The River Brede is an English river in East Sussex. It flows into the Rock Channel (tidal section of the River Tillingham) and then onto the River Rother at Rye, Sussex. It takes its name from the village of Brede, which lies between Hastings and Tenterden.
Etymology
The river takes its name from the village of Brede. The village is on the north bank of the river, and its name in Old English means breadth, as it overlooks the wide river valley. Prior to the fifteenth century, the river was known as the Ee or Ree, which simply means 'river' in Old English. A new channel was then constructed for much of its course downstream from its junction with Doleham Ditch, slightly to the north of the Ee, and running parallel with it, which was for many years known as the Channel, but subsequently became the Brede.
History
The Brede flows through a wide valley in its lower reaches, surrounded by marshland which is at much the same level as the river. After passing close to the higher ground on which New Winchelsea was later built, it turns to the north, passing through an area known historically as Cadborough Marsh, which contained a network of tidal channels in the 13th century. During the 12th century, large areas of marsh were enclosed, beginning at the edge of Cadborough Cliff, and working southwards towards the river. Similar work was taking place further east at Broomhill, near to the seaward end of Jury's Gut Sewer, and it is likely that the marshes were protected from the sea by a large shingle bank that ran westwards from Broomhill to Fairlight. Many of the people involved in the enclosures were doing so at both locations, and the work seems to have been influenced by Flemish immigrants. There is little documentary evidence for reclaiming of marshland further upstream, although it clearly took place in the 12th or early 13th centuries.
Climatic conditions deteriorated in the 13th century, with many more storms occurring. At some point, the shingle bank was breached, and the River Rother carved a new course through the gap to enter the sea near Rye. The winter of 1287-88 was particularly bad, and the village of Old Winchelsea was overwhelmed, as was much of the reclaimed marshland near Cadborough Cliff, which remained flooded for 15 years. At some point around this time, the Brede valley was protected by the construction of a wall, some long known as the Damme, which crossed the valley from Icklesham in the south to the modern-day Float Farm in the north. It protected to the west of it, and provided a convenient way to cross the valley, although tolls were collected for its use. There was a bridge in the centre and a sluice to control the flow of water, which was operated by pulleys. A dock was constructed on the eastern side, which was known as a flota, from which the name of Float Farm derives. Ships were loaded with firewood for onward transfer to London and Europe, while other timber products included a shipment of hurdles for Dover Castle.
A second embankment was constructed further downstream, running northwards from Winchelsea, but the effect of the sea walls was to reduce the volume of sea water that entered the valley with each tide, reducing its scouring action. As the consequence, the river silted up, and by 1357 it was difficult for ships to reach Winchelsea. The king visited the town, and instructed that walls should be built along the valley and that the obstruction at Sloughdam should be removed. It is unclear whether this referred to the embankment at Winchelsea of to the Damme further upstream. The solution adopted to resolve the silting was to construct a new channel for the river, with embankments on both sides. It was around long and wide, and was completed some time between 1419 and 1442. Its western end was just below the point at which Doleham Ditch joined the Ee. The dock at Damme ceased to be used, as the river then became navigable to Brede Bridge, where a new quay was constructed.
The Brede is known to have been used for navigation beyond Brede Bridge, with boats reaching Sedlescombe. Lead was carried for Battle Abbey, and in the Tudor period, an iron furnace was built at Brede, which continued to operate until 1766. Between 1747 and 1766, boats brought iron ore to the furnaces from Strand Wharf in Rye, and transported guns which had been manufactured from the iron back down the river. There was also a trade in groceries, moving up the river.
Access to the sea from Winchelsea and Rye was continually changing, as the whole area is subject to deposition of shingle and silt. Winchelsea once had a harbour, but by the 1550s, it had been abandoned as a port. The future of the port of Rye, a little further to the north, was in doubt by 1600, and Camber Castle, which had once protected the entrances to Winchelsea and Rye harbours was abandoned in the 1640s, as it could no longer serve that function, due to the changing channels. The idea of cutting a new channel was first suggested by the Italian engineer Frederico Genebelli in 1593, but was rejected by Rye Corporation, who thought it would enhance the port of Winchelsea, more than the port of Rye. Commissioners from the Royal Navy and Trinity House decided that Rye Harbour was of no further use in 1698.
However, the Dover Harbour Act 1722 (9 Geo. 1. c. 30) was obtained on 27 May 1723, which authorised a new cut to be made from the Brede near Winchelsea to the sea, as well as repairs to Dover Harbour. The plans are not clearly understood, for the records of the Rye Harbour Commissioners are often confused and garbled. The new channel would run from the right-angled bend where the present river turns northwards towards Rye, and run to the south, broadly following Sea Road and Dogs Hill Road, but a little further to the east. In 1903, when the Brede Valley Waterworks was being built, materials were transported by barge to a wharf immediately upstream of Brede Bridge. By the time of the Land Drainage Act 1930, the land drainage function of the rivers was more important, and from 1933, river levels were reduced. Land drainage functions within the river valley are the responsibility of the Romney Marshes Area internal drainage board.
Route
thumb|Brede Sluice in 2009 looking inland. The gates prevent the free movement of fish, which contributes to the river's poor water quality rating.
The Brede rises from several springs to the south of Netherfield, close to the and contours. They join together, and flow initially to the south east, before turning to the north east, to pass under a minor road and the A2100, by which time the river is already below the contour. At Pond Bay, Rat Gill joins the river, which turns to the east, to pass under a railway bridge on the Hastings Line. The River Line joins it at Whatlington, as do several more streams as it passes under the A21 and B2244 roads to the south of Sedlescombe. To the south of the river is the Pestalozzi International Village, formerly the Pestalozzi Children's Village, set up by a Trust following the end of the Second World War. The river channel is now flanked by drainage ditches on both sides, and soon drops below the contour.
A little further to the east is Brede Valley Waterworks, situated on the north bank. It was built in the early 1900s, and parts of it are grade II listed. The red-brick engine house still contains one of the original Tangye triple-expansion steam engines supplied in 1904, while a later building, dating from the 1930s, houses a Worthington-Simpson pumping engine dating from 1940. Before Brede Bridge, there is a derelict pumping station, which formerly pumped water from the drains into the main channel. An area of is being returned to marshland, and water levels are gradually rising to recreate a traditional waterside landscape. The bridge is a modern structure with a flat concrete deck, which was built to replace a hump-backed bridge during the Second World War, to allow tanks to cross it. Beyond the bridge, Doleham Ditch joins from the south, and the Marshlink railway line which has followed the valley of a stream northwards, turns to the east to follow the Brede Valley. The valley floor widens, and a network of drains keeps this area, which is known as the Brede Level, from flooding. Station Road, which leads to Winchelsea railway station, crosses the river at Ferry Bridge, and the A259 Royal Military Road, built in 1805 as part of the defensive Royal Military Canal crosses at Strand Bridge, on the eastern side of the town. Immediately beyond the bridge, the western section of the Royal Military Canal heads southwards towards Cliff End, near Pett. Like the town, it is an ancient monument. The Saxon Shore Way long-distance footpath follows its eastern bank, and continues to the south of the river. but abandoned in 1640 after the sea retreated. The structure and the grounds are a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and the remains have been restored and repaired since they were bought by the Department of National Heritage in 1977. To the north of the castle is Castle Water Nature Reserve. The site covers , and was bought by the Sussex Wildlife Trust in 1992. Gravel was extracted there between 1935 and 1970, and it now provides a valuable wetland habitat for birds. Brede Sluice is actually a lock, and leads into the Rock Channel, which was cut around the south side of Rye in the 1760s. At its far end, the river flows into the River Rother.
The water quality of the Brede system was as follows in 2019.
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The reasons for the quality being less than good include sewage discharge and quarrying activities affecting the River Line, sewage discharge from a sewage treatment works and from industry on the Doleham Ditch, while the Brede itself suffers from sewage discharge, barriers which prevent fish accessing the river, and impounding of the water. Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and mercury compounds, neither of which had previously been included in the assessment.
Points of interest
Bibliography
- (Chapter 10 of )