River Plym

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River Plym
Cattewater at Plymouth

Cattewater at Plymouth

Data
location Devon ( England )
River system River Plym
River basin district South west
origin Plymhead
50 ° 29 ′ 52 "  N , 3 ° 56 ′ 46"  W.
Source height approx.  450  m ASL
muzzle at Plymouth in the Plymouth Sound Coordinates: 50 ° 21 '47 "  N , 4 ° 7' 44"  W 50 ° 21 '47 "  N , 4 ° 7' 44"  W.
Mouth height 0  m ASL
Height difference approx. 450 m
Bottom slope approx. 15 ‰
length 30 km
Right tributaries River Meavy
Big cities Plymouth
Ports Cattewater

The River Plym is a river in Devon in south-west Great Britain .

course

It rises 450 m above sea level at Plymhead in Dartmoor , about 6 km south-southeast of Princetown . The river first flows southwest through the Dartmoor, on the right bank of the upper reaches the stone circle complex of Drizzlecombe . The Dartmoor leaves the River Plym by the Dewerstone Wood in which the from the right Burrator reservoir coming River Meavy flows. The river now flows south through the forested Bickleigh Valley . At Plympton it is crossed by the Devon Expressway A38. Behind the motorway bridge, the river now flows southwest through the estuary called Laira . The river forms the northern boundary of the park of Saltram House , along the right bank of the river run the A374 and a railway line. 3 km further the Laira Bridge crosses the river. Industrial and commercial operations stretch along the bank before the River Plym flows into the estuary called the Cattewater . The Cattewater is separated from Plymouth Sound in the south by the Mount Batten Peninsula with the 24 m high rock Mount Batten . Here the River Plym finally flows into the Plymouth Sound east of Sutton Pool, the old port of Plymouth .

history

The river got its name from the town of Plympton, first mentioned in 904, which means plum tree village in Old English . This name was carried over to the river and later to the city of Plymouth.

In the early Middle Ages, the River Plym was navigable to Plympton. However, the mining in the Dartmoor washed numerous sediments into the river, causing the Plym to silt up in the 16th century. Trade shifted from Plympton to Plymouth. Even today, the river is heavily polluted with suspended matter due to the kaolin mining in its catchment area.

The normal water level of the River Plym at Carnwood in the Bickleigh Valley fluctuates between 0.16 and 1.60 m, the maximum water level was 2.55 m.

The River Plym in Dartmoor

Web links

Commons : River Plym  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Caroline Taggart: The Book of English Place Names: How Our Towns and Villages Got Their Names. Random House Ebook, 2011, pp. 42f
  2. ^ Plympton St Maurice Civic Association: Plympton the Stannary town. Retrieved April 11, 2013 .
  3. ^ Environment Agency: River Plym at Carnwood. Retrieved July 18, 2014 .