River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent[1]. The Tame is about 40km from source to confluence with the Trent, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e the Tame and its main tributaries, is about 285 km.
The Name
The name derives from the Celtic language, although it may have even earlier roots. It is usually thought to mean "dark"[2], by analogy with the Sanskrit word tamas, meaning darkness. Other possibilities are "slow moving", or "flowing"[3] although the precise meaning is uncertain.
Course and Catchment
The Tame rises in Wolverhampton, flows from the Black Country, through north Birmingham, past Tamworth (which takes its name from the river), and into the River Trent near Alrewas. Much of the course of the river has been modified over the centuries and it now runs mainly through culverts or canalised channels.
The catchment of the Tame covers an area of nearly 1500km2 and contains a population of about 1.7 million people. The traditional industries of Birmingham and the Black Country were heavily polluting, and the Tame is conducted through a series of purification lakes at Leas Marston to remove pollutants, an arrangement unique in the UK.[4]
Flooding
There have been major flooding problems associated with the river. These result largely from the mainly urban character of the upper catchment. Rainfall runs off the roofs and hard surfaces, raising river levels very rapidly. Rapid house-building and commercial development may have exacerbated the problem in recent years. Another development contributing to worse flooding has been the general rise in groundwater levels in the upper catchment area. As traditional industries have declined and been replaced by light industries and services, far less water has been taken from the river and the underlying aquifer.[5]
The river is susceptible to spectacular flooding at the village of Hopwas between Tamworth and Lichfield during periods of heavy autumnal rain, attested by the Anglo-Saxon meaning of the village's name:- hop - nook of land, was - watery.
There is also a substantial bend in the course of the river between Hopwas and Elford, giving rise to the name of the area of Tamhorn.
The river is non-navigable. However clean-up operations in a notoriously polluted stretch of the river in the Witton area of Birmingham have meant that aquatic wildfowl such as ducks and swans have settled on that stretch of the river. The river basin is the most urbanised basin in the United Kingdom with approximately 42% of the basin being urbanised.[6]
Flood prevention
Flood prevention work was carried out on Sandwell Valley in the 1980s.
In 2005, the river's alignment through Perry Hall Park in Perry Barr, Birmingham, just downstream of Sandwell Valley, was remodelled to slow the flow, alleviate flooding and create improved habitats for wildlife, as part of the SMURF (Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains) project.
Nonetheless, in June 2007, after heavy rain, the river burst its banks in the Witton area of Birmingham (just downstream of Perry Barr)[1] and at Kingsbury Water Park.
Features
The Tame passes several nature reserves and other open spaces, including (moving downstream):
- RSPB Sandwell Valley
- Perry Hall Park
- the West Midland Bird Club's Ladywalk Reserve
- Whitemoor Haye
- Croxall Lakes (Staffordshire Wildlife Trust)
- The National Memorial Arboretum
Gallery
- The Tame in Sandwell Valley
-
A canalised section of the Tame in Sandwell Valley, showing Forge Mill Lake to the right, separated from the river by a steep embankment. -
Bridge over the canalised section, linking the lake to Forge Mill Farm -
Bed and banks of the river, which is usually shallow and fast-flowing at this point. -
Forge Mill Lake, which is fed by the river, and helps relieve flooding. The RSPB reserve's bird hide is visible across the lake, in the centre of the photograph.
Bridges
The river is crossed by many bridges, including, at Perry Barr the Zig Zag bridge of 1711 and its 1932, art deco, replacement, carrying the Aldridge Road.
Tributaries
- See tributary
- River Blythe
- River Rea
- River Anker
- Darlaston Brook
See also
- Brookvale Park Lake
- Witton Lakes
- Tame Valley
- Tame Valley Canal
- River Tame, Greater Manchester
- Rivers of the United Kingdom
References
- ^ Environment Agency, River Tame flood risk management scoping report - 2: The Tame Catchment, 2004, p. 3,
- ^ Kenneth Cameron, English Place Names, Batsford, London, 1996, p.37, ISBN 0 7134 7378 9.
- ^ John Ayto and Ian Crofton, Brewer's Britain and Ireland, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 2005, p.1085
- ^ Environment Agency, River Tame flood risk management scoping report - 2: The Tame Catchment, 2004, page 5,
- ^ Environment Agency, River Tame flood risk management scoping report - 5: Key Issues, 2004, page 29,
- ^ John S. Rowan (2006). Sediment Dynamics and the Hydromorphology of Fluvial Systems. IAHS. p. 98. ISBN 1901502686.
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