Editing River Stour, Kent (section)

==History==
[[Image:Canterbury - Klein-Venedig am Stour.jpg|thumb|upright|A branch of the Great Stour in Canterbury city centre]]
In Roman and medieval times, the river was an important highway, connecting Canterbury with the Continent. Fordwich became important to shipping after the silting up of the southern entrance to the [[English Channel]].

In 1831 Joseph Priestley wrote his ''Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways''.<ref>{{cite book | first = Priestley | last = Joseph | title = Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain | year = 1831 | publisher = Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green | location = London | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_eUqIucVmZjwC/page/n147 131]–137 | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_eUqIucVmZjwC| quote = river stour priestley 1831. | access-date = 15 March 2010 }}</ref> In it he described in one section the "Canterbury Navigation, or River Stour". He includes an account of its course and the improvements being carried out at that time to assist navigation, and details of new port facilities.