- River Kennet
The upper reaches of the River Kennet near Avebury England , and atributary of theRiver Thames . The lower reaches of the river are navigable to river craft and are known as the Kennet Navigation, which, together with theAvon Navigation , theKennet and Avon Canal and the Thames, links the cities ofBristol andLondon . The local government district of Kennet inWiltshire is named after it.The River Kennet has been assigned as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) from near its sourcein Marlborough down toWoolhampton . This is primarily because it has an extensive range of rareplants and animals that are unique tochalk watercourses. [cite web
url = http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000164.pdf
title = SSSI designation for River Kennet
accessdate = 2008-03-18 ]Course
One of the Kennet's sources is
Swallowhead Spring nearSilbury Hill in the county ofWiltshire , the other being a collection of tributaries to the North ofAvebury near the villages ofUffcott andBroad Hinton which flow south past Avebury and join up with the waters from Swallowhead Springs.From there the river flows through Marlborough,Hungerford and Newbury before flowing into the Thames on the reach aboveSonning Lock at Reading inBerkshire .The upper reaches of the River Kennet are served by two tributaries. The
River Og which flows into the Kennet at Marlborough and the River Dun which enters at Hungerford. The Kennet's principal tributaries are theRiver Lambourn , theRiver Enborne and theFoudry Brook . For six miles to the west of, and through, Reading, the Kennet supports a secondary channel, known as theHoly Brook , which formerly powered thewater mill s ofReading Abbey .Navigation
The River Kennet is navigable from the junction with the Thames at Kennet Mouth near Reading, upstream to Newbury where it joins the Kennet and Avon Canal.
The first mile of the river, from Kennet Mouth to the High Bridge in Reading, has been navigable since at least the thirteenth century, providing
wharf age for both the townspeople andReading Abbey . Originally this short stretch of navigable river was under the control of the Abbey; today it, includingBlake's Lock , is administered by theEnvironment Agency as if it were part of the River Thames.From High Bridge through to Newbury, the river was made navigable between
1718 and1723 under the supervision of the engineerJohn Hore of Newbury. Known as the Kennet Navigation, this stretch of the river is now administered byBritish Waterways as part of theKennet and Avon Canal . Throughout the navigation, stretches of natural riverbed alternate with 11 miles of artificially created lock cuts, and a series of locks including; County, Fobney, Southcote, Burghfield, Garston, Sheffield, Sulhamstead and Tyle Mill overcome a rise of 130 feet.Etymology
It was formerly known as the "Cunnit". Local historian
Michael Dames claims the name is related to the word "cunt ", though it is more likely derived from the nearby Roman settlement ofCunetio (now Mildenhall).cite book | title = The Silbury Treasure | first = Michael | last = Dames | year = 1976] cite web | title = Footsteps of the Goddess in Britain and Ireland | url = http://www.second-congress-matriarchal-studies.com/dames.html | publisher = Societies of Peace - Second World Congress on Matriarchal Societies | accessdate = April 30 | accessyear = 2007] Following this idea it may be related with the "cynetes " a very ancient people.See also
*
List of rivers in England
*Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal References
River item line|upstream=
River Pang (south)
downstream=River Loddon (south)
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