway. River morphology, biodiversity and flow are well-studied, with many places to take samples and record data. The main tributary is the south branch, about 1 mile (1.6 km) shorter than the north branch, and is otherwise the Tillingbourne, which rises on the western slopes of Leith Hill and flows westwards to end south of Guildford, between Shalford and Peasmarsh.

The name Wey is of unknown origin and meaning.

Course

Wey North

The Wey north branch, sometimes referred to as the Alton Wey has its official nomenclature source in Alton in Hampshire; however is exceeded by length and, in wet weather, in flow by the nearby Caker Stream rising in dendritic drainage spanning fields of Upper Farringdon and Hartley Mauditt, passing Chawton between these places. After the union in Alton the brook runs quite straight, east north-east through Upper Froyle and Bentley, turning southeast after Farnham's centre to Tilford.

The steep-sided valley accentuates entering Surrey, between vast masses termed the Lower Greensand Group (south), then down the more easterly valley on both sides (east and west), reflecting the crumbly nature of this material has readily eroded down – the valley falls from about 230 feet (70 m) entering Surrey 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Farnham to 60 feet lower at Tilford 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Farnham and changes from almost v-shaped to a more u-shaped alluvial plain.

The upper parts of the branch were the start of the upper River Blackwater's catchment, The Wey captured this following cumulative flooding and deposition right up to around Aldershot &nash; the upper Blackwater valley proper, north of (today's wind gap), is not lower than 226 feet (69 m) (Tongham Pool) and of very low gradient. This transported distinctive gravels containing chert, to deposit them north of the gap in the chalky ridge at Farnham. The source rocks of the gravels prove the former extent of the river. Great erosion has occurred in the Wey down to Tilford, along the sinuous, multiple-anabranch Waverley Abbey stretch, through what Blyth notes as the "soft strata", of that landscape.

Wey South

The Wey South branch stems from two main westward brooks, one following the Portsmouth Direct Line, the other – with longer source brooks – following the Surrey/Sussex boundary, which combine at a point, heading west, where the line first comes as close as 97 metres to the boundary – in the east end of a park, next to one of its three river footbridges. These brooks are fed by six main streams. The farthest are the southern streams. These drain parallel, north, narrow vales between the northerly "fingers" or "ribs" of:

• Blackdown, the third-highest hill in Southeastern England
• Ridge Hill
• Fridays Hill
• Marley Heights (formerly Moseshill), called Marley Common

The northern streams drain fingers of a single east-west ridge of Greensand, their common names, again from east to west, are:

• Wey Down (High Lane Estate)
• Inval(l)
• Stoatley Rise
• Brownscombe

Of varying size, these are long, sandy hills south-east of the upper tip of the Devil's Punch Bowl: Gibbet Hill, Hindhead. One of the northern streams adjoins strips of woodland named Weydown Common and Weycombe.

The Wey drains and passes Haslemere's western suburbs then Liphook, Bramshott (including Passfield), the former close mills of Standford and Lindford, the large parish of Frensham, until centrally in Tilford parish combining with the Wey north branch in which parish all three flows have large meanders.

The south sources are specifically: a wood-surrounded neighbourhood, Kingsley Green (formerly Marsh) in Fernhurst; Chase Farm marking the furthest point south in Surrey; and upper fishponds at Wades Marsh marking the Fernhurst/Lurgashall boundary (both in West Sussex), next to the summit of Ridge Hill (which is the furthest source);

Notable tributaries of the south branch are Cooper's Stream and the River Slea, Hampshire.

Combined river

From Tilford the river runs through Elstead, Eashing, Godalming, Peasmarsh/Shalford, Guildford, Send, Old Woking, Pyrford, Byfleet, New Haw and forms the Addlestone/Weybridge border between Hamm Court and Whittet's Ait respectively. From Godalming the river is intertwined with the Wey and Godalming Navigations. The 20 miles (32 km) of the navigations' towpath is open to pedestrians. The river joins the Thames at a cascading channel off its Navigation Canal (above Thames Lock) between Hamm Court and Whittet's Ait and a weir-fed navigation east of the ait facing the main weir stream of Shepperton Lock.

Tributaries

The River Ock joins at Godalming, Cranleigh Waters and the River Tillingbourne at Shalford and the Hoe Stream at Woking.

History

Main article: Mills on the River Wey and its tributaries

Main article: Wey and Godalming Navigations

Eashing 13th-century double bridge built by Waverley Abbey monks

The river has long been used as a source of power for mills, and many are recorded in the Domesday Book. Between the 17th and 19th centuries there were over 40 mills on the river and more on its tributaries. At various times they have been used for grinding grain, fulling wool, rolling oats, crushing cattle cake, leather dressing, paper production and gunpowder manufacture. Willey Mill, at Farnham, was still in use in 1953. Headley Mill is still in commercial operation. Guildford Town Mill, though no longer used for milling, still harnesses the power of the river to generate electricity.

During the seventeenth century, the river was made navigable to Guildford and extended in the eighteenth century to Godalming. The Basingstoke Canal and Wey and Arun Junction Canal were later connected to the river. The navigable sections are now owned by the National Trust.

Natural environment

Bank-full state between Pyrford and Wisley where it is separate from the Wey Navigation

Wey Valley is a term for the narrowing basin of the River Wey before it empties into the River Thames.

Much of the upper reaches of the river are within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The river passes through a variety of habitats including heathland, woodland and watermeadow, resulting in a diversity of wildlife. There are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Nature Reserves along the river.

A broad basin of aquifers drain steeply to the river so, as with the Mole, in its natural state, much of the flood plains were prone to regular flooding. This has been greatly reduced by flood alleviation measures, upstream lakes such as Frensham Great Pond and, inadvertently, the Wey navigations. The lowest urban areas of Godalming, Byfleet and Weybridge saw extensive flooding in the exceptional winter storms of 2013–14.

Water quality

The Environment Agency measure water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish, and chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations. Chemical status is rated good or fail.

Water quality of the River Wey in 2016:

Section	Ecological Status	Chemical Status	Overall Status	Length	Catchment	Channel
North Wey at Alton	Moderate	Good	Moderate	2.802 kilometres (1.741 mi)	54.231 square kilometres (20.939 sq mi)	Heavily modified
North Wey (Alton to Tilford)	Moderate	Good	Moderate	31.242 kilometres (19.413 mi)	82.531 square kilometres (31.865 sq mi)
South Wey (Haslemere to Bordon)	Poor	Good	Poor	17.234 kilometres (10.709 mi)	40.382 square kilometres (15.592 sq mi)
South Wey (Bordon to River Slea confluence)	Moderate	Good	Moderate	5.823 kilometres (3.618 mi)	11.342 square kilometres (4.379 sq mi)
South Wey (River Slea confluence to Tilford)	Moderate	Good	Moderate	11.633 kilometres (7.228 mi)	38.999 square kilometres (15.058 sq mi)
Wey (Tilford to Shalford)	Poor	Good	Poor	23.332 kilometres (14.498 mi)	63.274 square kilometres (24.430 sq mi)
Wey (Shalford to River Thames confluence at Weybridge)	Moderate	Good	Moderate	46.346 kilometres (28.798 mi)	75.772 square kilometres (29.256 sq mi)	Heavily modified

Surrey rivers

Aside from the Thames, which does not sit in any one county, the Wey and the Mole are Surrey's main rivers.

Until great land contributions to London in 1965, next in size in Surrey was the River Wandle. Then follow the River Bourne (Addlestone branch) and the River Bourne, Chertsey which merge – with some sources in Berkshire. Epsom and Ewell are drained by the Hogsmill River.

Further reading

• Inland Waterways Association (South-East Region) The River Wey and Godalming Navigation: Weybridge to Godalming Inland Waterways Association 1976

See also

• Tributaries of the River Thames
• Canals of the United Kingdom
• List of rivers of England
• Perseverance IV, last floating River Wey barge.
• Mills on the River Wey and its tributaries

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

• The River Wey Trust
• River Wey and Godalming Navigations and Dapdune Wharf
• River Wey Catchment Flood Warnings