top of page

The River Ouse

Updated: Nov 13, 2020

| Ancient * York |



Even if you’ve managed to miss York’s famous floating ice cream aqua-van, or avoid the masses of tourists making waves on their little red boats; no matter if you’ve never kayaked, paddle-boarded, or taken a freezing-cold tour on York’s central river; and regardless if (for some reason) you just don’t enjoy spending an afternoon in a pub garden by the water or on a long riverside walk; even if all this is true; there is no escaping the fact that the River Ouse is unquestionably the life and soul of York.

York owes its very existence to this river. The Roman legion that founded the city in 71AD thought this a prime spot to set up camp. Lying between the River Ouse and the River Foss, Ebocarum (Roman York) was able to boast two natural defences, valuable supply lines, and enviable transport links.

The Romans set up warehouses and posts all along the river, but the Vikings took it one step further and began to build ships. Supporting a natural link to the North Sea, the Ouse became the centre of international trade. Timber, silk, fur, copper, pottery, and shells flooded into the city and created an international culture of elite materialism. This expanded after the Normans, and trade became so lucrative that by the 13th century York was so rich the King effectively moved the capital there (for six years before going back to London).

Then the railways happened. Water-transport around the country became less important and relatively more expensive, but this was especially prominent in York where the railways were literally taking over. The river became less a hub of economic activity, and more the picture-perfect landscape we know today.

So there you have its history. But what of the river now? How has locating an entire (almost) capital city right next to a natural resource affected the day to day struggles of this new environmental world? Well it’s alright until the flood hits. But York doesn’t do floods half-heartedly. In 2000 the record high was hit at 5.4 meters above what you’d expect for ‘normal’ summer levels but, even without extreme destruction, at one point or another during most years you would almost expect to see a string of flooded paths and half-submerged buildings.

The unpredictability of the weather caused by climate change means that these issues are getting worse. In the 1970s there was a devastating flood which pushed the council to build the Fossgate Barrier. This contraption is designed to control the movement of water between the River Ouse and the River Foss and ensure that the River Foss doesn’t get backed up causing it to overflow way back in the city centre. But even the creativity of technology can’t control the waves when they’re on a mission. The infamous 2000 floods seriously tested the defences, and the barrier had to be run for 17 days straight in order to keep the water controlled. All over York sandbags covered the ground and helicopters dotted the air in an attempt to manage the impact. By all accounts it was hectic, stressful, and disastrous. The floods of 2015 were also so strong that they almost broke the dam, forcing the engineers to lift the barrier and make a conscious decision to allow the city to flood.

Throughout all of the adapted defences and new processes in place, it is clear to see that we can’t put all trust in technology to keep up with the changing force of nature.


River Ouse, York

Comentários


Não é mais possível comentar esta publicação. Contate o proprietário do site para mais informações.

About Me

IMG_8900_edited.png

I am a History PhD student at the University of Cambridge studying science, nature, and communication in British botanic gardens.

***

I'll be spending all my free time travelling and researching; discovering the hidden places around the country that can help tell the stories of our society and  how we have interacted with nature.

 

© 2023 by Isobel Akerman

The fine print

All photographs and material published on this site are the intellectual property of the owner. Those works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved. You must not use any part of the content on our site for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence to do so from us. If you print off, copy or download any part of our site in breach of these terms of use, your right to use our site will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made.The content on our site is provided for general information only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on our site, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our site is accurate, complete or up to date. Where our site contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information only. Such links should not be interpreted as approval by us of those linked websites or information you may obtain from them.We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources.

bottom of page