Thames Head

Springs of EnglandThames drainage basinUse British English from October 2017

Thames Head is a group of seasonal springs that arise near the village of Coates in the Cotswolds, about three miles south-west of the town of Cirencester, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The spring water comes from the limestone aquifers of the Cotswolds. One or more of these springs are traditionally identified as the source of the River Thames.In actuality, the source of the River Thames does not have a fixed location – rather, it changes according to the level of the groundwater in the limestone. In dry periods, the groundwater level falls, causing the Thames Head springs to dry up and the river to begin lower down in its course. In wet conditions, the groundwaters rise and the river can begin at one of the Thames Head springs. During the 2022 United Kingdom heat wave, the source dried up completely, shifting 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream to Somerford Keynes.The highest springs of Thames Head are located north of the A433 road (Fosse Way section), in a meadow called Trewsbury Mead. The springs continue immediately south of the A433. The Ordnance Survey identifies Thames Head as the source of the Thames on its maps and the UK's Environment Agency follows their precedent. However, there is also a long-standing alternative view that the real source of the Thames is on a different headstream entirely: at Seven Springs, Gloucestershire, the source of the River Churn, which is officially a tributary of the Thames that joins the Thames at Cricklade and which is longer than the course of the Thames from Thames Head to Cricklade. Further still, a small branch of the Churn runs to the National Star College in Ullenwood, making it the furthest source of the Thames.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Thames Head (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Thames Head
Coatesfield Bridge, Cotswold District Coates

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 51.694262 °	E -2.029724 °

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Address

Thames Source

Coatesfield Bridge
GL7 6NY Cotswold District, Coates
England, United Kingdom
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External links

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Nearby Places

Tetbury Road railway station

Tetbury Road railway station was built by the Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway to serve the Gloucestershire villages of Kemble and Coates, and the town of Tetbury.

Coates, Gloucestershire

Coates is a village and civil parish situated in Cotswold District, Gloucestershire, England. It is around 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Cirencester and close to Cirencester Park, part of the Bathurst Estate. It is the nearest village to the source of the river Thames at Thames Head, and it is close to the course of the Foss Way or Fosse Way, the ancient Roman road. The nearest railway station is Kemble. The village population taken at the 2011 census was 507.The parish church of St Matthew's (now part of the Thameshead Benefice) dates to the 13th century. The Grade II* listed building has a Perpendicular tower, 13th-century piscina, Norman font and a Norman doorway. From 1.Bernard Vann, VC, spent much of his childhood in Coates rectory, where his mother was housekeeper to the Rev. T. C. Simpson, his uncle. He is commemorated in the church. The village is home to the Coates Cricket Club that plays in the Cotswold District League. The Tunnel House Inn could be found just beyond the edge of the village towards Tarlton, but is now permanently closed. The Royal Agricultural College's Rural Skills Centre is on the eastern side of the village in the buildings that were previously Coates Farm.

Kemble, Gloucestershire

Kemble is a village in the civil parish of Kemble and Ewen, in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. Historically part of Wiltshire, it lies 4 miles (6.4 km) from Cirencester and is the settlement closest to Thames Head, the source of the River Thames. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 940. At the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,036.

Kemble railway station

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Jackament's Bridge Halt railway station

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A419 road

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Alfred's Hall

Alfred's Hall is a ruined folly in Cirencester Park, Gloucestershire, England. The Grade II* listed building dates from 1721 and is "probably the first Gothick sham ruin to be built in England".

Cotswold Airport

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Park Leaze Halt railway station

Park Leaze Halt railway station was one of two intermediate halts on the Cirencester branch line from Kemble, Gloucestershire, England. It was one of the shortest-lived stations in post-World War II Britain, being open for just over four years, between 1960 and 1964.

Sapperton Canal Tunnel

The Sapperton Canal Tunnel is a tunnel on the Thames and Severn Canal near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. With a length of 3,817 yards (3,490 m), it was the longest tunnel of any kind in England from 1789 to 1811. Construction, following an Act of Parliament, began in 1784. Twenty-six shafts were dug along the line of the tunnel and workfaces dug in each direction eventually joining up before the diameter of the tunnel was expanded. Difficulties were encountered related to strata of Great Oolite (solid limestone) and Fuller's Earth clay. These caused roof falls and narrowing of the channel which continued after the tunnel opened in 1789 and required frequent maintenance. The stone portals at either end are listed buildings. Boats passed through by legging until 1911. The canal was abandoned by 1933 and subsequent roof falls mean that it is no longer navigable. Cotswold Canals Trust have proposed restoration.

Cirencester Deer Park School

Cirencester Deer Park School is a secondary school with academy status in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. It is at the top of Tetbury Hill, an area which had been the site of a World War II American Army Hospital, in Cirencester Park.