River Teme

The River Teme has been used for navigation since Roman times. Their settlements all along the river were supplied by water. Silver Gold and Lead were mined in the hills west of Leintwardine. An enormous tonnage of lead was cast into sheets 5ft x 3ft in a quarry on the Black Hill and carried down an incline behind the Wharf Inn at Felindre to be loaded into dugout boats for transport to the Severn and up the Salwarpe to Droitwich. Here it was used to make Salt Pans for boiling the Brine.They constructed some 25 weirs and flash locks along the Teme using the impounded water to power flour and iron mills. Over the centuries the river was an important trading route. In the 14th Century Ashford Carbonnel mill was constructed from Caen,Normandy stone transported up the Severn and Teme.Until the railways arrived in the valley small barges or Trows sailed up with cargoes of wheat for the mills and general goods for the towns. An 1840's painting shows four square rigged trows unloading at Dinham Mill. now Mr Underhills Restaurant. Another Trow under full sail is moving upstream probably to Downton Gorge for a cargo of iron billets. These were taken to the Severn and up the Stour to Wolverley to be rolled into bars and strip products. Some iron was stored in a warehouse still existing in Eastham for use by village blacksmiths. Through navigation ceased when Powick Power Station Turbines were installed in the 1890's and the weir and lock on Powick Ham were removed to deepen the channel to improve the water flow. The River Teme is still a statutory navigation much enjoyed in canoes and coracles from Leintwardine to the Severn. Max Sinclair Waterways Historian.