View source for River Great Ouse

{{Short description|River in England}}
{{For|other rivers named Ouse|Ouse (disambiguation){{!}}Ouse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = River Great Ouse
| name_native        = 
| name_native_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
| image              = DSCN1566-goba-mooring-after-brownshill-staunch 1200x900.jpg
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = The River Great Ouse after Brownshill Staunch, near [[Over, Cambridgeshire|Over]] in [[Cambridgeshire]]
| map                = River Great Ouse map.png
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = Great Ouse catchment
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 7
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[United Kingdom]]
| subdivision_type2  = Constituent country
| subdivision_name2  = [[England]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = Counties
| subdivision_name4  = [[Northamptonshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Bedfordshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Norfolk]]
| subdivision_type5  = 
| subdivision_name5  = 
| length             = {{cvt|230.|km|mi}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= Denver Sluice<ref>[http://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/data/station/info/33035 Ely Ouse at Denver Complex] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028150114/http://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/data/station/info/33035 |date=28 October 2017 }} gauging station.</ref> Catchment area 3430 km2
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{cvt|15.8|m3/s|cuft/s}}Catchment area 3430 km2
| discharge1_max     = 
| source1            = 
| source1_location   = [[Syresham]], [[West Northamptonshire]], [[Northamptonshire]], [[England]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|52|05|33|N|01|05|35|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = {{cvt|150|m}}
| mouth              = [[The Wash]]
| mouth_location     = [[King's Lynn]], [[United Kingdom]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|52|48|36|N|00|21|18|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{cvt|0|m}}
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{cvt|8380|km2}}
| tributaries_left   = [[River Tove|Tove]]
| tributaries_right  = [[River Ouzel|Ouzel]], [[River Cam|Cam]], [[River Lark|Lark]], [[River Little Ouse|Little Ouse]], [[River Wissey|Wissey]]
| custom_label       =  
| custom_data        = 
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}}

The '''River Great Ouse''' ({{IPAc-en|u:|z}} {{respell|ooz}}) is a river in [[England]], the longest of [[Ouse (disambiguation)#Rivers in England|several British rivers called "Ouse"]]. From [[Syresham]] in [[Northamptonshire]], the Great Ouse flows through [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Bedfordshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]] and [[Norfolk]] to drain into [[the Wash]] and the [[North Sea]] near [[Kings Lynn]]. Authorities disagree both on the river's source and its length, with one quoting {{cvt|160|mi|km}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clayton |first1=Phil |title=Headwaters: Walking to British River Sources |date=2012 |publisher=Frances Lincoln Limited |location=London |isbn=9780711233638 |page=45 |edition=First}}</ref>
and another {{cvt|143|mi|km}}.<ref name=owen>{{cite book |last=Owen |first=Susan |display-authors=etal |title=Rivers and the British Landscape |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GeBAAAACAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=Carnegie |isbn=978-1-85936-120-7 |access-date=29 August 2020 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820211053/https://books.google.com/books?id=_GeBAAAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mostly flowing north and east, it is the [[Longest rivers of the United Kingdom|fifth longest river in the United Kingdom]].  The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known [[tributary]] is [[River Cam|the Cam]], which runs through [[Cambridge]]. Its lower course passes through drained [[wetlands]] and [[fen]]s and has been extensively modified, or [[River engineering#Channelization|channelised]], to relieve flooding and provide a better route for barge traffic. The unmodified river would have changed course regularly after floods.

The name ''Ouse'' is from the Celtic or pre-Celtic *''Udso-s'',<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch]] |first=Julius |last=Pokorny |at=entry 9}}</ref> and probably means simply "water" or slow flowing river.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of British Place Names |year=2003 |isbn=0-19-852758-6 |publisher=Oxford University Press |first=Anthony David |last=Mills}}</ref> Thus the name is a [[pleonasm]]. The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as "Old West River" and "the Ely Ouse", but the entire length of the river is often referred to simply as the Ouse in informal usage (the word "Great"{{snd}} which originally meant simply big or, in the case of a river, long{{snd}} is used to distinguish this river from several others called the Ouse).

==Course==
The river has several sources close to the villages of Syresham and [[Wappenham]] in [[West Northamptonshire]]. It flows through [[Brackley]], provides the [[Oxfordshire]]/Northamptonshire border, then into Buckinghamshire where it flows through [[Buckingham]], the [[Milton Keynes urban area]] (at [[Stony Stratford]] and [[Newport Pagnell]]) and [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]], then [[Kempston]] in Bedfordshire, which is the current head of navigation.

[[File:Huntingdon Old Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The Great Ouse at Huntingdon]]

Passing through [[Bedford, Bedfordshire|Bedford]], it flows on into Cambridgeshire through [[St Neots]], [[Godmanchester]], [[Huntingdon]], [[Hemingford Grey]] and [[St Ives, Cambridgeshire|St Ives]], reaching [[Earith]]. Here, the river enters a short tidal section before branching in two. The artificial, very straight [[Old Bedford River]] and [[New Bedford River]], which remain tidal, provide a direct link north-east towards the lower river at [[Denver, Norfolk|Denver]] in Norfolk.

The river previously ran through Hermitage Lock into the Old West River, then joined the Cam near [[Little Thetford]] before passing [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] and [[Littleport, England|Littleport]] to reach the Denver sluice. Below this point, the river is tidal and continues past [[Downham Market]] to enter the Wash at King's Lynn. It is navigable from the Wash to Kempston Mill near Bedford, a distance of {{cvt|72|mi|km}} which contains 17 locks.<ref>{{harvnb |Blair |2006 |p=7}}</ref> It has a catchment area of {{cvt|8380|km2|mi2|order=flip}}<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/142/m142p273.pdf |last1=Nedwell |first1=D.B. |last2=Trimmer |first2=M.T. |year=1996 |title=Nitrogen fluxes through the upper estuary of the Great Ouse, England: the role of the bottom sediments. |journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series |volume=142 |pages=273–286 |publisher=Inter Research Science |doi=10.3354/meps142273 |bibcode=1996MEPS..142..273N |doi-access=free |access-date=27 January 2020 |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030135613/https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/142/m142p273.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and a mean flow of {{cvt|15.5|m3/s|cuft/s}} as measured at Denver Sluice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/data/station/meanflow/33035/ |title=NRFA Station Mean Flow Data for 33035 - Ely Ouse at Denver Complex |website=nrfa.ceh.ac.uk |access-date=5 January 2024 }}</ref>

[[File:cam-ouse 19.3.05.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|The confluence of the Great Ouse with the Cam, on the left]]

Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded modification in 1236, as a result of flooding. During the 1600s, the Old Bedford and New Bedford rivers were built to provide a quicker route for the water to reach the sea. In the 20th century, construction of the [[Cut-off Channel|Cut-Off Channel]] and the '''Great Ouse Relief Channel''' have further altered water flows in the region, and helped to reduce flooding.

Improvements to assist navigation began in 1618, with the construction of sluices and locks. Bedford could be reached by river from 1689. A major feature was the sluice at Denver, which failed in 1713, but was rebuilt by 1750 after the problem of flooding returned. Kings Lynn, at the mouth of the river, developed as a port, with civil engineering input from many of the great engineers of the time. With the coming of the railways the state of the river declined so that it was unsuitable either for navigation or for drainage. The navigation was declared to be derelict in the 1870s.

A repeated problem was the number of authorities responsible for different aspects of the river. The drainage board created in 1918 had no powers to address navigation issues, and there were six bodies responsible for the river below Denver in 1913. When the Great Ouse Catchment Board was created under the powers of the [[Land Drainage Act 1930]], effective action could at last be taken. There was significant [[sugar beet]] cargo traffic on the river between 1925 and 1959, with the last known commercial traffic sailing in 1974. Leisure boating had been popular since 1904, and the post-war period saw the creation of the Great Ouse Restoration Society in 1951, who campaigned for complete renovation of the river navigation. Until 1989, the river was in the care of the [[Anglian Water Authority]] until [[water privatisation]], when the [[Environment Agency]] became the drainage and ecology authority as well as being the [[navigation authority]].

The [[Ouse Washes]] are an internationally important area for wildlife. Sandwiched between the Old Bedford and New Bedford rivers, they consist of washland which is used as pasture during the summer but which floods in the winter, and are the largest area of such land in the United Kingdom. They act as breeding grounds for lapwings, redshanks and snipe in spring, and are home to varieties of ducks and swans during the winter months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/o/ousewashes/ |title=The RSPB: Ouse Washes |work=The RSPB |access-date=19 April 2009 |archive-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210061203/http://rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/o/ousewashes/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History: drainage and navigation==
{{River Great Ouse map}}
The river has been important both for drainage and for navigation for centuries, and these dual roles have not always been complementary. The course of the river has changed significantly. In prehistory, it flowed from Huntingdon straight to Wisbech and then into the sea.  In several sequences, the lower reaches of the river silted, and in times of inland flood, the waters would breach neighbouring watersheds and new courses would develop – generally in a progressively eastwards fashion. The upper course of the Great Ouse (from [[Bedford]] to [[Stony Stratford]]) marked the boundary between English territory and the [[Danelaw]], per the [[Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum#Terms|terms of the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum]] (AD {{circa|884}}).

In the Dark Ages, it turned to the west at Littleport, between its present junctions with the [[River Little Ouse]] and the [[River Lark]], and made its way via Welney, Upwell and Outwell, to flow into The Wash near [[Wisbech]]. At that time it was known as the Wellstream or Old Wellenhee, and parts of that course are marked by the Old Croft River and the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. After major inland flood events in the early 13th century<ref>Register of Crabhouse Nunnery, British Library MS, and others</ref> it breached another watershed near Denver and took over the channel of the old Wiggenhall Eau, and so achieved a new exit and so joined the Wash at Kings Lynn. Parts of the old course were later used for the River Lark, which flows in the reverse direction along the section below Prickwillow, after the main river was moved further to the west.<ref>{{harvnb |Blair |2006 |p=14}}</ref> The original northern course began to silt up, depriving Wisbech of a reliable outlet to the sea, and was kept navigable by diverting the [[River Nene]] east to flow into it in the 1470s.

The [[Land Drainage Act 1601]] ([[43 Eliz. 1]]. c. 11) allowed 'adventurers', who paid for drainage schemes with their own money, to be repaid in land which they had drained.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Darby |first1=Henry Clifford |title=The Draining of the Fens |date=1940 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9781107402980 |page=29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Db0tvq686BcC&pg=PA29 |access-date=8 October 2024}}</ref> The act covered large tracts of England, but no improvements were made to the region through which the Great Ouse flowed until 1618, Arnold Spencer and Thomas Girton started to improve the river between St Ives and [[St Neots]]. Six [[sluice]]s were constructed, and Spencer attempted to obtain permission to improve the river to Bedford, but the bill for the related act of Parliament was defeated, despite support from Bedford Corporation. Some dredging was done, and [[Great Barford]] became an inland port, but he lost a lot of money on the scheme, and the condition of the river worsened.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=134–137}}</ref>

Below Earith, thirteen Adventurers working with the [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford|Earl of Bedford]] formed a corporation to drain the Bedford Levels. [[Cornelius Vermuyden]] was the engineer, and a major part of the scheme was the Old Bedford River, a straight cut to carry water from Earith to a new sluice near Salters Lode, which was completed in 1637. The sluice was not popular with those who used the river for navigation, and there were some attempts to destroy the new works during the turmoil of the [[English Civil War|English civil wars]]. A second drainage act of Parliament, the ''Act for draining the Great Level of the Fens extending itself into the counties of Northampton, Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincoln, Cambridge, and Huntingdon, and the Isle of Ely, or some of them'', was obtained on 29 May 1649, and Vermuyden oversaw the construction of the New Bedford River, parallel to the Old Bedford River, which was completed in 1652. There was strong opposition from the ports and towns on the river, which increased as the old channel via Ely gradually silted up. Above Earith, Samuel Jemmatt took control of the river, and navigation was extended to Bedford in 1689 by the construction of new staunches and sluices.<ref name=boyes137>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=137–141}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Ouse Navigation Act 1790
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for empowering Persons navigating Boats, Barges, and other Vessels, in the River Ouze, in the County of Norfolk, to hale or tow with Horses or other Beasts on the Banks or Sea Walls of the said River, and for making Satisfaction to the Owners of the said Banks or Sea Walls.
| year                  = 1790
| citation              = [[30 Geo. 3]]. c. 83
| territorial_extent    = [[Great Britain]]
| royal_assent          = 7 May 1790
| commencement          = 21 January 1790{{efn|Start of session.}}
| repeal_date           = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = Current
| original_text         = https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1ITe3ogChoIC&pg=PA143
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Between St Ives and Bedford, there were ten sluices, which were pound locks constructed at locations where mill weirs would have prevented navigation. There were also five staunches, which were flash locks constructed near to fords and shallows. Operation of the beam and paddle provided an extra volume of water to carry the boats over such obstructions. On the lower river, a combination of high spring tides and large volumes of floodwater resulted in the complete failure of Denver sluice in 1713. While there were celebrations among the navigators, the problem of flooding returned, and the channel below Denver deteriorated. [[Charles Labelye]] therefore designed a new sluice for the Bedford Level Corporation, which was constructed between 1748 and 1750 and included a navigation lock.<ref name=boyes137/> No tolls were charged on the river below St Ives or on the New Bedford, and those responsible for drainage complained about damage to the sluices and to banks by the horses used for towing boats. A bill for a new act of Parliament to regulate the situation was defeated in 1777 after fierce opposition, and it was not until 1790 that a 'Haling Act', the '''{{visible anchor|Ouse Navigation Act 1790}}''' ([[30 Geo. 3]]. c. 83), was passed, which ensured that tolls were charged and landowners were repaid for damage to the banks caused by horses. These measures were a success, as there were few complaints once the new system was in place.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=143–144}}</ref>

===Port of King's Lynn===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Eau Brink Act 1795
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act for improving the drainage of the Middle and South Levels, part of the great level of the fens, called Bedford Level, and the low lands adjoining or near to the river Ouze, in the county of Norfolk, draining through the same to sea by the harbour of King's Lynn, in the said county; and for altering and improving the navigation of the said river Ouze, from or near a place called Eau Brink, in the parish of Wiggenhall Saint Mary, in the said county, to the said harbour of King's Lynn; and for improving and preserving the navigation of the several rivers communicating with the said river Ouze.
| year                  = 1795
| citation              = [[35 Geo. 3]]. c. 77
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 19 May 1795
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
After the river had been diverted to [[King's Lynn]], the town developed as a port. Evidence for this can still be seen, as two warehouses built in the 15th century for trade with the [[Hanseatic League]] have survived. However, the harbour and the river below Denver sluice were affected by silting, and the problem was perceived to be the effects of the sluice. Sand from The Wash was deposited by the incoming tide, and the outgoing tide did not carry it away again. Colonel John Armstrong was asked to survey the river in 1724, and suggested returning it to how it was prior to the construction of the drainage works. [[John Smeaton]] rejected this idea in 1766, suggesting that the banks should be moved inwards to create a narrower, faster-flowing channel. William Elstobb and others had suggested that the great bend in the river above King's Lynn should be removed by creating a cut, but it took 50 years of arguing before the '''{{visible anchor|Eau Brink Act 1795}}''' ([[35 Geo. 3]]. c. 77) was obtained to authorise it, and another 26 years until the cut was finally opened in 1821. During this time, most of the major civil engineers of the time had contributed their opinions.<ref name=boyes144>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=144–146}}</ref> The original project head and chief engineer was Sir [[Thomas Hyde Page]].

The work was overseen by [[John Rennie the Younger|John Rennie]] and [[Thomas Telford]] and construction took four years. It proved to be too narrow, resulting in further silting of the harbour, and was widened at an additional cost of £33,000 on Telford's advice. The total cost for the {{cvt|2+1/2|mi|km|adj=on}} cut was nearly £500,000, and although the navigators, who had opposed the scheme, benefitted most from it, there were new problems for drainage, with the surrounding land levels dropping as the peaty soil dried out. The Eau Brink Act 1795 created Drainage Commissioners and Navigation Commissioners, who had powers over the river to St Ives, but both bodies were subject to the Bedford Levels Corporation. Although often in opposition, the two parties worked together on the construction of a new lock and [[Lock (water transport)#Staunch|staunch]] at Brownshill, to improve navigation above Earith.<ref name=boyes144/>

In 1835, [[William IV of the United Kingdom|King William IV]] brought a case against the Ouse Bank Commissioners regarding a [[mandamus]] writ issued in 1834 about the Eau Brink Cut and possible damages it caused to the King's Lynn harbour.<ref>{{harvnb |Adolphus |Ellis |1837 |pp=544–550}}</ref>

===The Railway Age===
Denver sluice was reconstructed in 1834, after the Eau Brink Cut had been completed.  Sir John Rennie designed the new structure, which incorporated a tidal lock with four sets of gates, enabling it to be used at most states of the tide.  Sir Thomas Cullam, who had inherited a part share of the upper river, invested large amounts of his own money in rebuilding the locks, sluices and staunches in the 1830s and 1840s. The [[Bedford Level Act 1827]] ([[53 Geo. 3]]. c. ccxiv) created commissioners who dredged the river from Hermitage Lock to Littleport bridge, and also dredged several of its tributaries. They constructed a new cut near Ely to bypass a long meander near Padnall Fen and [[Burnt Fen]], but although the works cost £70,000, they were too late to return the navigation to prosperity. Railways arrived in the area rapidly after 1845, reaching Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, King's Lynn, St Ives, St Neots and Tempsford by 1850. The river below King's Lynn was improved by the construction of the {{cvt|2|mi|km|adj=on}} Marsh Cut and the building of training walls beyond that to constrain the channel, but the railways were welcomed by the Bedford Levels Corporation, for whom navigation interfered with drainage, and by King's Lynn Corporation, who did not want to be superseded by other towns with railway interchange facilities.<ref name=boyes>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=146–149}}</ref>

A large interchange dock was built at Ely, to facilitate the distribution of agricultural produce from the local region to wider markets. In addition, coal for several isolated pumping stations was transferred to boats for the final part of the journey, rather than it coming all the way from King's Lynn. Decline on most of the river was rapid, with tolls halving between 1855 and 1862. Flooding in 1875 was blamed on the poor state of the navigation, and it was recommended that it should be abandoned, but there was no funds to obtain an [[act of Parliament]] to create a drainage authority. The navigation was declared to be derelict by three county councils soon afterwards. It was then bought by the ''Ouse River Canal and Steam Navigation Ltd'', who wanted to link Bedford to the [[Grand Junction Canal]], but they failed to obtain their act of Parliament. A stockbroker called L. T. Simpson bought it in 1893, and spent some £21,000 over the next four years in restoring it. He created the Ouse Transport Company, running a fleet of tugs and lighters, and then attempted to get approval for new tolls, but was opposed by Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire county councils. Protracted legal battles followed, with Simpson nailing the lock gates together, and the county councils declaring that the river was a public highway. The case, ''Simpson v Godmanchester Corporation'', eventually reached the [[House of Lords]] in 1904, who allowed Simpson to close the locks.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=149–151}}</ref>

===The Leisure Age===
[[File:Kings-lynn-river-great-ouse.JPG|left|thumb|upright=1.0|The Great Ouse at King's Lynn]]

Simpson's victory in 1904 coincided with an increased use of the river for leisure. As he could not charge these boats for use of the locks, the situation was resolved for a time in 1906 by the formation of the River Ouse Locks Committee, who rented the locks between Great Barford and Bedford. Over 2,000 boats were recorded using Bedford Lock in a three-month period soon afterwards. Despite pressure from local authorities and navigation companies, the upper river was closed for trade, and a [[royal commission]] reported in 1909 on the poor state of the lower river, the lack of any consistent authority to manage it, and the unusual practice of towing horses having to jump over fences because there were no gates where they crossed the towing path. The Ouse Drainage Board was formed in 1918, but had no powers to deal with navigation issues, and it was not until the powers of the [[Land Drainage Act 1930]] ([[20 & 21 Geo. 5]]. c. 44) were used to create the Great Ouse Catchment Board that effective action could be taken.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=151–153}}</ref>

The catchment board bought the navigation rights from Simpson's estate, and began to dredge the river and rebuild the locks. There was an upturn in commercial traffic from 1925, when the sugar beet factory at [[Queen Adelaide, Cambridgeshire|Queen Adelaide]] near Ely was opened. They operated six or seven tugs and a fleet of over 100 barges, and three tugs and 24 barges from the [[Wissington, Norfolk|Wissington]] sugar beet factory on the [[River Wissey]] also operated on the river. Local commercial traffic continued around Ely until after the [[Second World War]]. The sugar beet traffic ceased in 1959, and the last commercial boat on the upper river was ''"Shellfen"'', a Dutch barge converted to carry {{cvt|4000|impgal|L|abbr=off}} of diesel fuel, which supplied the remote pumping stations until 1974, when the last ones were converted to electricity.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=153–154}}</ref>

Below Denver, the situation was complicated by the fact that there were six bodies with responsibility for the river in 1913. No dredging took place, as there was no overall authority. The training walls were repaired in 1930 by the King's Lynn Conservancy Board, and the Great Ouse Catchment Board reconstructed and extended them in 1937. After major flooding in 1937 and 1947, and the [[North Sea flood of 1953]], flood control issues became more important, and the Cut-Off Channel was completed in 1964, to carry the headwaters of the River Wissey, [[River Lark]] and [[River Little Ouse]] to join the river near Denver sluice.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=154–156}}</ref> The Great Ouse Relief Channel, which runs parallel to the main river for {{cvt|10+1/2|mi|km}} from here to Wiggenhall bridge, was constructed at the same time. It joins the river at a sluice above King's Lynn, and was made navigable in 2001, when the Environment Agency constructed a lock at Denver to provide access.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/river.php?wpage=GORC |author=Jim Shead's Canal pages |title=Great Ouse Relief Channel |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=20 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220083204/http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/river.php?wpage=GORC |url-status=live }}</ref>

By 1939, the Catchment Board had reopened the locks to [[Godmanchester]] and then to [[Eaton Socon]]; in 1951 the Great Ouse Restoration Society was formed to continue the process, and successfully campaigned for and assisted with the restoration.<ref name=jane232>{{harvnb|Cumberlidge |2009 |p=232}}</ref> The Restoration Society campaign included the establishment of the Bedford to St. Neots [[Canoe]] Race in 1952 to publicise the case for navigational restoration. Now known as the Bedford [[Kayak]] Marathon, it is the longest established canoe race in the UK. In 1961 its organisers formalised canoeing activities on the river by forming the [[Viking Kayak Club]]. 

Since 1996, the river has been the responsibility of the [[Environment Agency]], who issue navigation licences.<ref name=jane>{{harvnb |Cumberlidge |2009 |p=233}}</ref> The upper river was fully reopened to Bedford with the rebuilding of Castle Mills lock in 1978.<ref name=jane232/>

===Navigation connections===
[[File:GreatOuse-StNeots.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.0|The Great Ouse at St Neots]]

The non-tidal reaches of the river are used for leisure boating, but remain largely separated from the rest of the British inland waterway system. Several of its tributaries are navigable, including the [[River Cam]], the River Lark, the River Little Ouse and the River Wissey. Close to Denver sluice, Salters Lode lock gives access to the [[Middle Level Navigations]],<ref>{{harvnb |Cumberlidge |2009 |pp=228–229}}</ref> but the intervening section is tidal, and deters many boaters. Access to the Middle Level Navigations used to be possible via the Old Bedford River and Welches Dam lock, but the Environment Agency piled the entrance to the lock in 2006 and this route is no loger available for navigation. The proposed [[Fens Waterways Link]], which aims to improve navigation from [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]] to [[Cambridge]] may result in this section being upgraded, or a non-tidal link being created at Denver.<ref name=jane7>{{harvnb |Cumberlidge |2009 |pp=7–8}}</ref>

There are two more proposed schemes to improve connections from the river to the Midlands waterway network (in addition to the Gt Ouse{{spaced ndash}}[[River Nene|Nene]] link via the Middle Level).
*The first is for a [[Grand Union Canal#Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway|Bedford and Milton Keynes waterway]], to connect the river to the [[Grand Union Canal]]. This idea was first proposed in 1812, when [[John Rennie the Elder]] costed a {{cvt|15|mi|km|adj=on}} junction canal from [[Fenny Stratford]] to Bedford. His estimate of £180,807 scared investors, and no progress was made.<ref name=boyes/> In 1838, there was another (failed) proposal to extend the [[Newport Pagnell Canal]].<ref name=jane5>{{harvnb |Cumberlidge |2009 |pp=5–6}}</ref> The idea was revived once more in the 1880s, when the Ouse River Canal and Steam Navigation Ltd bought the river with the aim of creating the link. A bill for an enabling act of Parliament was defeated, although Major Marindin, acting for the Board of Trade, was optimistic about the likely benefits.<ref name=boyes/> The modern version of the proposal is in progress since 1994, by the [[Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust|Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust]], who have formed a partnership with 25 bodies, including local councils, [[British Waterways]] (and its successor, the [[Canal & River Trust]]) and various government agencies. A feasibility study was carried out in 2001, which looked at nine possible routes; by 2006, the cost of the preferred route was between £100 and £200&nbsp;million.<ref name=jane5/>
*The second scheme is for an extension of the Great Ouse Relief Channel to link it to the [[River Nar]], and provide a non-tidal link to King's Lynn. The project would include a large marina, and would be part of a much larger regeneration project for the south side of the town.<ref name=jane7/> Two locks would be required to raise boats from the Relief Channel to the River Nar.<ref>[http://www.waterways.org.uk/Waterways/PrincipalNavigations/RiverNartotheGreatOuseFloodReliefChannelLinkUnderRestoration Inland Waterways Association: ''Kings Lynn to the Great Ouse Flood Relief Channel Link''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204181537/http://www.waterways.org.uk/Waterways/PrincipalNavigations/RiverNartotheGreatOuseFloodReliefChannelLinkUnderRestoration |date=4 December 2008 }}, accessed 10 October 2009</ref>

==Wildlife==
[[File:Seal in the Great Ouse.jpeg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|A seal at [[Wiggenhall St Germans|Wiggenhall St. Peter]], Norfolk]]

As the water quality has improved, otters have returned to the river in numbers such that fishing lakes now require fencing to protect stocks. Paxton Pits nature reserve near St Neots has hides from which otters are regularly seen. Coarse fishing is still popular, with a wide range of fish in the river, but it is many years since large sturgeon were caught. Seals have been recorded as far upstream as Bedford.<ref name="SLIDESHOW: Seal in the River Great Ouse">{{cite web |title=SLIDESHOW: Seal in the River Great Ouse |url=http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/slideshow-seal-in-the-river-great-ouse-1-1094310 |website=Bedford Times & Citizen |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-date=30 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130224712/http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/slideshow-seal-in-the-river-great-ouse-1-1094310 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Surprise guest puts seal on festival's pearl">{{cite web |title=Surprise guest puts seal on festival's pearl |url=http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/Surprise-guest-puts-seal-festivals-pearl-celebrations/story-21710209-detail/story.html |website=Bedfordshire On Sunday |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224131956/http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sunbathing seals make long trip inland from the Wash">{{cite news |title=Sunbathing seals make long trip inland from the Wash |work=BBC News |date=11 August 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-33865252 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915094956/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-33865252 |url-status=live }}</ref> Huntingdonshire seems to be the most popular area for breeding animals in recent years.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://plantcom.com.au/n8xd1u/river-great-ouse-flooding-b2ff3e | title=River great ouse flooding - river great ouse flooding }}</ref>

==Tributaries==
[[File:River Great Ouse at Little Paxton.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|The Great Ouse near [[Little Paxton]].]]

[[tributary|Tributaries]] of the River Great Ouse: (upstream [source] to downstream by confluence)
*[[Padbury Brook]]: Two streams that join to form one watercourse just south of [[Padbury]] in [[Buckinghamshire]]: the eastern twin starts near [[Addington, Buckinghamshire|Addington]] and [[East Claydon|the Claydons]] and flows {{cvt|5|mi|km|0}} northwest to join the western twin, which starts near [[Somerton, Oxfordshire|Somerton]] in [[Oxfordshire]]. From here it flows due East, through [[Fewcott]], [[Stoke Lyne]], [[Fringford]] and [[Twyford, Buckinghamshire|Twyford]], before joining its twin and flowing {{cvt|5|mi|km|0}} north to join the Great Ouse east of [[Buckingham]].<ref name="getamap">{{cite web |url=http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm |title=Get-a-map online |publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]] |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=29 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129143647/http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[River Leck]]
*[[River Tove]]
*[[River Ouzel]] (or Lovat)
*[[River Ivel]]
*[[River Kym]]
*River Cam
*[[Cambridgeshire Lodes|Soham Lode]]
*[[River Lark]]
*[[River Little Ouse]]
*River Wissey
*Old Bedford River
*New Bedford River (also known as Hundred Foot Drain)
*[[River Nar]]
*[[Gaywood River]]
*[[Babingley River]]

==Water sports==
{{more citations|section|date=November 2020}}
In 1944 the annual [[The Boat Race|Boat Race]] between the [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] universities took place on this river, between [[Littleport, Cambridgeshire|Littleport]] and Queen Adelaide, the first time that it had not been held on the [[River Thames|Thames]]; it was won by Oxford.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/out_about/2004/02/historic_boat_race.shtml |title=Celebrate the 1944 University Boat Race! |publisher=BBC |date=February 2004 |access-date=25 December 2019 |archive-date=29 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129095703/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/out_about/2004/02/historic_boat_race.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> [[The Boat Race 2021|The 2021 Boat Race ]] was again held on the river because of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-26 |title=The Boat Race 2021 to be raced at Ely, Cambridgeshire |url=https://www.theboatrace.org/news/the-boat-race-2021-to-be-raced-at-ely-cambridgeshire |access-date=2020-11-26 |website=The Boat Race |language=en-GB |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121075536/https://www.theboatrace.org/news/the-boat-race-2021-to-be-raced-at-ely-cambridgeshire |url-status=live }}</ref> The Great Ouse has been used by three clubs from Cambridge University for the training of rowers, with the  [[Cambridge University Boat Club|Boat Club (CUBC)]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cubc.org.uk/rowing/facilities.html |title=CUBC: ''Facilities'' |access-date=22 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926173304/http://www.cubc.org.uk/rowing/facilities.html |archive-date=26 September 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> the [[Cambridge University Women's Boat Club|Women's Boat Club (CUWBC)]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cuwbc.org/training/cuwbc-facilities |title=CUWBC: ''Facilities'' |access-date=22 October 2010 |archive-date=13 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113180504/http://www.cuwbc.org/training/cuwbc-facilities |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club|Lightweight Rowing Club (CULRC)]], all using facilities at Ely; the clubs merged in 2020. 

The Great Ouse is a very popular river for [[canoeing]] and [[kayaking]], particularly around Bedford which is a regional centre for the sport.{{cn|date=November 2020}} Viking Kayak Club organise the Bedford Kayak Marathon with [[canoe racing]] held along the Embankment on Bedford's riverside and dates back to the original Bedford to St Neots race in 1952, believed{{by whom|date=November 2020}} to be the first of its kind in the country.{{cn|date=November 2020}}

[[File:FloatingCurraghBedford.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.0|Reconstruction of a first-century currach on the Great Ouse.]]
Bedford also benefits from the presence of weirs and sluices, creating white water opportunities. Viking organise national ranking [[Canoe Slalom]] events at the [[Cardington Artificial Slalom Course]] (CASC), which was the first artificial whitewater course in the UK,{{cn|date=November 2020}} opened in 1982 adjacent to [[Cardington, Bedfordshire|Cardington]] Lock, in a partnership with the Environment Agency who use it as a flood relief channel.{{cn|date=November 2020}} CASC is also the venue each year for the UK's National Inter Clubs Slalom Finals, the largest canoe slalom event by participation in the UK.

Since 1978, the Bedford River Festival has been held every two years, to celebrate the link between Bedford and the coast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitshefford.co.uk/afield/bedfordembankment.shtm |title=Visit Shefford, Bedford Embankment |access-date=1 November 2010 |archive-date=3 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603224515/http://www.visitshefford.co.uk/afield/bedfordembankment.shtm |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to craft often seen on the river, the 2008 festival featured a reconstruction of a 1st-century [[currach]], consisting of a wicker framework covered in cow hide, and capable of carrying ten people.

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport}}
*[[Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust]]
*[[Bedford Rowing Club]]
*[[The Boat Race]]
*[[Cardington Artificial Slalom Course]]
*[[Ouse Valley Way|The Ouse Valley Way]] (Long-distance footpath along the Ouse)
*[[Rivers of the United Kingdom]]
*[[RSPB Ouse Washes]] ([[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] reserve)
*[[WWT Welney]] ([[Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust]] reserve)
*[[Viking Kayak Club]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |first1=John Leycester |last1=Adolphus |first2=Thomas Flower |last2=Ellis |author-link=John Leycester Adolphus |title=Reports of cases argued and determined in the Court of King's Bench, (Volume 3, Cases from 1835, Great Britain. Court of King's Bench) |year=1837 |location=London |publisher=Saunders and Benning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NzVFAAAAYAAJ&q=Eau+Brink+cut+to+King%27s+Lynn&pg=PA544 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224131947/https://books.google.com/books?id=NzVFAAAAYAAJ&q=Eau+Brink+cut+to+King%27s+Lynn&pg=PA544 |url-status=live }}
*{{Cite book |first=Andrew Hunter |last=Blair |title=The River Great Ouse and tributaries |year=2006 |publisher=Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson |isbn=978-0-85288-943-5}}
*{{Cite book |first1=John |last1=Boyes |first2=Ronald |last2=Russell |title=The Canals of Eastern England |year=1977 |publisher=David and Charles |isbn=978-0-7153-7415-3}}
*{{Cite book |title=Inland Waterways of Great Britain, 8th Ed |year=2009 |first=Jane |last=Cumberlidge |publisher=Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson |isbn=978-1-84623-010-3}}
*{{Cite book |first=Sue |last=Owen |title=Rivers and the British Landscape |year=2005 |publisher=Carnegie Publishing |isbn=978-1-85936-120-7 |display-authors=etal}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|River Great Ouse}}
*[http://www.fenlandlincs.com/GreatOuse Drainage and Rivers of Fens]{{dead link|date=February 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}



{{River Great Ouse}}
{{Rivers and Watercourses of Buckinghamshire}}
{{Transport in Buckinghamshire}}
{{Rivers of Norfolk}}
{{Rivers and Watercourse of Northamptonshire}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Ouse, River}}
[[Category:River Great Ouse| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Northamptonshire]]
[[Category:Rivers of Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Rivers of Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Rivers of Norfolk]]
[[Category:River navigations in the United Kingdom]]