River Crouch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids River Crouch
View of River Crouch near Canewdon, Essex looking towards Bridgemarsh Island and Althorne.
Map of the River Crouch
Country	United Kingdom
Region	Essex
Towns/Villages	Crays Hill, Ramsden Bellhouse, Wickford, Runwell, Battlesbridge, Hullbridge, South Woodham Ferrers, North Fambridge, South Fambridge, Althorne, Creeksea, Burnham-on-Crouch, Basildon
Physical characteristics
Main source	Springs in The Wilderness woods Near Little Burstead, Billericay, Essex 51°36′34″N 00°24′32″E / 51.60944°N 0.40889°E / 51.60944; 0.40889
3rd source	Langdon Hills
River mouth	North Sea Between Holliwell Point and Foulness Point 0 ft (0 m) 51°37′36″N 00°56′21″E / 51.62667°N 0.93917°E / 51.62667; 0.93917
Length	17.5 mi (28.2 km), West-east
Basin features
Tributaries	Left: Fenn Creek, Clementsgreen Creek, Stow Creek, Bridgemarsh Creek Right: Prittle Brook, Lion Creek, River Roach
Designation
Ramsar Wetland
Official name: Crouch & Roach Estuaries
Designated:	24 March 1995
Reference #:	721

The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.

The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles.

The river was once known as the Huolve or Wholve and this name is the basis of the name of the town of Hullbridge.

Route

The Crouch rises in 'The Wilderness' on the Burstead Golf course at Little Burstead. The Wilderness is a pond surrounded by a tiny area of ancient woodland. It runs parallel with the A176 (Noak Hill Road) for approximately 1.3 miles (2.1 km) and then follows a generally easterly course, passing by, near or through:

• Crays Hill
• Ramsden Bellhouse
• The centre of Wickford, where it flows along a concrete culvert
• Runwell
• Battlesbridge (the head of the 17½ mile 'River Crouch Navigation')
• North of Hullbridge and south of South Woodham Ferrers
• Between North Fambridge and South Fambridge
• Althorne
• Creeksea
• Burnham-on-Crouch

The river flows into the North Sea between Holliwell Point and Foulness Point on its north and south banks respectively.

A major tributary of the River Crouch is the River Roach.

The River Crouch Conservation Trust

The River Crouch Conservation Trust was set up in July 2009 by a group of concerned local people, mainly fisherman, after a stretch of the river around Memorial Park, Wickford was badly polluted. Its aim is to clear the river of rubbish and to bring the river back to a quality which will benefit all forms of wildlife, from water voles, fish to invertebrates and for the benefit of the public.

The Crouch Harbour Authority

The Crouch Harbour Authority is the statutory harbour and navigation authority for the Rivers Crouch and Roach, extending some distance into the Thames Estuary, and controls both pleasure and commercial use of the rivers. The authority, created via the Crouch Harbour Act 1974, is run not-for profit and funded by dues levied on vessels kept on the river. Its tasks include passing and enforcing bylaws that regulate use of the river, providing pilotage and buoying/marking the navigable channels. They also provide weather forecasts, tide tables and other important sailing information. The Harbourmaster's Office is on the Quay at Burnham on Crouch.

Gallery

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  Althorne Marina.

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  End of the Navigable Crouch at Battlesbridge

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  River Crouch South West of Battlesbridge.Taken from the Bridge on the A1245 (TQ775942).

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  River Crouch, Wickford. Narrow but quite deep!

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  River Crouch, photo taken over South Woodham Ferrers

Images for kids

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  The tide gates which impounded water above them to power Battlesbridge tide mill