Mill Avon fish belly sluice, Tewkesbury

The River Avon joins the River Severn in the town of Tewkesbury. A branch of the Avon, known as the Mill Avon, is a stretch of water that formerly turned the mill wheels of the Abbey Mill in Tewkesbury. Today it a haunt of small pleasure craft.

 In the 1990s the two old sluices at this location on the Mill Avon at Tewkesbury were replaced by a single "fish belly sluice". When in the "up" position this forms a weir: when "down", during a flood, water can flow freely. The control room for the new sluice was mounted on legs above the footpath that crosses the Mill Avon at this point.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Abbey Mill, Tewkesbury

 

Abbey Mill (also known as Fletcher's Mill) stands on the bank of the Mill Avon, a watercourse that connects downstream with the River Severn. The earliest mill on the site was built in 1190 by the monks of nearby Tewkesbury Abbey. The building we see today dates from 1793 and accommodated 4 water driven wheels. It ground corn until 1920 when the owners found they could no longer compete with the bigger, more modern Borough Flour Mills (also known as Healings Flour Mills) upstream from the Abbey Mill. The Borough Mill now stands empty and the Abbey Mill has been converted into flats (apartments). I have photographed this mill on several occasions with this photograph from 2011 being the best of the crop.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Abbey Mill weir, Tewkesbury

The weir at Abbey Mill in Tewkesbury is a "fish belly" sluice that can be raised and lowered according to whether the river is at flood level or not. On the day of this photograph the sun was shining, the temperature was high and flood levels had been absent for several months. What was interesting, however, was the contrast between the water speedily rushing over the weir and the seemingly calm, reflective quality of it before it began its fall.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Abbey Mill sluice control room, Tewkesbury

In the 1990s the two old sluices at this location on the Mill Avon at Tewkesbury were replaced by a single "fish belly sluice". When in the "up" position this forms a weir: when "down", during a flood, water can flow freely. The control room for the new sluice was mounted on legs above the footpath that crosses the Mill Avon at this point. My photograph was taken during moderate flooding in mid-January 2020.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

River Avon, Tewkesbury

The subject of today's photograph is one that I have returned to on several occasions over the years. Here, here, and here are just three shots that illustrate my previous attempts to get the best from the riverside scene. For this one the cow parsley provided a different foreground, the narrow boats an interesting middleground, and the Abbey Mill the usual background. However, the sky didn't co-operate quite so well as it might have done.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100