Life of a Chalkstream: The famous chalkstream that might never have been

Greetings,

As you well know I have been trying to nail down a date for the creation of Nether Wallop Mill; currently somewhere around the mid 9th century looks favourite. However, in the course of my research I came across the Ad Quod Damnum Inquest of 1276, essentially a public inquiry into a proposal which would have seen the River Itchen transformed from a natural river that carried a limited amount of cargo, into a sea canal for shipping from Southampton, the third busiest port in England at that time, to Winchester, destroying the mills and salmon fishing along the route.

Firstly, I suppose it is some comfort, in these troubling times for rivers everywhere to know that existential threats are nothing new. In this particular case the threat came from the civic authorities in Winchester who petitioned the King Edward I to widen, deepen and straighten the River Itchen. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for us, they came up against the combined powers of the Church who had significant milling interests and salmon fishing rights on the River Itchen, along with landowners along the route.

Woodmill Pool c. 1850

It is hard to imagine today, such is the parlous state of the salmon run, that the Itchen could have been a significant salmon fishery but it indeed was. In Saxon times, before the invasion by William the Conqueror a sea weir was built at the tidal mark of the Itchen, at the place we now call Woodmill Pool, for the commercial trapping of salmon. Five centuries later the run was far from depleted, a document of 1538 telling us local people were neglecting their work to steal salmon. For salmon were valuable: the business accounts of the Bishop on Winchester of 1301/2 state 53 salmon were sold for seven pounds and four shilling. To put that in context the annual labourer wage of the time was two pounds and Itchen salmon were clearly of some consequence, two were presented to Queen Margaret when she visited Winchester in 1302.

The Inquest was in no doubt as to the fate of Itchen salmon should permission for the sea canal be granted, stating “a certain fishery in which salmon are taken … would have to be destroyed.” Aside from the economic interest of the salmon fishing it was the fate of five valuable water mills owned by the church that also exercised the Bishop of Winchester the Inquiry stating these would have to be ‘pulled down”. So it was that the salmon and milling interests won the day, the Inquiry concluding the potential damage caused by the creation of the sea canal greater than any potential good thus putting an end to the hopes of the Winchester merchants.

Of course, the threats to the Itchen never went entirely away with the river regularly messed about in subsequent centuries to aid water transport and milling culminating in the creation of the Itchen Navigation Canal in the 18th century. However, it seems to me the canal builders, who required an Act of Parliament for construction to begin, must have taken some lessons from the Ad Quod Damnum Inquest as they bypassed Woodmill Pool and left the mill sections alone. In fact, looking at the map, there appear to be only a few short sections where the river entirely became canal it otherwise taking a separate route away or beside the original river from which, of course, it drew water.

The Navigation proved to be fairly short lived even though it undercut the cost of road transport by 90%. Completed in 1710 it was largely used for moving coal and timber, but the building of the Southampton-Winchester railway which followed an almost identical route saw the navigation cease operation in 1869 for good. Since then the navigation has just simply existed, with no real plan as to what should become of it and it being no real detriment to the river proper. Parts today are very visibly canal-like with a towpath and remnants of the seventeen locks along the route. Other sections have reverted entirely to their original river state; it is my suspicion that threads of the river were requisitioned to become the canal.

It is somewhat ironical that through nearly a millennium of regular physical upheaval the River Itchen, when it was exploited most for milling and transportation, the salmon kept on coming. However, in the more recent decades, when the river has fallen into what we might regard as a beneficial physical stasis, the run has collapsed which suggests to me that it is not so much the river itself that is important to the salmon but rather the water that runs through that river.

Stoke Lock. Note salmon and eel ladder on right.

Salmon trigger warning

Have you been watching Billionaire Island, the tale of warring Norwegian salmon farming entrepreneurs on Netflix?

If you are, you are clearly a brave soul as the trigger warning at the start of each episode tells us, unsurprisingly for a show about salmon farming, that it contains (aside from the sex and language) ‘sight of dead animals, injury detail’. Of put another way, fish being processed for the table.

The Guardian described the series as, “like Succession … with salmon farmers” giving it 4 out of 5 stars though others have been less generous with the ratings in the 6-7/10 range. I am currently on episode three, so halfway through. It is passably good TV and, to its credit, does enough to illustrate the awfulness of salmon farming though to be fair, the characters in the show are more awful still.

Watch the trailer ...

Two new beats to try this autumn

I am delighted to bring you two new beats to try on the River Test this fall with a limited number of dates on each.

Lower Brook – River Test

Located on that section we call middle Test, that is to say between Stockbridge and Romsey, this open beat of with 2/3rds mile of double bank fishing is downstream of Compton Manor and upstream of Mottisfont Abbey. October 1,2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9,10, 12, 13, 14 & 15. £235/Rod, 2-4 Rods.

Book here …. or email for more details.

Private Beat – River Test

I just have a few days each year on this private beat that runs to over 1.5 miles of main river and carrier, with both wading and bank fishing sections. There is an amazing lodge and helpful river keeper. This is downstream of Whitchurch and upstream of Longparish. £395/Rod. 2-3 Rods. September 30 only.

Book here …. or email for more details.

Autumn 3-for-2 fly pack clearance

Fill your box with three of my fly pack selection for the price of two:

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER Six autumn dries

CHALKSTREAM NYMPHS Nine nymphs for all seasons

GRAYLING Dry & nymph grayling specialties

All three packs just £33.90 including free post and packing, a saving of £19.70. Order here ….

Gone Fishing!

Please do not feel ignored if you call or email us today (Friday) with no reply as we are closed for our guides, keepers and office annual party.

This year we are having a Fish Off at Avon Springs with a complicated team competition where you win points (and prizes!) for fish caught with special Simple and Grand Slams for bonuses with a Two Fly limit.

News on how we did next time.

Quiz

The normal random collection of questions inspired by the date, events or topics in the Newsletter. It is just for fun with answers at the bottom of the page.

1) Who set sail on this day in 1066 to invade England?

2) Which 60 year old King of England took 20 year old Queen Margaret as his wife in 1299?

3) Which country in the world produces the most farmed salmon?