Rivers on the Romney Marsh: Rother, Brede, Tillingham

Posted by admin on January 8, 2012

Rivers, drains and ditches of Romney Marsh are rich in rare wildlife and plants

The man-made walls and canals of the Marsh have played a key role in the current formation of the Romney Marsh, but an arguably greater impact has been acted out by the Rivers that cris-cross the Marsh. This unique corner of England has changed considerably over time. Just a few hundred years ago it was very different from its current shape and geography thanks largely to coastal storms that changed the course of rivers.

Just 1000 years ago, Romney Marsh was a large bay, with rivers flowing off the Weald into salty lagoons before making their way out to the Channel.  Over time, the lagoons silted up leaving increasing dry patches of land separated by larger rivers with the major Marsh towns – such as Lydd – forming where the rivers met the sea. On at least two occasions, fierce storms in the English Channel have caused these rivers to disappear or change course until they came to rest in their locations today and in so doing having a huge impact on the fortunes of the towns and harbours – Rye and New Romney in particular.

Today, there is just one main river crossing the Marsh – the River Rother.

The Rother runs from Rotherfield in East Sussex to Rye and at approximately 35 miles is the longest river in Sussex. Much of the river is navigable from Bodiam Castle onwards.

The Rother, once known as the Limen, has many tributaries, the two largest being The Tillingham and the Brede, which flows into the Rother and Tillingham.

Reference: University of Liverpool Romney Marsh Rivers