Wensum

Wensum
River
A tree-lined section of the River Wensum as it flows through the city of Norwich, seen in July 2005
Country	England
Counties	Norfolk
Tributaries
- left	River Tat, River Ainse (or Eyn)
- right	River Tud
Towns	Sculthorpe, Fakenham, North Elmham, Lenwade, Norwich
Source
- location	Whissonsett, Norfolk
- coordinates	52°47′30″N 0°50′47″E / 52.7917°N 0.8464°E / 52.7917; 0.8464
Mouth	River Yare
- location	Whitlingham, Norwich
- coordinates	52°37′17″N 1°19′23″E / 52.6213°N 1.3230°E / 52.6213; 1.3230Coordinates: 52°37′17″N 1°19′23″E / 52.6213°N 1.3230°E / 52.6213; 1.3230
Discharge	for Costessey Mill
- average	4.05 m3/s (143 cu ft/s)
- max	34.0 m3/s (1,201 cu ft/s) 29 January 1984
- min	0.36 m3/s (13 cu ft/s) 6 August 1991
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Swanton Morley	2.76 m3/s (97 cu ft/s)
- Fakenham	0.87 m3/s (31 cu ft/s)
River Wensum within Norfolk

The River Wensum is a chalk fed river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare despite being the larger of the two rivers. The complete river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The river receives its name from the Old English adjective wandsum or wendsum, meaning "winding".

The source of the Wensum lies between the villages of Colkirk and Whissonsett in north-west Norfolk. The river flows westward initially, close to the villages of South Raynham, West Raynham and East Raynham, passing Raynham Hall, home of the Marquis Townshend. The Wensum then turns and flows north through a number of small villages until it reaches Sculthorpe, where it turns east through the market town of Fakenham. The river then flows in a south-easterly direction, passing through the Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and the village of Great Ryburgh.

The Wensum continues through or close to the villages of Guist, North Elmham, Worthing, Swanton Morley, Lyng, Lenwade and Taverham before entering the City of Norwich from the north-west via Drayton, Costessey and Hellesdon. At New Mills Yard, a former waterworks, the river becomes tidal and navigable by boat. Flowing through the city, the river forms a broad arc which would have influenced the site of the settlement for defensive reasons; remnants of boom towers can be seen near Wensum Park and Carrow Hill which formed part of the city wall and a large defensive tower can be seen on the bank near Barrack Street, called Cow Tower. This dates to the 12th century and was also used for collecting tolls. Evidence of the river's historical use as a means of transport for goods and trade from the continent is still visible: mills, quays and industrial remnants can be found near the station and along King Street, and a slipway at Pulls Ferry marks the start of a canal originally used to transport stone from Caen in Normandy, in the 13th Century, to build Norwich Cathedral. This site was also a public house and used as a River Ferry until the 1950s.