Avon Water, Hampshire

Coordinates: 50°47′38″N 1°37′30″W / 50.794°N 1.625°W

Avon Water
River
Avon Water, in the New Forest
Country	England
Region	Hampshire
District	New Forest
Source
- location	Holmsley, Hampshire
Mouth
- location	Keyhaven, Hampshire
Length	14.5 km (9 mi)

Avon Water is a small river in the south of England, flowing through the New Forest in Hampshire to the sea. It should not be confused with the larger River Avon, which also flows through Hampshire.

Along with the Beaulieu River and the Lymington River, Avon Water is one of the three main rivers which drain the New Forest southward directly into the Solent,^[1] although it is smaller than the other two rivers.^[2] It rises in the south-western part of the New Forest, near Holmsley, and flows south-eastward, in a fairly straight course for about 9 miles (14.5 km).^[3] It flows into the Solent at Keyhaven,^[4] close to the shingle bank that leads to Hurst Castle.^[3]

The name "Avon Water" is considered modern,^[5] although it certainly dates from at least the 18th century. It is labelled on Thomas Milne's map of Hampshire published by William Faden in 1791.^[6] Cary's New Itinerary of 1810 also refers to "Avon Water" but confounds it with a stream immediately to the west (the Danes stream near Downton).^[7]

References

1. Colin Rodney Tubbs, (1968), The New Forest: an ecological history, pages 19–20. David & Charles
2. Terry R. Healy, Ying Wang, Judy-Ann Healy (editors), (2002), Muddy coasts of the world: processes, deposits, and function, page 413. Gulf Professional Publishing
3. Samuel Lewis, (1855), The book of English rivers: an account of the rivers of England, page 31
4. William White, (1878), History, gazetteer and directory of the county of Hampshire, page 56
5. Old Hampshire Gazetteer - Sway
6. Milne's Hampshire 1791, section 22, Old Hampshire Mapped, retrieved 15 October 2013
7. John Cary, (1810), Cary's New itinerary, R. 195 Lymington to Poole

External links

Media related to Avon Water, Hampshire at Wikimedia Commons