A419 Bridge.
This new crossing probably coincides with the ancient Cricklade
crossing of Irmin Street.
1692: Baskerville, Harleian MS -
Criclad Bridge.
On Wiltshire side, begins hard by ye
bridge houses, where is a foot bridge built of wood for people to go over in
time of floods, which has 22 Passes for water between ye
Postes. The ye Casway on which horses travail in time of floods hath 9 passes for water.
But 2 passes are small and then you enter
into Creeklad on this side 3 streams of water run through these passes viz:
Those passes of the timber bridge, and those 9 passes of water in ye stone
Casway. The biggest streame is called
the River Rey. Its top springs rise at
Wroughton commonly called Roughton.
Thence it descends on ye west side of Swindon
to Shaw, Redborne, and then to Cricklad.
The 2d streame rises in Bradonfforest & thence descending
by Purton, runs to Cricklade, or Crekelade.
The 3d not fur or else a dead stream. The Bridges and Casway to go into Glocester
shire from Cricklade are 580 paces or yards long, to the farther side of ye
bridge over that stream which comes from Cyrencester [the Churn]. The other stream runs by Ashton Canes comes
in by Cricklad Town.
The 2d Bridges viz That Bridge over Ashton Canes stream, and
that bridge over Tems or Cyrencester stream and ye casway between,
have 12 arches for water to pass. But ye
Casway wch leads from Tem’s Bridge to Latton in Glocester shire
(a mile fro’ Cricklad Town) has no Arches.
So make of that what you can. Notice Baskerville is evidence for Seven
Springs as the true source and not Thames Head.
He calls the “Cyrencester Stream” “Tems”, and the other source “the Ashton
Canes Stream”.
View under A419 -
View from under A419 Bridge towards Cricklade.
The noisy A419 dual carriageway road has a
large, wide concrete bridge. Underneath it the river flows over a concrete bed.
The bridge
is new enough that the river has not yet silted up the width beneath it.
Water meadows with
view of new housing in Cricklade to the South.
1683: Hannibal Baskervile -
At the head of this stream (Crickladd stream which
meets the Tems at Crickladd) a gentleman of my name well skilled in the art of
conveying water, Mr. Thomas Baskervile, who now lives with the Lord Ward at
Dursley Castell in Staffordshier, Hee did propose to the Lord Chancellour Hide
a feasibility of uniting ye Avon and Temes and so to make good a
Navigation for Boates from Bristoll and Bathe up the river till they got to Tems and
then downstreame to Oxford and London.
This gentleman in ’81 [1681] takeing my House
in his way from London homeward, I fell into discourse with him concerning this thing.
Hee told mee there was a possibility of doing
it; and that if ever it were done there
would bee such a stock of water in the Dikes that the River Tems should never
want water, but bee supplyed from thence for navigation in the driest Summer.
1692: Going downstream Thomas Baskervile (Hannibal’s son?) –
So farwell Cricklad, come off yt ground,
We’el sail in Boats, towards London Town,
Ffor this now is, the highest station,
By famous Tems for Navigation,
But when th ‘tis joyn’d with Bath Avon
Then row your wherrys farther on,
Ffor Baskervile, Matthews were Projectors
Who did conclude, sixty Thousand Pound,
Would thoroughly open, each river ground,
Ffor by power of lockes, Rains, & ffountains,
They’l make Boats to dance, upon ye mountains.
But further yet, to ease your minde
How these great works, were then design’d,
Here read their Book, there you will see,
‘Twas possible, such things might be.
River Key, right bank -
Fifty yards above the A419 bridge the River Key joins from the South.
Cricklade, Haslehurst, 1906
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; D230585a
(Upstream to Cricklade)
Introduction
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
Rose Revived
Newbridge
Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS