River Kemp

source

mouth

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Map of Shropshire - showing the source and mouth of the River Kemp

The River Kemp is a tributary of the River Clun which flows through Shropshire, England.

Course

The river is formed from two small unnamed streams that drain the area around Bishops Castle, the stream on the western side of the town rises near Bishops Moat and flows south-easterly in a well defined valley. The stream to the east rises on Lydham Heath near Lea and flows in a south-westerly direction to converge with the western stream to the east of Colebatch. The River Kemp begins at the confluence of these two streams.

From this point the river then flows south, to reach the hamlet of Brockton, where it turns in a south-easterly direction to pass through the grounds on Walcot Hall, near Lydbury North. Here the river feeds the large lake known as Walcot Pool, which was allegedly constructed by French prisoners of war from the Napoleonic War.

To the south of Walcot Park, it is crossed by the Shropshire Way and then passes through the village of Kempton, where there is a ford and footbridge. The river continues due south, until it reaches the Clun valley near Clunbury. It joins the larger river to the east of the village at Oaker near Aston on Clun.

The total length of the river including the two headwater arms is 13 miles (21 km). The drainage basin for the brook, which lies between that of the River Unk to the west, and that of the River Onny to the north, has a catchment area of 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi).

Ecology

The River Kemp has been classed as having moderate ecological quality under the Water Framework Directive. This is the middle band in the five part framework scale, which ranges from high, good, and moderate, through to poor and finally bad.

External links

Media related to River Kemp at Wikimedia Commons