River Cole (Thames)
| River Cole | ||
 The renatured River Cole near Coleshill |
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| Data | ||
| location | Wiltshire , Oxfordshire , Gloucestershire , England | |
| River system | Thames | |
| Drain over | Thames → North Sea | |
| source | at Wanborough 51 ° 32 '36 " N , 1 ° 41' 59" W. |
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| muzzle | at St John's Lock in the Thames Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′ 51 ″ N , 1 ° 41 ′ 56 ″ W 51 ° 40 ′ 51 ″ N , 1 ° 41 ′ 56 ″ W.
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| Medium-sized cities | Swindon | |
The River Cole is a tributary of the Thames in England , which flows on the border between Wiltshire and Oxfordshire and in Gloucestershire .
course
The river arises near Swindon at the same point from which the Wilts and Berks Canal got its water. The exact location is unknown, as much of the upper reaches have been buried. The first above-ground section is at Greenbridge Shopping Center , where it flows east. Then it runs underground again to Oxford Road, where it turns south. It turns sharply east at Piccadilly Circle and passes the Coleview Estate . It passes Covingham and flows under the Merlin Way through the flood meadows and then under the A419 road . Then it runs east of the city at Stratton St Margaret , South Marston and Coleshill . The River Cole flows into the Thames at St John's Lock .
Renaturation
The river was very polluted. It has been cleared by relocating its natural riverbed and cleaning up the river banks. The aim is to improve the biodiversity of the area and the river. Therefore the river bed was raised to create natural flood meadows. There were meanders created a natural environment to produce. This also helps the local residents as the risk of flooding. The work was carried out in 1995 by the River Restoration Project as one of three EU-LIFE sample projects.
Web links
- River Cole (PDF) Information from the River Restoration Project