river frome, bristol

The River Frome is a river in the south west of England. It is not to be confused with other rivers with the same name. Twenty miles long, the River Frome rises in Dodington Park in the Cotswolds of Gloucestershire, then follows a roughly south-westerly route towards Bristol. The river ends at its confluence with the River Avon, where its last reach forms part of the Floating Harbour. It has two main tributaries (Bradley and Folly Brooks) and a number of smaller ones. Between Stapleton and Frenchay the river drops nearly 50 ft, and as a result there were a number of corn and other mills. They were undershot mills with no mill ponds - today, all that is left is a wheel at Snuff Mills. From Frenchay Bridge to Snuff Mills the river is navigable, but only by canoe. Where it passes through Bristol the river was prone to flooding, but a storm water channel has since been constructed to control this. It emerges from an underground culvert at what Bristolians call The Centre. This culvert was recently lengthened to over two miles when a motorway spur was built. In the mid 20th century the River Frome was known in some parts of the city as the Danny River. The derivation, and even the spelling, of this name is uncertain.

River Frome, Bristol

See also