Scarrow Beck
Encyclopedia
Scarrow Beck is a minor watercourse
which rises in the north of the English
county of Norfolk
. It is a tributary
of the River Bure
. It's spring
is in the North Norfolk
village of Aylmerton
west of the main street. It eventually merges, after 7.7 miles (12.4 km) with the River Bure
at Ingworth
just north of the Blickling Hall
estate. There are two watermills on the beck, both of which are no longer in working order.
of Scarrow Beck is in a small area of marsh
y ground in fields south of Aylmerton parish church close to Church Lane. The beck flows east, south, east through a man-made ditch across open fields towards the national trust
estate of Felbrigg Hall
. At the Boundary of the estate it enters a culvert
under a lane and turns south, south, east. During the middle part of the 18th Century the beck was dammed to form Felbrigg pond which was part of the landscape plans of the Estate. It is reputed but not confirmed that the forming of the pond may have been the early work of Humphry Repton
, who, in 1778, lived close to the estate in Old Hall, Sustead
. From the pond the beck flows on out of the estate and towards the village of Metton
passing along the northern boundary of the water works
in the village. Here it turns to the south crossing under the lane on the western outskirts of the village. Once again the beck has been ditched by man and crosses arable farm land
. It is here that a tributary
joins the beck from Gresham
called Gur Beck
. 200 meters from the merger the beck flows through Big Fen Plantation
before reappearing on Hanworth
Common. The Beck now flows around the western edge of the Common and is greatly supplemented by several small ditch
es, pond
s and areas of marshy springs. After passing under Ringsbank Lane the beck skirts some woodland before supplying several large boomerang
shaped ponds in Thurgarton woods. The next village is Aldborough
and it is here, south of the village, that Scarrow Beck was the supply for the first of the two watermills on the beck.
l at Aldborough at the buildings present location since before the Domesday Book
although the present building, now a private dwelling, was built around 150 years ago. The Waterwheel was removed around 1930 and replaced with a diesel engine. In 1950 the Millpond that was fed by Scarrow Beck was bulldozed
in and the beck was diverted away from the mill buildings. Today there is no trace of the millrace
or the old watercourse
of Scarrow beck.
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
which rises in the north of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
. It's spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
is in the North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
village of Aylmerton
Aylmerton
Aylmerton is a village in the county of Norfolk, England. It is in the area of North Norfolk and lies south of the North Sea, south-west of Cromer and west of Holt. The parish is bordered by the parishes of Beeston Regis and Runton to the north, West Beckham to the west, Felbrigg to the east and...
west of the main street. It eventually merges, after 7.7 miles (12.4 km) with the River Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
at Ingworth
Ingworth
Ingworth is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. the nearest town is Aylsham which is south of the village. The village is north of Norwich, east of North Walsham and south-southwest of Cromer on the north Norfolk coast...
just north of the Blickling Hall
Blickling Hall
Blickling Hall is a stately home in the village of Blickling north of Aylsham in Norfolk, England, that has been in the care of the National Trust since 1940.-History:...
estate. There are two watermills on the beck, both of which are no longer in working order.
The Source
The springSpring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
of Scarrow Beck is in a small area of marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y ground in fields south of Aylmerton parish church close to Church Lane. The beck flows east, south, east through a man-made ditch across open fields towards the national trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
estate of Felbrigg Hall
Felbrigg Hall
Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century country house located in Felbrigg, Norfolk, England. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior...
. At the Boundary of the estate it enters a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
under a lane and turns south, south, east. During the middle part of the 18th Century the beck was dammed to form Felbrigg pond which was part of the landscape plans of the Estate. It is reputed but not confirmed that the forming of the pond may have been the early work of Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
, who, in 1778, lived close to the estate in Old Hall, Sustead
Sustead
Sustead is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about four miles south-west of Cromer.The parish also includes the villages of Bessingham and Metton. The parish is bounded by Aldborough and Hanworth to the south, Roughton to the east, Felbrigg and Aylmerton to the north...
. From the pond the beck flows on out of the estate and towards the village of Metton
Metton
Metton is a runny French cheese made in Franche-Comté, mostly used as an ingredient for making the Cancoillotte. The traditional process to produce Cancoillotte with Metton is to cook it in an earthenware pot with some water or milk, then to add salt and butter .-External links :* ]]...
passing along the northern boundary of the water works
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
in the village. Here it turns to the south crossing under the lane on the western outskirts of the village. Once again the beck has been ditched by man and crosses arable farm land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
. It is here that a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
joins the beck from Gresham
Gresham, Norfolk
Gresham is a village and civil parish in North Norfolk, England, five miles south-west of Cromer.A predominantly rural parish, Gresham centres on its medieval church of All Saints. The village also once had a square 14th century castle, a watermill and a windmill...
called Gur Beck
Gur Beck
Gur Beck is a minor watercourse which rises in the north of the English county of Norfolk. It is a tributary of the Scarrow Beck. Its spring is a little east of the North Norfolk village of West Beckham. It eventually merges after with the Scarrow Beck at Sustead. There is one watermill on the beck...
. 200 meters from the merger the beck flows through Big Fen Plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
before reappearing on Hanworth
Hanworth
Hanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow. The name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”....
Common. The Beck now flows around the western edge of the Common and is greatly supplemented by several small ditch
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
es, pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s and areas of marshy springs. After passing under Ringsbank Lane the beck skirts some woodland before supplying several large boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
shaped ponds in Thurgarton woods. The next village is Aldborough
Aldborough, Norfolk
Aldborough is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated about eight miles south of Cromer.The civil parish has an area of 7.15 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 567 in 259 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within...
and it is here, south of the village, that Scarrow Beck was the supply for the first of the two watermills on the beck.
Aldborough Watermill
There has been a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
l at Aldborough at the buildings present location since before the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
although the present building, now a private dwelling, was built around 150 years ago. The Waterwheel was removed around 1930 and replaced with a diesel engine. In 1950 the Millpond that was fed by Scarrow Beck was bulldozed
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
in and the beck was diverted away from the mill buildings. Today there is no trace of the millrace
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
or the old watercourse
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
of Scarrow beck.