Wareham: North Mill and the river Piddle

The recent rains have changed the look of the landscape, as seen here from Wareham's North Walls.

North Mill can be seen to have water flowing on both sides, and part of its garden is submerged.

The closest watercourse, which emerges at left from a culvert, must be the old mill stream (or mill leat), from which water was once diverted to power the mill.

Just on the other side of the Mill is the river Piddle in full spate. It is clear that the river widens a little just after passing the Mill, but what is happening here is more complicated. Beyond the river are the old water meadows, which will have fallen into disuse early in the 20th century.

River water finds its way into the water meadows through a "hatch" (i e sluice gate) a short way upstream from the mill. It seems that this large meadow area functions in practice as a regulator of the level of the water which will sooner or later have to find its way under Wareham's North Bridge and onwards into Poole Harbour.

The water in meadows and river seem to be at the same level, and water is flowing freely over the bank which in more clement weather separates the two systems.