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Rivers : River Rea

The River Rea wound its way past the old Nechells Power Station before joining the River Tame.
The Rea went under the Birmingham & Warwick Junction Canal (as it still does) then under what was then Watson Road and then past the site of the wooden cooling towers of the older power station,though I seem to think cooling water supplies for the power stations was taken from the nearby River Tame.
And there's the Rea Bank Stand at Edgbaston cricket ground,as the river flows next to the ground.
 
hi.all we would spend hours in the rea by the power station,sliding down the rapids on a piece of tin.then sit on the hot pipes from the towers to dry.then go home stinking.
 
hi Biffo when we were kids we used to climb down the ladder in Gooch St,almost opposite Conybere St and walk up to the park.i remember
slipping in the green slime, in an orange dress,went back to my mates washed my dress,hung it on the line,wore one of hers to go home for dinner,said we were playing dress up,like you said dangerous but you dont think when your small liz
 
Rupert said:
I think that one could make a case without much exageration that no river or body of water has had more influence on the world than the little streams and canals of Brum. The Rea, the Cole, Hockley Brook, the Tame. It never ceases to amaze.
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You mention the River Tame, does it not join the Rea at some point? Like the Rea, it has been culvetted and piped in many places, if not for much of its course? I lived near the Tame as a child, it was a dark, slow river. When at school we experimented with a new Electron Microscope, I collected a water sample from the Tame, as well as from various drains and ditches....the water from the Tame contained NO life whatsoever! It wasn't because it was so pure; you wouldn't have lasted very long if you drank any! It was because it was so contaminated by chemicals and heavy metals, from two hundred years of industry. I wonder if now, in these post-industrial times, whether the water quality has improved; does anything live in the Tame now???
 
JohnO lots of life in the river Tame now , the river Rea joins the Tame in Nechells, see post 22:)
 
Johno the Tame is recovering well i watched a nature program about twelve months ago where they found otter droppings under Spaghetti Junction right where the tame runs there must be a good fish stock for that to occur.Dek
 
dek carr said:
Johno the Tame is recovering well i watched a nature program about twelve months ago where they found otter droppings under Spaghetti Junction right where the tame runs there must be a good fish stock for that to occur.Dek
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Otter spraints! Otters in the Tame - MARVELLOUS! What fantastic news! There must indeed be plenty of fish; unless they have taken to eating castaway 'Macdonalds' chucked over the side of Spaghetti Junction?!?!?!? ;)
 
Yes Johtoi Autumn Watch they filmed for 5 days didn,t find the otter but found the spraints suspected it could have been a wandering mail. they did film one in Walsall by the canal it kept going into this guys garden and pinching his fish. Dek
 
Yes i saw it.

I can remember playing down by the Austin as a kid - the water was pure sewage then. Some years ago i came across an old print 9I wish I had bought it) of people boating on the Rea in Digbeth, I guess, in the 1700's. Now its just culverted, What a shame.
 
Enjoyed this. We came from the Cotswolds recently on the day the Midlands Arts Centre re-opened and the river looked lovely with ducks swimming around and bordered by trees and a path to walk along. So very different from what I remembered.
 
I used to live in Duddeston/Saltley,the river Rea ran at the end of our street we used to play in it !.I got scarlet fever from it in 1956,it usedto flood when rain in the city was bad.
 
I remember as a small child looking into the river rea culvert near cannon hill park and dropping stones into it and twig's, it looked deep and dark to a small child but proberly was'nt that deep.
paul
 
Having lived and worked near to the River Rea for many years,it was only last week i found out that the source of the Rea is only a few miles from where i live now in Halesowen.It's source starts just a short walk from the vistors centre in the Waseley Hills Country Park.There is a book that can be purchased on the River Rea from the centre.
 
I live in Rubery at the base of the Waseley Hills Country park, and the Source or one of the sources of the River Rea runs along the side of my garden. It has always been quite a talking point when we have visitors and in the 45 years that we have lived here we have never experienced any flooding . In fact quite the opposite now seems to be happening, where as at one time after heavy rainfall the water would gush down the brook as we call it , now that doesn't seem to happen. Could it be due to climate change?
 
With respect to post #34...if you look at the Westley East Prospect you can see that the Heathmill dam at Fazeley St. aided by the flood gate, would have backed the river up past the Deritend bridge and more. Thus allowing boating seemingly. Otherwise it's hard to think that there would have been enough water. A less desireable result was the boggy/marshy land upstream.
 
saw some industry in its time Burmans poisioned it on more than one occation when i lived on whycall lane , there was a mint there which coined pennys some years ago @ 1920s i think , also the army camped there because there was water ( hense camp pub ) 1400/1500 not sure of date but its all documented at the museum on kings norton green
 
Lloyd, that's really great.Thank you. When you see part of a river, you never think about where it starts, ends and the places it passes through. I really enjoyed those pics and have learned something new. Thank you. No, it's not as rural as it used to be but it looks like it still passes through some quiet and unseen parts of the countryside.
 
The river Rea holds such personal memories for me from my childhood, living so near it most of my life Edgbaston, Northfield etc. When young I wondered where it got it's name from? some old chap once told me it was from an early Anglo Saxon settler whose name was Rye!!!.
paul
 
Lloyd said:
Where the Rea crossed the road now called Deritend High Street (just south of the Rea Street junction, at Digbeth Coach station) was the original settlement that grew into the present City of Birmingham. In the 19th century boat trips could be taken to Vauxhall Gardens, near what is now Vauxhall Road Duddeston.
For a photographic excursion along the Rea today, see https://www.geograph.org.uk/gallery/birmingham_s_river_rea_from_source_to_river_tame_9967
It's not as rural now as it used to be!
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One of the photos is described as Halcyon day on the River Rea stating the river flowing at the end of Bewdley Rd...its actually the Mill Race that flows there, with the water used in the TASCO's laundery and mills further towards Dogpool Lane...where the Mill Race joins back up with the main river.
Riverside Ave 1960s.jpg
 
How very informative and interesting, I only remember the Rea from childhood, besides Cannon Hill park, down at the bottom of a deep culvert, (very mysterious and frightening to a small boy!!, as I have said before on this site, but thank you for posting so much info "Chippy" , old boy!!
paul
 
chipmonkey said:
One of the photos is described as Halcyon day on the River Rea stating the river flowing at the end of Bewdley Rd...its actually the Mill Race that flows there, with the water used in the TASCO's laundery and mills further towards Dogpool Lane...where the Mill Race joins back up with the main river.
View attachment 79409
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Wow! That was great, thank you. I never realised how far the Rea went and had no idea it was connected to the brooks in the photos. Thank you!
 
I have yet to close the link on my ancestors but I think this may be them?

British History online – Birmingham Mills on the Rea and Bourn Brook

SPEEDWELL MILL. Speedwell, or Fitter's Mill, and its pool lay on the west of the Rea above Balsall Heath Road. It was probably called Fitter's Mill after the Fitter family, scythesmiths in Bordesley and mill tenants on the Hawthorn Brook in the 16th century. Fitter's Mill was a blade mill in the tenure of Richard Clarke in 1648, and a blade mill with four stones in 1672. Joseph Clarke was the tenant in 1700. A mill is shown there in 1787- 1789. John Heeley was paying rates for 'the two Speedwell Mills', in 1810. This may mean that he held half the mill, or that he held the whole mill together with a windmill which was close by. In 1830 William Fox was making wire-gauze blinds at the mill, and in 1843 Hawkins and Hickling were the tenants. For some years William Nokes, metal button manufacturer, occupied the mill as a rolling mill, but by 1875 Nokes had new premises, also called Speedwell Mills, in Chester Street, and the old building may have been disused. The mill and pool had disappeared by 1864, and Princess Road, Alexandra Road, and the end of Speedwell Road now stand on the site.

Clarkie
 
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