The River Evenlode is a tributary of the Thames in Oxfordshire. It rises near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, in the Cotswold Hills and flows south-east to the Thames, its valley providing the route of the southern part of the Cotswold Line. The river flows for 45 miles (72 km) from source to the River Thames.[1][2][3][4]

Evenlode
River Blade (archaic)
The Evenlode at Ascott-under-Wychwood
Map
Location
CountryEngland
CountiesGloucestershire, Oxfordshire
Towns/VillagesStow-on-the-Wold, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Charlbury, Cassington
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationMoreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, Cotswold Hills
MouthRiver Thames
 • location
Above King's Lock
Length72 km (45 mi)
Discharge 
 • locationCassington Mill
 • average3.70 m3/s (131 cu ft/s)
 • minimum0.12 m3/s (4.2 cu ft/s)25 August 1976
 • maximum26.7 m3/s (940 cu ft/s)28 December 1979
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftRiver Glyme

The name Evenlode is modern; until the late 1890s the river was called the River Blade, hence the name of Bladon, even though strictly Bladon is on the River Glyme, a tributary;[5][6] the Ordnance Survey map of 1884 already uses the name Evenlode.[7]

The River Evenlode passes through Evenlode, Bledington, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Charlbury. The river joins the Thames approximately one mile down river from Cassington on the reach above King's Lock, 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Oxford. Between Cassington and Eynsham, the Cassington Canal is fed by the river and joins the Thames 0.31 miles (0.5 km) upstream of the Evenlode.[4][8]

The river is largely privately owned, used for fishing and other leisure activities. The Environment Agency has undertaken restoration work, as of 2008, to recover from the effects of excessive dredging.[9] Powered craft are not allowed on the river.[6] Hilaire Belloc commemorated the river in some of his poetry.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Evenlode (Source to Four Shires S) and Longborough Stream". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Evenlode (Compton Bk to Bledington Bk) and 4 Shires". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Evenlode (Bledington to Glyme confluence)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Evenlode (Glyme to Thames)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  5. ^ Mills, A.D. (2011). A dictionary of British place-names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-960908-6.
  6. ^ a b Mills, Caroline (2011). Slow Cotswolds: including Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford (1 ed.). Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-84162-344-3.
  7. ^ Oxfordshire Sheet XXV (Map). 1:10560. OS Six-inch England and Wales. Ordnance Survey. 1884.
  8. ^ Hughes, Simon; Killingbeck, Andy (1992). "Oxford Structures Fisheries Survey" (PDF). environmentdata.org. Environment Agency. p. 53. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Environment Agency Fish and their environment". Archived from the original on 11 January 2007.
  10. ^ Bingham, Jane (2009). The Cotswolds : a cultural history. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-19-539875-5.
Next confluence upstream River Thames Next confluence downstream
River Windrush (north) River Evenlode Dukes Cut (for Oxford Canal) (north)

51°47′N 1°20′W / 51.783°N 1.333°W / 51.783; -1.333