England's Historic Seascapes: Liverpool Bay Pilot Area
Wessex Archaeology, 2006. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000010. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Historic England unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Wessex Archaeology
Portway House
Old Sarum Park
Salisbury
SP4 6EB
UK
Tel: 01722 326867
Fax: 01722 337562
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 745
- ALSF Project Number: 3783
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000010
- How to cite using this DOI
England's Historic Seascapes: Liverpool Bay Pilot Area
ALSF Project Number 3783
Wessex Archaeology, 2006
River Ribble Character Area
| River Ribble: background text | Sensitivity: impact assessment |
| Tributaries: images | Multimedia: movies & panorama |
Present Day Form
The River Ribble character area consists of the broadest part of the tidal river, bounded on either bank by expanses of salt marsh, and including tributaries like the Douglas and Dow. The area extends to the mouth of the river where it opens into Liverpool Bay through the wide expanses of mud and sand flats to Gut Channel, and including the largely silted South Gut and Penfold Channels. Much of the navigable part of the river is bounded by training banks, built in the 19th century, but the sand and mud banks of the outer river estuary can dry out in places at low water to a considerable height above chart datum.
The natural course of the river has been altered significantly by man and recently the maintenance of the training walls and channel dredging of the river has been abandoned (Covey, 1998; 35). Therefore there is some possibility that the present configuration of the channels and banks in the area could change, as the effects of this take hold (Ribble Estuary Shoreline Management Plan Partnership, 1998; 177).
The habitat is largely estuarine tending towards fine sediment plains as the river merges with the sea. The tidal range is high which can affect deposition and erosion of estuarine deposits in the area, over quite a short time period. The bed of the river consists of sandstone, covered by glacial boulder-clay deposits up to 50 metres thick. The surface deposits are largely sand with mud in the higher tidal flats (Williams, 2004).
Sea Use: present
The navigable channels into the Ribble have largely silted up and Reed's Nautical Almanac notes that the best water for approaching the Ribble is now South Gut rather than the main Gut Channel which leads to the entrained river (Featherstone & Lambie, 2004; 547). Small vessels can now approach the river via a gap in the southern training wall. It also noted that the channel is liable to shift and cannot be navigated at low water.
The river is predominantly used by yachtsmen, narrowboat users and other recreational boat users like canoeists. The high tidal range on the Ribble is indicated by drying of the navigable area at low tide and safe access to the River is available only at half or high tides. There are small boatyards on the Dow and Douglas and small craft moorings at Lytham creek, off the main channel of the river. Fishing is popular along the river and the local salmon fishing industry is very profitable (Davis & Rees, 2004; 1). The wide expanses of salt marsh along the river, and its protected status, provide a sanctuary for many birds and bird watching is a popular pastime along the river.
Some commercial fishing activity occurs in river channel areas exploiting brown shrimp and cockles. The shrimp fishery varies in intensity in the area, and various methods are used from hand-push nets to nets towed by tractors, in some instances there are facilities for processing the catch on site (Covey, 1998; 36).
The surrounding land use of this part of the river comprises intensive agriculture and as a result the tributaries of the Ribble such as the Douglas, and associated channels and streams, have been straightened and deepened to promote faster drainage of the land (Davis & Rees, 2004; 3).
Sea Use: past
The appearance of the river and its channels and banks has undoubtedly changed substantially since the first inundation of the area around the Neolithic or Bronze Age. The river channel is likely to have been used from the earliest times to navigate inland. The discovery of two log boats of possible Bronze Age date during the construction of docks at Preston suggests that the coast was being used for transport during this period (Middleton, 1996; 46).
Information from Ptolemy's Geography suggests the area was used by the Setantii, a sub-tribe of the powerful Brigantes tribe known to have lived in Lancashire pre-Roman times. There is also some speculation that the Roman settlement at Kirkham may have been reached by tidal waters, providing a sea landing for the movement of goods and troops inland, via the Ribble, to the fortress at Ribchester (Buxton & Shotter, 1996; 88).
The Ribble lies on the route between Ireland the Isle of Man, and the Scandinavian settlements of the east coast of England, and it is likely to have been used by Viking settlers during this period (Newman, 1996; 95)
In the Britannica Curiosa of 1777, the Ribble is noted for abounding with 'salmon, cod-fish, flounders, turbots and plaice' and it would seem likely that the river was intensively fished by locals from this time, if not earlier (Anon. 1777; 97). In the 19th century efforts were made with the intention of developing Preston as a major port. The construction of the docks and training walls (both of which had been done on the Mersey) in that late 19th century were intended to keep the Ribble channel navigable for larger vessels travelling through to Preston, and several phases of training bank construction were undertaken between 1840 and 1910 (Williams, 2004). The construction of the training banks was opposed by the town of Southport as it was recognised that they could cause silting of the South Channel, important to Southport for the fishermen and excursion steamers that used Southport Pier (ibid).
Despite the approval of the central route and the brief success of Preston as the first roll-on-roll-off port, it was limited in the size of vessels it could accommodate in its docks. In 1980 the port closed and the maintenance of the central channel into the Port of Preston was abandoned. Today, the docks serve as a mooring place for small recreational craft, many of which access the Ribble through South Gut and Penfold Channels (ibid).
Archaeological Potential
There are a high range of casualties across the area (over 100) recorded between 1780 and 1943. There are four wrecks and obstructions within the area including a perch that marked the training wall of the Ribble. These finds represent material evidence of maritime traffic and trade in the area since the Post Medieval period. The small number of known wrecks may indicate the lack of more detailed survey.
As stated above, the sea-level change model produced from present day bathymetry suggests the Ribble channel was fully inundated by the Neolithic. This suggests that there may have been prehistoric land use between the Late Glacial and Mesolithic. The discovery of what may be Bronze Age dug-out canoes upstream in Preston may be evidence of use of the Ribble waterway from least this period.
The archaeological potential of the Ribble River waterway area depends largely on how the river has been affected by recent human activities. Until recently the River channel was dredged to provide safe access for vessels and the course of the river has been substantially canalised in the last two centuries. These practices militate against the likely survival of any remains within the confines of the Ribble River area except in some localised areas.
In summary, the Ribble River is very likely to have been used for transport and exploited for its other resources since prehistoric times and is a potentially rich source of archaeology, however, the alteration of the natural flow of the river, significant dredging and the construction of training banks may have destroyed much of the archaeological resource in the channels. The parts of the river and associated channels relatively undisturbed by these actions may contain hidden features such as land surfaces, or occupation evidence, beneath the river and estuarine sediments and possibly even artefacts such as boats or other stray finds (Lancashire County Council, 2000; 89). In addition, historic features such as jetties, quays and fishtraps offer opportunities for a greater understanding of the Ribble River area.
Character Perceptions
The River Ribble is perceived as an important river route for Lancashire. It is also noted as a dividing line between the north and south of the country with some seeing it as an important boundary both politically and culturally. It was a line demarcating Scottish and English control in the 12th Century, and also marks differences in dialect (Newman, 1996; 112). To the South of the Ribble settlements around Roman forts are given the suffix chester and to the north caster (ibid; 96). This represents one perception of the River; as a barrier or line across the land recognised by different groups.
The Ribble River may also be perceived as a route for transportation. However, the development of Preston as a port in the 19th and 20th centuries showed the limitations of the Ribble as a major economic waterway and the abandonment of the port and the discontinuance of the river dredging and training wall maintenance has now brought with it a new perception of the River; as channel for recreational craft, able to access the inland waterways of Lancashire.
The status of the River and the estuary as a protected area for wildfowl and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest reflects the perception of the area as an important natural habitat.
References
Anonymous, 1777, Britannia Curiosa: A description of
the most remarkable curiosities, natural and artificial of
the Island of Great Britain, Volume V, Fielding and
Walker, London
Buxton, K. & Shotter, D. 1996, 'The Roman
Period', Newman, R. (ed.), The Archaeology of
Lancashire: Present State and Future Priorities, pp.
75-92, Lancaster University Archaeology Unit, Lancaster
Covey, R. 1998, Marine Nature Conservation Review
Sector II. Liverpool Bay and the Solway Firth: Area
Summaries, Joint Nature Conservation Committee,
Peterborough
Curtis, B. 1986, Fleetwood: A Town is Born,
Terence Dalton Ltd., Lavenham.
Davis, M. Rees, Y. November 2004, Public Participation
in the Ribble River Basin, Case study report
produced under Work package 5, HarmoniCOP Project,
November 2004
Featherstone, N. & Lambie, B. 2004, Reeds OKI
Nautical Almanac 2005, Adlard Coles, London
Lancashire County Council, 2000, A Landscape Strategy
for Lancashire, Landscape Character Assessment,
Environment Directorate, Lancashire County Council, Preston
Middleton, R. 1996, 'The Neolithic and Bronze
Age', Newman, R. (ed.), The Archaeology of
Lancashire: Present State and Future Priorities, pp.
35-60, Lancaster University Archaeology Unit, Lancaster
Newman, Rachel, 1996, 'The Dark Ages', Newman,
Richard, (ed.), The Archaeology of Lancashire: Present
State and Future Priorities, pp. 93-108, Lancaster
University Archaeology Unit, Lancaster
Newman, Richard, 1996, 'Medieval Rural
Settlement', Newman, R. (ed.), The Archaeology of
Lancashire: Present State and Future Priorities, pp.
109-124, Lancaster University Archaeology Unit, Lancaster
Ribble Estuary Shoreline Management Plan Partnership, 1998,
Shoreline Management Plan, Sub-Cell 11b: Formby Point
to Fleetwood, Stage 2 Volume 4, Blackpool Borough
Council, Blackpool
Williams, P. 2004, Process Monitoring Report 2000-2004,
Ribble Estuary Summary, Pamphlet, Sefton Council
