River Stort

The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles (38 km) long and flows from just south of the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon.

Stort
The Stort above Harlow, Essex
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
RegionHertfordshire
CityBishop's Stortford
Physical characteristics
SourceNew Lake
 • locationNear Langley, Essex, England
 • coordinates52.0027°N 0.0683°E / 52.0027; 0.0683
 • elevation130 m (430 ft)
MouthRiver Lea
 • location
Near Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
 • coordinates
51.7644°N 0.0141°E / 51.7644; 0.0141
 • elevation
28 m (92 ft)
Length38 km (24 mi)

Unusually, the town of Bishop's Stortford does not derive its name from the River Stort, but the other way around. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town of Stortford was named for its ford.[1] The river was originally called the Stour.[2]

The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Bishop's Stortford to its confluence with the Lee Navigation. It has 15 locks.

Course

The Stort rises north of Langley according to OS Explorer map 194 (GR 425358). From Langley, the Stort flows in a generally southerly direction through the villages of Clavering and Manuden and the market town of Bishop's Stortford.

It then flows past Sawbridgeworth, before it changes direction and flows west past Harlow and Roydon. It finally empties into the Lea at Feildes Weir, Hoddesdon. This 14-mile (22-km) long section was canalised in the 18th century as the Stort Navigation.

References
  1. "River Stort – Stort Navigation". Bishop's Stortford and Thorley, A History and Guide. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  2. Thomas, Richard (July 2016). "Stort History". History of the Lee and Stort Navigations.



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