River Nar
The River Nar is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises at Mileham near Litcham in Norfolk and flows 15 miles west through Castle Acre and Narborough, joining the Ouse at King's Lynn. It has had a variety of alternative names, such as the Setch, the Sandringham, and Lynn Flu, though these are rarely, if ever, used today. In 2011 the Nar was recognised by the Environment Agency as one of the top ten most improved rivers in England and Wales.
The final section of the river near its mouth was diverted northwards when the Great Ouse was re-routed to a new outfall at King's Lynn after the thirteenth century. The river was made navigable from its mouth to Narborough and probably to West Acre as a result of an Act of Parliament obtained in 1751. Ten single-gate sluices and a pen sluice were used to handle the change in level. The use of the river declined rapidly after the opening of a railway from King's Lynn to Dereham between 1846 and 1848. In 1884, the river was taken over by the River Nar Drainage Board, and closed to navigation, when an un-navigable sluice was constructed to the south of a Manure Factory in King's Lynn. A new sluice very close to the junction with the Great Ouse has been built more recently.
The river has been used to power a number of mills over the centuries. The buildings or remains of five are still visible, and some still contain original machinery. Narborough Bone Mill had no road access, and bones from the whaling industry and from cemeteries in Hamburg were delivered by barge, to be ground into bone meal. The mill closed when the river was taken over, and just the mill wheel remains on the bank.
The river is a long biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Route
The river rises from springs on the chalk uplands close to the contour to the south-west of Tittleshall. It initially flows to the east and then to the south to cross under the B1145 Litcham Road to the west of Mileham. Turning to the west, it passes through the south of Litcham and enters a series of lakes at Lexham Hall, where it is joined by Broad Water. Lexham Hall is a large grade I listed mansion, which was built around 1700. During the Second World War, the estate was occupied by the army, and the grounds and house were severely damaged. It was bought by William Foster in 1946, who gradually restored it, assisted by the architect Jim Fletcher Watson. The gardens are open to the public on selected weekends during the year, although the house is not. Continuing westwards, the river reaches the lakes of West Lexham Hall. It is joined by a stream flowing northwards from Little Dunham before it crosses under the A1065 road and flows through Emanuel's Common. The disused Newton water mill is passed before the river reaches the village of Newton. By the time it reaches Castle Acre it is below the contour.The river is now wider and starts to form meanders. It passes more lakes at South Acre Hall, a large farmhouse parts of which date from the sixteenth century, and then crosses Castle Acre Common, and there are several lakes in Big Wood. A mill was located at the end of the wood. The main channel and the mill bypass both cross a minor road at fords. At West Acre the river passes the remains of an Augustinian priory and then Narford Lake, by Narford Hall. The remains of the priory are grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument. The Hall is grade I listed, and was built between 1690 and 1704 by Andrew Fountaine of Salle in Norfolk. It was enlarged in the 1830s. The river passes to the north of Narborough, where there are lakes and a fish farm. The A47 Narborough Bypass crosses, as does the original main road to Narborough, beside which is a former water mill, built in the eighteenth century and repaired in the late twentieth, which still contains much of the milling machinery. The Lynn and Dereham Railway line used to cross to the west of Narborough, but it is now dismantled. The Nar Valley Way, a long-distance footpath which has been following the valley for most of the length of the river now runs along the river bank. Numerous drainage ditches are associated with the next stretch of the river, and after passing Abbey Farm, where there are the remains of another Augustinian Priory, the river is embanked, with flood banks on both sides. The Nar Valley Way crosses from the south bank to the north at the start of the embanking.
Some large lakes are located to the north of the channel, which were formerly a sand and gravel pit. High Bridge carries the road from Blackborough End to Wormegay over the river, and Setchey Bridge carries the A10 road at Setchey. A little to the west, the channel turns to the north, where it is crossed by the railway line from Downham Market to King's Lynn. The A47 road, the A148 road and another minor road cross at South Lynn, and the river then joins the River Great Ouse at a sluice.
Hydrology
There is a gauging station at Marham, which records river data by measuring the flow over a flume. The catchment area of the river above this point is and the area receives an average of of rain each year. This results in an average daily flow of 22 million gallons, although flows reached nearly twice this value in February 1977. The geology of the upper river consists of chalk covered by a layer of boulder clay, making it one of only a few remaining fenland chalk streams. At its source, the river is formed by surface runoff from the clay soils, but this is soon supplemented by springs in the chalk aquifer to the east of Litcham, which create a rapidly flowing chalk river. Rainfall is purified as it passes through the chalk, and the spring water, which is crystal clear, alkaline, and always cool, gives the river its chalk stream characteristic. For this reason, the whole of the river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, one of only ten chalk streams which have been designated in this way in the United Kingdom.In 2011 the Nar was recognised by the Environment Agency as one of the top ten most improved rivers in England and Wales, and was ranked seventh in the list. Historically, the engineering of the channel, to make it straighter, deeper and wider, first for navigation and later for land drainage, took no account of the destruction of habitat which such action causes. Some improvement has been made by setting the flood banks further back from the channel, and creating artificial meanders within the resultant flood plain. Structures which inhibit the passage of animal life, such as weirs, have also been removed where possible. Other improvements have been achieved through the Catchment Sensitive Farming scheme, which helps farmers to reduce the runoff of pesticides and fertiliser into watercourses. The river provides habitat for sea trout, which are quite rare in East Anglia, while its banks are frequented by water voles and otters. 78 different types of river plants have been identified growing in or along it, which includes the southern marsh orchid, while insects found include 12 different species of dragonfly. Grey wagtails, kingfishers, reed warblers and willow and marsh tits are some of the constituents of the bird population.
History
While most of the river channel follows its historic route, the section near the mouth has been altered. Below Setchey, it formerly flowed further west to Wiggenhall, where it turned to the north and was joined by the waters of the Gaywood River. However, the waters of the River Great Ouse and the River Cam, which once flowed to Wisbech, were diverted northwards to King's Lynn in the thirteenth century, and the Nar was also re-routed to join the new channel near King's Lynn. Although the precise date of the diversion is not known, there is a tradition that it was in 1236 after floods occurred in Littleport.Powers to improve the river for navigation were obtained in 1751, when the people of King's Lynn, Narford, Narborough, Swaffham, and Castle Acre petitioned parliament and were granted an Act of Parliament to authorise the work. There was no opposition to the plans, which were intended to make the river navigable as far as West Acre. Commissioners were appointed, any nine of whom could agree to improve the river by constructing locks, removing annoyances, and creating towing paths. Tolls were specified, which could only be charged on goods travelling more than above the bridge at Setchey, and pleasure boats were also exempt from tolls. The carriage of guns and nets to catch wildfowl and fish was prohibited, and the commissioners could borrow money to finance the work, with the toll revenue acting as security.
There was an initial burst of activity, with the commissioners asking John Aram and Langley Edwards to produce a survey and estimate the cost of the work in June 1751, which was duly produced. The men recommended canalising some stretches of the river, and suggested that seven staunches and a pen sluice would be needed. A large basin would be constructed close to West Acre bridge. No further action was taken until 1757, when a treasurer was appointed. He advertised for subscribers, who would receive the toll revenues, and Langley Edwards was appointed to carry out the work. The navigation would be suitable for lighters holding 10 tonnes, and the locks would be large enough to hold a single lighter.
Edwards estimated that the cost would be £2,500, with staunches costing £50 each. Edward Everard, a merchant from King's Lynn, and Robert Crow, a gentleman from Swaffham, advanced £2,600 to fund the work, and Edwards was given the contract. It began at the end of September 1757, and he had just one year to complete it. He would not be paid until the work was completed. A year passed, and although £1,900 had been spent, the work was nowhere near complete. The completion date was moved to 1 January 1759, and then 15 February, after which Edwards would suffer a penalty of £20 per week until the work was completed. Two extra staunches were required, which the commissioners felt should be paid for by Edwards. He appealed, and was given until 3 August to complete the work, present his accounts, and justify his appeal. The works were finished by this date, but it is unclear who paid for the two staunches.