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The River in Canterbury city centre

Westgate Gardens and the Great Stour in Canterbury

River Stour and Tributaries

The River Great Stour (59.5 km long, including the Upper Great Stour ^[1]) is one of the sources of the River Stour in Kent, England, formed when the River East Stour and the River Upper Great Stour join, either side of Pledge’s Mill at the bottom of East Hill in Ashford, helping to form part of the Ashford Green Corridor.

The river flows from Ashford, through Wye, Chilham and Canterbury to Plucks Gutter, where it is joined by the River Little Stour and the River Wantsum to form the River Stour. The route of the Stour Valley Walk follows the river.^[2]

The Great Stour estuary at Plucks Gutter and Grove Ferry is renowned for its coarse fishing, particularly bream stocks. ^[3]

Flooding by the River Great Stour in Canterbury, a list showing the Years, Causes and Consequences. (Note the Winter months October to March).^[4]

• 1776 January - Very heavy rain over four days resulting in a sudden and surprising rise in the river level. Riverside buildings inundated to a depth of four feet. Strong current running through several streets. One fatality.
• 1848 December - Heavy rainfall over a period of one week. Low lying houses evacuated and filled with two to three feet of water. Rail bridge collapse near Chartham. London bound luggage train plummets into river.
• 1882 November - Heavy rain over a number of days.
• 1909 October - Exceptionally heavy rain over a period of three days. 4.22 inches fell between three o’clock on the afternoon of Tuesday 27 and nine o’clock on Friday 30. Over an inch and a quarter fell in three hours on Friday morning. Several streets are flooded, St. Peter’s street being under 2 ft. 3in. of water. Some relief afforded by new flood course at Miller’s Fields. Widespread inundation of the flood plain from Wye to Sturry.
• 1927 December - Thaw, combined with over four inches of rain within seven days and an easterly gale inducing a high tidal effect. Arguably the city’s greatest catastrophe. Hundreds of people homeless. Mayor launches a special appeal.
• 1932 May - A severe thunderstorm, releasing 25mm of rain in just over an hour, overcame the city drains. During the storm, a hundred million gallons of water fell within the city boundaries, of which 86 million gallons fell in the intense period of half-an-hour during which 0.96 inches (24 mm) was recorded. Streets turned into miniature rivers. A torrent of water pours down the Whitstable road.
• 1939 January - Heavy rainfall, totalling 1.7 inches, on several inches of snow causing rapid runoff. St. Peter’s Place submerged under one foot of water. Flooding below floorboards.
• 1947 January - Heavy rain following thaw
• 1966 November - Heavy rain over several days. No serious damage to property. Flood plain at Thanington and Sturry submerged in 1 to 2 feet of water.
• 1967 May - Torrential rain with driving hailstones reducing visibility to only a few yards. City drains were unable to deal with the runoff. Localised urban flooding.
• 1967 November - Heavy rainfall; obstruction of flow by St. Peter’s bridge. Westgate Gardens inundated and some cellars flooded.
• 1968 September - Torrential rain exceeding capacity of drainage system. Localised urban flooding.
• 1969 August - Heavy rainfall and inadequate drainage possibly compounded by the growth of the University and housing developments. Sheet flow down roads and streets into the city centre. Localised flooding.
• 1970 January - Westgate Gardens turned into a lake.
• 1984 October - Intense rainfall, 42 mm over 26 hours, exceeded the capacity of city drains.
• 1987 October - Heavy rainfall and flood discharge combined with the council failing to open flood sluices. Some houses in Blackfriars under threat. Minor bank collapse.
• 1997 December - Heavy rainfall and snowmelt on frozen ground.

In May 2006 male fish were found with signs of feminisation after having been exposed to treated sewage effluent in the river near Ashford.^[5]

1. ^ The Environment Agency
2. ^ (Picture courtesy of) Thannington Hotel, Canterbury
3. ^ Environment Agency
4. ^ Nature Grid
5. ^ BBC news 17 May 2006