Flow data.
Mean flow 14.7 cumecs; high flow exceeded 10% of the time 39.9 cumecs; low flow exceeded 95% of the time 0.87 cumecs
Maps
Map: Farmoor Reservoir Intake
Water Intake, Right bank.
Site of Skinner’s Weir
Left bank by reservoir intake - Site of Skinner’s Weir (also Langley’s Weir ["Ware"], & Brookin’s Weir)
1746: Langley Weir on Griffith’s map.
1761: there may have been a mill on the right bank, here or near.
[Fred Thacker's Map shows a former Mill on the left bank.]
1794: Boydell –
On a small island, planted with fruit trees, a thatched cottage offers repose and refreshment.
1794: Langley Ware, Boydell’s History of the Thames -
Langley Ware. June 1, 1793. J. Farington R.A. delt.
J.C. Stadler sculpt.
(Published) by
J. & J. Boydell, Shakespeare Gally. Pall Mall
& (No. 90) Cheapside (London).
1860: Skinner's Weir, Henry Taunt showing Joe Skinner.
Skinner's Weir, Henry Taunt showing Joe Skinner, 1860
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT01155
Taunt -
This is one of the new gallows bridges which have taken the place of the old weirs.
The old weir (Skinner’s) was one of those
picturesque places that artists love. It
had been in the possession from father to son for a long number of years.
It was a little inn; and the last landlord, Joe Skinner,
was one of the best-hearted, quaintest fellows that ever lived.
He was original in the highest degree, and it
was a rich treat to spend an evening with him and listen to his talk of havoc
wrought among the wild ducks, with his stalking horse and tremendous duck gun,
or his curious remarks on someone who had been there, and, not
understanding him, had rubbed old Joe the wrong way of the wool,
getting perhaps a rough setting down.
This is all swept away by the march of improvement:
the old cottages, the tumbledown weir, and old Joe are all gone,
and the place entirely lone and deserted.
A sketch of the interior of Joe Skinner's Cottage, Taunt -
A sketch of the interior of Joe Skinner's Cottage, Taunt
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; D251567a
1859: The Royal River -
... Langley, or Ridge's Weir ... of the very simplest kind ... performs its service
independently of a lock.
The object of this simple form of weir is to dam the river to the required height
for such purposes as mill heads or navigation.
The business is accomplished by the working of flood gates or paddles in grooves,
and between rymers, to the sill at the bottom.
In winter there may be a swift stream through the weirs, but, the weir paddles being
withdrawn, there is very little fall.
Shooting the weir stream - one of the adventurous feats of the upper navigation -
is an amusement unknown below Oxford, and at times it is not without its risks.
[See also Ark's Weir to which this passage also refers]
1876: The Fish Inn at Langley’s Weir.
1880: The weir very
dilapidated. In July it gave way, and
its maintenance seemed of doubtful utility.
1920: Fred Thatcher -
A white footbridge now crosses the narrow neck of water streaming and dimpling over the old weir site. The pool is perhaps the finest and broadest above Oxford; and was for long an important reservoir for flashes. At its lower end is the little heart shaped island, with a tiny laybye at its head facing the bridge. I saw nothing on it but a heap of gravel and a tree or two not of the orchard variety. Only the right bank channel is now easily navigable: a modern cut made or improved 1896-1899. The house and mill and fruit trees are all gone; but the downstream view from the bridge, on a clear sunlit morning, across the island to Wytham and Beacon Hills, is an abiding and refreshing joy to the memory.
Site of former Skinner's Bridge
Skinners Bridge is shown on Fred Thacker's map. I think Fred implies that the
former bridge was on the site of the former weir.
Mollie Harris says this bridge 'disappeared when some over-enthusiastic
Oxford undergraduates burned it down.'
1962-1967: Farmoor Reservoir phase 1 was completed (right bank).
1995: Farmoor Reservoir development continues with the new advanced
water treatment works completed in 1995.
The reservoir is supplied by water from the Thames.
Farmoor 2 is intended to be able to
supplement the flow of the river in the summer and operates in conjunction with
the sewage treatment works at Swinford. At least 135 million litres of water
must pass Eynsham Lock each day. Average Farmoor/Swinford abstraction is 135
Ml/day. Current maximum output of treated water is 110Ml/d.
The details of the proposed new UTMRD, Upper Thames Major Resource Development Reservoir, south
of Abingdon, which will be three times the size of Farmoor, are in the
Culham Cut Footbridge
section (where its inlet/outlet tunnel reaches the river).
(Upstream to Stanton Harcourt)
Introduction
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
Rose Revived
Newbridge
Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS