Editing River Parrett

{{Short description|River in Dorset and Somerset, England}}
{{Redirect|Parrett|the surname|Parrett (surname)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = River Parrett
| name_native        = 
| name_native_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Riverparrett.jpg
| image_size         = 301
| image_caption      = River Parrett near [[Burrowbridge]]
| map                = River Parrett map.png
| map_size           = 301
| map_caption        = Map of the river and major tributaries
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 301
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[England]]
| subdivision_type2  = Counties
| subdivision_name2  = [[Dorset]], [[Somerset]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = District
| subdivision_name4  = [[Somerset Levels]]
| subdivision_type5  = Towns and villages
| subdivision_name5  = [[Bridgwater]], [[Langport]], [[Cannington, Somerset|Cannington]], [[Combwich]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|37|mi|km|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Chiselborough]]
| discharge1_min     = {{Convert|2.5|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg     = {{Convert|67.45|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{Convert|6109|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = [[Chedington]]
| source1_location   = [[Dorset]], [[England]]
| source1_coordinates= {{Coord|50|50|48|N|2|43|58|W|type:river_region:GB-DOR|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = 
| mouth              = [[Bridgwater Bay]]
| mouth_location     = [[Burnham on Sea]], [[Sedgemoor]], [[Somerset]], [[England]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{Coord|51|13|45|N|3|00|31|W|type:river_region:GB-SOM|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = 
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{Convert|643|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left   = [[King's Sedgemoor Drain]], [[Cannington Brook]], [[River Yeo (South Somerset)|River Yeo]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Bridgwater and Taunton Canal]], [[River Tone]], [[River Isle]]
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}

The '''River Parrett''' flows through the counties of [[Dorset]] and [[Somerset]] in [[South West England]], from its [[River source|source]] in the Thorney Mills [[Spring (hydrology)|springs]] in the hills around [[Chedington]] in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the [[Somerset Levels]] to its mouth at [[Burnham-on-Sea]], into the [[Bridgwater Bay]] [[National nature reserves in England|nature reserve]] on the [[Bristol Channel]], the Parrett and its tributaries drain an area of {{convert|1700|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}&nbsp;– about 50&nbsp;per cent of Somerset's land area, with a population of 300,000.<ref name=eafloodplan>{{cite web|url=http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GESW1109BOUT-E-E.pdf|title=Parrett Catchment Flood Management Plan| first= Keith| last=Nursey|date=1 December 2009|publisher=Environment Agency|page=13|access-date=2 January 2010|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140328084622/http://cdn.environment-agency.gov.uk/gesw1109bout_e_e_13aeb8.pdf|archive-date=28 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=H. |first2=T. R. |last2=Nisbet |year=2007 |title=An assessment of the impact of floodplain woodland on flood flows |journal=Water and Environment Journal |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=114–126 |doi=10.1111/j.1747-6593.2006.00056.x|bibcode=2007WaEnJ..21..114T |s2cid=54619195 }}</ref>

The Parrett's main tributaries include the Rivers [[River Tone|Tone]], [[River Isle|Isle]], and [[River Yeo (South Somerset)|Yeo]], and the [[River Cary]] via the [[King's Sedgemoor Drain]]. The {{convert|37|mi|km|0|adj=on}} long river is tidal for {{convert|19|mi|km|0}} up to [[Oath, Somerset|Oath]]. Between [[Langport]] and [[Bridgwater]], the river falls only {{convert|1|ft/mi|m/km|1}}, so it is prone to frequent flooding in winter and during high tides. Many approaches have been tried since at least the medieval period to reduce the incidence and effect of floods and to drain the surrounding fields.

In [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] times, the river formed a boundary between [[Wessex]] and [[Dumnonia]]. It later served the [[Bridgwater#Port of Bridgwater|Port of Bridgwater]] and enabled cargoes to be transported inland. The arrival of the railways led to a decline in commercial shipping, and the only working docks are at [[Dunball]]. Human influence on the river has left a legacy of bridges and industrial artefacts. The Parrett along with its connected waterways and network of drains supports an ecosystem that includes several rare species of flora and fauna. The [[River Parrett Trail]] has been established along the banks of the river.

== Course ==
The River Parrett is {{convert|37|mi|km|0}} long, flowing roughly south to north from [[Dorset]] through Somerset. Its [[River source|source]] is in the Thorney Mills [[Spring (hydrology)|springs]] in the hills around [[Chedington]],<ref>{{harvnb|OS 193|2008|loc=section 48 05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=River Parrett|url=http://somersetrivers.org/index.php?module=Content&func=view&pid=19|publisher=Somerset Rivers |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909004707/http://somersetrivers.org/index.php?module=Content&func=view&pid=19 |archive-date= 9 September 2015}}</ref> {{convert|2.5|mi|km|0}} from that of the [[River Axe (Lyme Bay)|River Axe]], in nearby [[Beaminster]], which runs in the opposite direction to the [[English Channel]] at [[Axmouth]] in Devon. The two rivers give their names to Parrett and Axe Parish Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrettandaxe.org.uk/|title=Welcome to Parrett & Axe Parish Council|publisher=Parrett & Axe Parish Council |access-date=18 March 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211172258/http://www.parrettandaxe.org.uk/ |archive-date=11 December 2010}}</ref>

From its source, the Parrett runs north through [[South Perrott]] and under the [[West of England Main Line|Salisbury to Exeter railway line]] before passing to the west of [[North Perrott]] and [[Haselbury Plucknett]].<ref name=trail>''The River Parrett Trail&nbsp;– Following a river from source to mouth'', (1997), Tourism and Marketing Unit, South Somerset District Council</ref> It then runs through fields between [[Merriott]] to the west and [[West Chinnock]] and [[Chiselborough]] to the east. Passing under the [[A303 road]] to the east of [[South Petherton]], the river flows between [[East Lambrook]] and [[Bower Hinton]] west of [[Martock]] and then towards [[Kingsbury Episcopi]], through [[Thorney, Somerset|Thorney]] and [[Muchelney]], passing the remains of [[Muchelney Abbey]] before entering [[Langport]], which is about {{convert|10|mi|km}} north of Chiselborough. Below Thorney Bridge the river's banks have been raised to mitigate flooding.<ref name=trail/>

[[File:River Parrett.jpg|left|thumb|280px|Aerial view of the mouth of the River Parrett as it flows into [[Bridgwater Bay]]]]
The Parrett then flows northwest for approximately another {{convert|10|mi|km}} to Bridgwater through the [[Somerset Levels]] past [[Aller, Somerset|Aller]], close to the [[Aller and Beer Woods]] and [[Aller Hill]] [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI). The sluice gate (formerly a [[Canal lock|lock]] built in the late 1830s) at the [[deserted medieval village]] of Oath marks the river's [[Head of tide|tidal limit]].<ref name="eelodyssey"/><ref name="Paper by the Environment Agency">{{cite web|url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/council/board10/2005%20December%2013%20Item%205%20Environment%20Agency%20Paper.htm|title=Paper by the Environment Agency|work=Somerset County Council Scrutiny Committee |publisher=Somerset County Council |access-date=21 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717061438/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/council/board10/2005%20December%2013%20Item%205%20Environment%20Agency%20Paper.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="hadfield83-91">{{Harvnb|Hadfield|1967|pp=83–91}}</ref> The river then crosses [[Southlake Moor]]. The next major landmark along the river's course is [[Burrow Mump]], an ancient earthwork owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]].<ref name="curio">{{harvnb|Leete-Hodge|1985|p=82}}</ref> The river then arrives in [[Burrowbridge]], where the old pumping station building was once a museum.<ref name="curio"/> Flowing north, it passes [[Langmead and Weston Level]] SSSI,<ref>{{cite web|title=Langmead and Weston Level |work=Natural England |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1005918.pdf |access-date=17 August 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121442/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005918.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2006 }}</ref> and on past the land-drainage pumping station at [[Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum|Westonzoyland]].<ref name="westonpump">{{cite web |title=The Westonzoyland Pumping Station |url=http://www.wzlet.org/index.htm |publisher=Westonzoyland pumping station |access-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206152610/http://www.wzlet.org/index.htm |archive-date=6 February 2011 }}</ref>

Further downstream the river passes the village of [[Huntworth]] before flowing under the [[M5 motorway]] at Dunwear. As it enters Bridgwater it passes under Somerset and Hamp Bridges, and past [[Bridgwater Castle]], which had a tidal [[moat]] up to {{convert|65|ft|m|0}} wide in places, fed by water from the river.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgwater.net/Town/About_Town/History/bridgwater_castle.htm |title=Bridgwater Castle |publisher=Bridgwater.net |access-date=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515134201/http://www.bridgwater.net/Town/About_Town/History/bridgwater_castle.htm |archive-date=15 May 2008 }}</ref> From Bridgwater to the sea is approximately {{convert|6|mi|km}}. The [[King's Sedgemoor Drain]] empties into the River Parrett next to the wharf at Dunball; it enters via a [[Sluice|clyce]] (or clyse), which is a local word for a sluice. The clyce has been moved about {{convert|0.3|mi|m|sigfig=1}} downstream from its original position and now obstructs the entrance to the small harbour next to the wharf.<ref name="otter">{{harvnb|Otter|1994|pp=94–100}}</ref>

[[File:River Parrett near Pawlett.jpg|alt=River flowing around a bend with a muddy bank on the left. Beyond the river are white concrete block buildings and multiple electricity pylons.|thumb|The river near [[Pawlett]] showing [[Hinkley Point]] power stations [[Hinkley Point A nuclear power station|A]] and [[Hinkley Point B nuclear power station|B]]]]
The course of the river below Bridgwater is now somewhat straighter than in former times. The village of [[Combwich]] lies adjacent to a channel in the river known as "Combwich Reach"; from here the Parrett flows to the [[Bristol Channel]] past the [[Steart Peninsula]]. [[Cartography|Cartographic]] evidence indicates that in the early 18th century the peninsula was longer than at present.<ref name="mcdonnell">{{cite journal |editor=Bell, Martin |journal=Archaeology in the Severn Estuary: Annual Report |year=1995 |volume= 6 |publisher=Severn Estuary Levels Research Committee |last=McDonnell |first=Richard |title=Island evolution in Bridgwater bay and the Parrett Estuary: an historical geography |pages=71–83}}</ref> A "neck" started to form in the peninsula, and by 1802 the tip had broken off to form [[Stert Island]].<ref name="mcdonnell"/> Fenning Island also broke away but has rejoined the peninsula.<ref name="mcdonnell"/> Much of the peninsula's northern end eroded away or now exists as "islands" visible at low tide within an [[Intertidal zone|intertidal]] area of mud known as the Stert Flats.<ref name="mcdonnell"/>

The mouth at [[Burnham-on-Sea]] is a [[National nature reserves in England|nature reserve]] where the river flows into [[Bridgwater Bay]] on the Bristol Channel. In addition to the rivers Parrett, [[River Brue|Brue]] and [[Washford River|Washford]], several of the man-made drainage ditches, including the [[River Huntspill]] from the Somerset Levels, and the Cannington Brook from the "[[Pawlett, Somerset|Pawlett]] Hams", also discharge into the bay.<ref name=sssicitation/>

=== Flow and tidal bore ===
The Parrett has only one gauging station, at Chiselborough, fairly close to the source. It measures flow from the first {{convert|29|sqmi}} of the [[drainage basin]], or about 4.3&nbsp;per cent of the total. The mean flow measured by the [[Environment Agency]] at Chiselborough was {{convert|1.19|m3/s|cuft/s|order=flip}}, with a peak of {{convert|173|m3/s|cuft/s|order=flip}} on 30 May 1979 and a minimum of {{convert|0.07|m3/s|cuft/s|order=flip}} over a seven-day period in August 1976. Tributaries of the Parrett with gauging stations include the Yeo, Isle, Cary, and Tone.<ref name="hydoreg">{{harvnb|Marsh|Hannaford|2008|p=128}}</ref>

The lower Parrett has a fall of only {{convert|1|ft/mi|m/km|1}} between Langport and Bridgwater.<ref name="edpack">{{cite web|url=http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/90305/langport_and_river_parrett_education_pack.pdf |title=River Parrett Trail |access-date=11 May 2015  |work=Langport & River Parrett Visitor Centre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223181437/http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/90305/langport_and_river_parrett_education_pack.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> To the northeast of the River Parrett's mouth, the Bristol Channel becomes the [[Severn Estuary]], which has a [[tidal range]] of {{convert|14|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/barker_06_final_project_report.pdf |title=Managing Tidal Change Natasha Barker Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship Award 2006 Final Project Report |last=Barker |first=Natasha |date=March 2008 |work=Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship Award 2006 |publisher=Severn Estuary Partnership |pages=8 |access-date=8 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723014623/http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/barker_06_final_project_report.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> The rate and direction of flow of the Parrett is therefore dependent on the state of the tide on the [[River Severn]]. In common with the lower reaches of the River Severn, the Parrett experiences a [[tidal bore]]. Certain combinations of the tides funnel the rising water into a wave that travels upstream at about {{convert|6|mph|km/h|0}}, against the river's current.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgwatertowncouncil.gov.uk/history/river-and-shipping/the-docks/|last=Evans |first=Roger |title=The Docks |work=History |publisher=Bridgwater Somerset. info |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518095848/http://www.bridgwatertowncouncil.gov.uk/history/river-and-shipping/the-docks/ |archive-date=18 May 2015}}</ref>

===Hydrology and water quality===
Near the source at Chiselborough the typical level range for the depth of the river is {{convert|0.05|m}} to {{convert|0.63|m}} but has reached a maximum of {{convert|2.93|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=River Parrett at Chiselborough|url=http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3075|website=River and Sea Levels |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619203447/http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3075 |archive-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> The mean flow rate is {{convert|1.196|m3/s}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=52007 – Parrett at Chiselborough |url=http://www.ceh.ac.uk/data/nrfa/data/meanflow.html?52007 |publisher=Centre for Ecology and Hydrology |access-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619195737/http://www.ceh.ac.uk/data/nrfa/data/meanflow.html?52007 |archive-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> By the time it reaches Gaw Bridge the normal level range is {{convert|0.23|m}} to {{convert|0.97|m}} and a highest reading of {{convert|3.84|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=River Parrett at Gaw Bridge|url=http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3072|website=River and Sea Levels |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619204640/http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3072 |archive-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> At West Quay in Bridgwater where the river is tidal the highest astronomical tide level is {{convert|8.63|m}} above [[ordnance datum]] (AOD).<ref>{{cite web|title=River Parrett (Tidal) at West Quay|url=http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3067|website=River and Sea Levels |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619204128/http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/120716.aspx?stationId=3067 |archive-date=19 June 2015}}</ref>

For the purpose of water quality measurement, the river is divided into five water body areas by the [[Environment Agency]]. In 2015, both the area from the source to Broad River around Crewkerne and the area from Broad River to Lopen Brook are rated good for chemical quality and moderate for ecological quality.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett&nbsp;– headwaters to Broad River|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB108052015260|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett&nbsp;– Broad River to Lopen Bk|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB108052015321|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> The area from Lopen Brook to the River Isle, around Martock and South Petherton, is rated good for chemical quality, poor for ecological quality and poor overall.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett&nbsp;– Lopen Bk to R Isle|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB108052015360|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> From the River Isle to River Yeo around Muchelney, chemical quality is rated good, and ecology is rated moderate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett&nbsp;– R Isle to R Yeo|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB108052015370|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> The section around Langport to the West Sedgemoor Drain continues to rate good for chemical quality and moderate for ecological quality,<ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett&nbsp;– R Yeo to West Sedgemoor Drain|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB108052015470|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> as does the final area leading to Bridgwater Bay.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett|url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB540805210900|website=Catchment Data Explorer|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref>

== History ==
The origin of the name Parrett is unclear, but several derivations from the [[Celtic languages]] used in [[Wales]] have been suggested. Priestley-Evans suggests, "Parrett has been said to be a form of the [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''pared'', a partition, and that it was the name which the Welsh people of Somerset and Devon gave to that river because it was at one time the dividing line between themselves and the Saxons".<ref>{{harvnb|Priestley Evans|1931|p=6}}</ref> Another spelling, ''parwydydd'', is also translated as `partition'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geiriadur.net/index.php?page=ateb&term=parwydydd&direction=we&type=all&whichpart=exact |title=Department of Welsh |publisher=University of Wales, Lampeter |access-date=4 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064643/http://www.geiriadur.net/index.php?page=ateb&term=parwydydd&direction=we&type=all&whichpart=exact |archive-date= 6 June 2011 }}</ref> Another explanation from Welsh, ''Peraidd'', meaning ''the sweet or delicious river'', has also been suggested.<ref>{{harvnb|Arthur|1857|p=213}}</ref> An alternative explanation, based on Celtic, is a derivation from ''Pedair'' or ''Pedride'' from ''pedr'', meaning four and the [[Cornish language|Old Cornish]] ''Rit'' meaning `flow', which in this case would relate to the four flows or streams: the Tone, Yeo, Isle and Parrett.<ref name="crowden (1996)">{{harvnb|Crowden|1996|p=133}}</ref> This is based on the explanation given in Ekwall's 1928 book ''English River-Names''.<ref>{{harvnb|Ekwall|1928|pp=320–322}}</ref> Whichever derivation is correct, the name Parrett and its spelling variations have been in use since the [[Anglo-Saxon]] era, as evidenced by the addition of ''-tun'' onto river names as seen in the local towns [[North Petherton]] and South Petherton.<ref>{{harvnb|Costen|1992|p=37}}</ref> The spelling ''Pedred''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028058208/cu31924028058208_djvu.txt |title=The Place Names of Somerset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629080949/http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924028058208/cu31924028058208_djvu.txt |archive-date=29 June 2011 |first=JS |last=Hill |publisher=St. Stephen's printing works |location=Bristol |year=1914}}</ref> and ''Pedrida'' are also mentioned in connection with the Parrett.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/anglosaxonchroni02thoruoft/anglosaxonchroni02thoruoft_djvu.txt The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, according to several original authorities, Vol. II] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425085255/http://www.archive.org/stream/anglosaxonchroni02thoruoft/anglosaxonchroni02thoruoft_djvu.txt |date=25 April 2016 }} Edited & translated by B Thorpe, Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts, published 1861</ref> The Oxford Dictionary of British Place-Names states only that the name is a 'pre-English river-name of obscure origin'.<ref>A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Revised Edition, editor David Mills, {{ISBN|978-0-19-960908-6}}</ref>

=== Landscape ===
[[File:River Parrett north of Petherton Bridge.jpg|alt=Small water-filled ditch between grassy banks.|thumb|left|The river near the [[A303 road|A303]] at [[South Petherton]]]]
The River Parrett, the Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary are believed to have been used for riverine bulk transportation of people and supplies in Somerset under [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and later Anglo-Saxon and [[Norman dynasty|Norman]] occupation.<ref>{{harvnb|Leach|2001|pp=73–83}}</ref> Roman Somerset, which lasted for over 250&nbsp;years until around the beginning of the 5th century,<ref>{{harvnb|Page|1906|p=210}}</ref> had various settlements, including [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] (''[[Aquae Sulis]]''), [[Ilchester]] (''[[Lindinis]]'') and lead mines at [[Charterhouse Roman Town|Charterhouse]];<ref name="rajan">{{cite news|first=Amal |last=Rajan |title=Around a county in 40 facts: A (very) brief history of Somerset |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/around-a-county-in-40-facts-a-very-brief-history-of-somerset-462828.html |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=24 August 2007 |access-date=21 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214141911/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/around-a-county-in-40-facts-a-very-brief-history-of-somerset-462828.html |archive-date=14 February 2009 }}</ref> and four roads surrounding the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of two Roman ports on the Parrett. The port at Combwich, on the west bank, was ill-recorded before its destruction by quarrying and erosion. The other at Crandon Bridge on the east bank near where the current King's Sedgemoor Drain enters the Parrett,<ref name="rippon(1997)-53-55">{{Harvnb|Rippon|1997|pages=53–55}}</ref><ref name="rippon(2007)-8">{{harvnb|Rippon|2007|pp=207–227}}</ref> was in use between the first and the fourth centuries.<ref name="dunning-183">{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|page=183}}</ref> Evidence of an extensive site with storehouses was found in the mid-1970s, during motorway construction works.<ref name="rippon(1997)-53-55"/> The Crandon Bridge site may have been linked by a probable Roman road over the [[Polden Hills]] to the [[Fosse Way]], at Ilchester.<ref name="rippon(1997)-53-55"/><ref name="dunning-183"/><ref name="hollinrakes">{{harvnb|Hollinrake|Hollinrake|2007|pp=228–234}}</ref> Ilchester, the largest Roman town in Somerset, was a port with large [[Granary|granaries]], sited where the Fosse Way crossed the [[River Yeo (South Somerset)|Ilchester Yeo]] by means of a paved ford.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunning|1974|pages=179–203}}</ref> The Yeo was navigable by small craft all the way to the Parrett allowing military supplies to be brought by boat directly to Ilchester; however, disembarkation at Crandon Bridge and use of the Polden Hills roadway allowed more rapid movement to Ilchester. The Yeo may already have been straightened and [[canal]]ised before Roman occupation.<ref name="hollinrakes"/>

The Parrett was established as the border between the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of [[Wessex]] and the [[Britons (Celtic people)|Brythonic]] kingdom of [[Dumnonia]] in 658, following the Dumnonians' defeat at the [[Battle of Peonnum]] that year.<ref>{{harvnb|Stenton|1971|p=63}}</ref><ref name="Hawkins 1982 36">{{harvnb|Hawkins|1982|p=36}}</ref> This natural border endured for almost a century until further fighting between the Anglo-Saxons and Britons in the mid-8th century, when the border shifted west to its current location between the modern [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial counties]] of Somerset and [[Devon]].<ref>{{harvnb|Dunning|2002|pp=17–18}}</ref> It is thought a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]], usable only at low tide, crossed the river near its mouth, between Combwich and Pawlett (east bank). This crossing, at the western end of the Polden Hills, was known since Roman times and lay on the route of a Saxon ''[[herepath]]''.<ref name="dunning-73-75">{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|pp=73–75}}</ref> It was here, or in the immediate vicinity, that Hubba, the Danish raider, was defeated and killed by [[Odda, Ealdorman of Devon|Odda]] in 878.<ref name="robinson">{{harvnb|Robinson|1992|p=50}}</ref> In the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' Combwich was known as Comich, which means "the settlement by the water", from the Old English ''cumb'' and ''wic''. The ford was later replaced by a ferry, one of which was in operation from at least the 13th century.<ref name="dunning-73-75"/> In the 15th century the ferry was regarded as part of the ''King's Highway'', and both passengers and cattle were carried in the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="dunning-73-75"/><ref name="dunning-267-268">{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|pp=267–268}}</ref> Records of the joint [[Manorialism|Manorial]] ownership and costs of the ferry exist for 1589 and 1810.<ref name="dunning-267-268"/> The ''White House Inn'', a [[licensed victualler]] and part-owner of the ferry, traded on the Pawlett bank from 1655 to 1897; the building was retained as a farm dwelling for another 20&nbsp;years.<ref name="dunning-267-268"/> The Combwich river crossing, which was a main route until the 18th century, fell out of use due to [[turnpike trusts]] improving what were to become the [[A38 road|A38]] and [[A39 road]]s, and traffic went via Bridgwater; the former inn was demolished c.&nbsp;1930.<ref name="dunning-267-268"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Fitzhugh|1993|p=69}}</ref>

After the departure of the Romans, the low-lying Somerset Levels appear to have been abandoned, as the [[archaeological record]] shows that they were flooded and the former Roman landscape covered with a thick layer of [[Alluvium|alluvial]] deposits.<ref name="rippon-178">{{Harvnb|Rippon|1997|page=178}}</ref> Recovery of the levels involved both the construction of sea walls and the containment of the Parrett.<ref name="rippon-178"/> [[Celtic Christianity]] came to the remoter areas of the Somerset Levels, making use of "island" sites. [[Glastonbury Abbey]], possibly founded in the 7th century (or earlier), was nearby and had undertaken extensive water management to enable it to bring materials by boat to Glastonbury, albeit not via the Parrett. Muchelney Abbey, founded in the mid-8th century,<ref name="williams-2">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=6–24}}</ref> was sited at the confluence of the Parrett and its tributaries, the rivers [[River Isle|Isle]] and Yeo; and [[Athelney Abbey]] lay on another tributary, the [[River Tone]].<ref name="hollinrakes"/> These three abbeys together with the [[Bishop of Bath and Wells]] were major landowners with fishing and [[Riparian zone|riparian]] rights, often conflicting, on these rivers. They gained financially from improvements to land and waterways due to the resulting greater fertility of their lands and the increased [[renting|rents]] that they were able to charge their tenants.<ref name="hollinrakes"/><ref name="williams-3"/>

[[File:Southlakemoor.jpg|alt=Photograph from elevation of flooded river flowing between snow-covered fields. Hills in the distance.|thumb|right|The flooded [[Southlake Moor]] in the winter of 1985]]

Continuing land reclamation and control of the Parrett was a long-running cycle of neglect followed by improvement. Work was carried out on the upper River Parrett basin in the [[Middle Ages]] by Glastonbury Abbey.<ref name="williams-3">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=25–81}}</ref> Abbot Michael's survey of 1234 showed {{convert|722|acre}} of [[meadow]] recovered around the "island" of Sowy; from the accounts in the Abbey's rent books, this had increased to {{convert|972|acre}} by 1240.<ref name="williams-3"/> Flooding of adjacent moor land was partially addressed in the 13th century by building a number of embankment walls to contain the Parrett. These included Southlake Wall, Burrow Wall and Lake Wall.<ref name="williams-3"/> The River Tone was also diverted by the Abbot of Athelney and other land owners into a new embanked channel, joining the Parrett upstream from its original confluence.<ref name="hollinrakes"/><ref name="williams-3"/> After the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolution of the monasteries]] in the 16th century, much of the former abbey lands came under the control of the Crown, particularly [[King's Sedgemoor]], which had been wholly owned by Glastonbury Abbey, with [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI's]] Courts of Sewers made responsible for maintaining existing drainage and various Commissions made responsible for land improvements.<ref name="williams-4"/> Further reclamation work was carried out over the next 500&nbsp;years. In 1597, {{convert|50|acre}} of land were recovered near the Parrett estuary; a few years later {{convert|140|acre}} near Pawlett were recovered by means of embankments; three further reclamations, totalling {{convert|110|acre}}, were undertaken downstream of Bridgwater by 1660.<ref name="williams-4">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=82–122}}</ref> Kings [[James VI and I|James I]], [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], and [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] continued to improve King's Sedgemoor.<ref name="williams-4"/>

[[File:Westonzoylandpumpingstation.jpg|alt=Red brick building with tall chimney.|left|thumb|[[Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum]]]]

Attempts were also made to improve navigation on the lower river. Between 1677 and 1678, Sir John Moulton cut a new channel at "Vikings Creek" on the Horsey Levels to remove a large [[meander]]; the old river bed soon silted up, providing {{convert|120|acre}} of new land.<ref name="williams-4"/><ref name="dunning-252">{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|page=252}}</ref> A further scheme was proposed in 1723 to improve navigation, shorten the journey time for boats, and recover land by obtaining an [[act of Parliament]]{{which|date=February 2025}} to make an artificial cut across the Steart Peninsula.<ref name="williams-4"/> Eventually, after much debate, the cut was not made due to lack of land owner support and concerns over costs and risks.<ref name="williams-4"/> The [[English Civil War]] put a stop to most reclamation work; however, in 1764 a [[clyse]] was built at [[Dunball]] to contain tidal influences on a run-off stream near King's Sedgemoor.<ref name="williams-4"/> Extensive land recovery was undertaken in the Somerset Levels by land owners between 1770 and the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] in 1815, as part of a general scheme of [[British Agricultural Revolution|agricultural improvements]],<ref name="williams-5">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=123–168}}</ref> including improvements to the Brue Valley and to King's Sedgemoor.<ref name="williams-5"/> The latter involved the connection of various drainage schemes into a new hand-dug channel connected to the clyse at Dunball&nbsp;– the King's Sedgemoor Drain.<ref name="williams-5"/> Further drainage improvements were needed in the 19th century, which involved the use of mechanical [[Beam engine|pumping engines]], originally steam powered but later powered by electricity.<ref name="williams-7">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=197–236}}</ref> In January 1940, further improvements were funded by the [[Ministry of Supply]], during the Second World War, as "Priority War Work" during the construction of [[Royal Ordnance Factory]] (ROF) [[ROF Bridgwater|Bridgwater]]. This involved doubling the width of the King's Sedgemoor Drain at its western end and the excavation of the [[River Huntspill]]. In the longer-term this provided a drain for the Brue valley, but in war-time the scheme provided a guaranteed daily supply of {{convert|4500000|impgal|m3}} of water for the ROF.<ref name="williams-8">{{Harvnb|Williams|1970|pp=237–260}}</ref>

The town of [[Bridgwater]], from ''Brigewaltier'' (place at) the bridge held by [[Walter of Douai]],<ref>{{harvnb|Mills|1998|p=54}}</ref> or alternatively "Brugie" from Old English ''brycg'' meaning gang plank between ships, or from [[Old Norse]] ''brygja'' meaning quay,<ref>{{harvnb|Dunning|1992b|p=4}}</ref> was founded as a new [[borough]] about 1200; it had a castle and a market and became a port in its own right.<ref name="rippon-234-237">{{Harvnb|Rippon|1997|pages=234–237}}</ref> It was the major port for Somerset which, around the [[Quantock Hills|Quantocks]], the [[Brendon Hills]] and the Tone valley, was mainly agricultural, producing [[arable land|arable]] crops and vegetables to supply the new industrial towns.<ref name="Hussey-4-5">{{Harvnb|Hussey|2000|pages=4–5}}</ref> Combwich was the traditional River Parrett [[Maritime pilot|pilots']] harbour from at least the 14th century.<ref name="rippon-234-237"/><ref name="Hussey-10">{{Harvnb|Hussey|2000|page=10}}</ref> It also served as a port for the export of local produce and, from the 15th century, the import of timber. Until the late 1930s, when the creek silted up, coastal shipping served Combwich's local brick and coal yard.<ref name="somharbours-117-118">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|pages=117–118}}</ref>

In the medieval era the river was used to transport [[Hamstone]] from the quarry at [[Ham Hill, Somerset|Ham Hill]] for the construction of churches throughout the county.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gerrard |first=Christopher M. |year=1985 |title=Ham Hill Stone: A medieval distribution pattern from Somerset |journal=Oxford Journal of Archaeology |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=105–116 |doi= 10.1111/j.1468-0092.1985.tb00234.x }}</ref> Later, in the 19th century, coal from south Wales, for heating, [[Bath brick]]s, bricks and [[tile]]s would be carried.<ref name="farr-111-112">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|pages=111–112}}</ref> Brick making, which had been carried out intermittently in Bridgwater from the 17th century, by the late 18th century had expanded into an industry based on permanent brickyards in the Bridgwater area adjacent to the Parrett.<ref name="murless-5-13">{{harvnb|Murless|2000|pages=5–13}}</ref> The brick and tile industry made use of the local alluvial clays and the Parrett's coastal trade, using [[ketch]]es mostly based at Bridgwater to transport their products, which were heavy and bulky, and to bring in coal to heat the [[kiln]]s.<ref name="murless-5-13"/> The 19th century [[Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]] opened up mass markets leading to further expansion of the industry, particularly beginning in 1850 when the duty (tax) on bricks was abolished.<ref name="murless-5-13"/> Brick and tile works, making use of river transport, were opened in the 1840s and 1850s south of Bridgwater at North Petherton and Dunwear, in Bridgwater itself, and downstream at Chilton Trinity, Combwich, [[Puriton]] and Pawlett.<ref name="murless-5-13"/><ref name="waite">{{harvnb|Waite|1964|p=118}}</ref> Numerous brickworks were also opened elsewhere in Somerset, but many of them used the railways to transport their products; some 264 sites are listed in the Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society's ''Gazetteer of sites''.<ref name="murless-g">{{harvnb|Murless|2000|pages=32–54}}</ref> Silt was also dredged from the river over a {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch between Somerset Bridge and Castle Fields, Bridgwater, to make Bath bricks, an early abrasive cleaning material patented in 1827.<ref name="Hawkins 1982 36"/><ref name="murless-13">{{harvnb|Murless|2000|page=13}}</ref>

=== Port of Bridgwater ===
{{main|Port of Bridgwater}}
[[File:Bridgwater Town Bridge.jpg|alt=Metal bridge over the river. In the background are coloured houses and several trees.|thumb|Bridgwater Town Bridge]]
Bridgwater was part of the [[Port of Bristol]] until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348, covering {{convert|80|mi|km}} of the Somerset coast line, from the Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe.<ref name=lawrence-8>Lawrence, J.F. (revised and completed by Lawrence, J.C.) (2005). ''A History of Bridgwater''. Chichester: Phillimore. {{ISBN|1-86077-363-X}}. Chapter 8: "The Medieval Port of Bridgwater".</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=104}}</ref> Under an 1845 act of Parliament{{which|date=February 2025}} the Port of Bridgwater extends from [[Brean Down]] to [[Hinkley Point]] in Bridgwater Bay, and includes parts of the River Parrett (to Bridgwater), River Brue and the River Axe.<ref name="port"/>

Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater, where a span crossed the river from 1200 AD onwards.<ref name=dunning-193>{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|p=193}}</ref> [[Wharf|Quay]]s were built at Bridgwater in 1424, with another quay, the ''Langport slip'', being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge.<ref name=dunning-193/> A [[custom house]] was sited at Bridgwater, on West Quay, and a [[dry dock]], launching slips and a boat yard on East Quay.<ref>{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=102}}</ref><ref name="farr-113">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=113}}</ref> Bridgwater built some 167 ships, the last one being the ''Irene'' launched in 1907.<ref name="farr-113"/>

The river was navigable, with care, to Bridgwater Town Bridge by {{convert|400|to|500|tonne|LT|adj=on}} vessels.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fitzhugh|1993|pp=6–7}}</ref> By trans-shipping goods into barges at the Town Bridge, the Parrett was navigable as far as Langport and (via the River Yeo) to Ilchester. After 1827, it was also possible to transport goods to [[Taunton]] via the [[Bridgwater and Taunton Canal]] at Huntworth.<ref>{{harvnb|Hawkins|1982|p=52}}</ref> A [[floating dock (impounded)|floating harbour]], known as the "docks", was constructed between 1837 and 1841, and the canal was extended through Bridgwater to the floating harbour.{{harvnb|Lawrence|Lawrence|2005|pages=157–158}} The dock area contained [[flour mill]]s, timber yards and [[Ship-chandler|chandlers]].<ref name="Lawrence 2005 pages=157–158">{{harvnb|Lawrence|Lawrence|2005|pages=157–158}}</ref>

Shipping to Bridgwater expanded with the construction of the docks, which opened on 25 March 1841,<ref>{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=110}}</ref> and reached a peak in the 19th century between 1880 and 1885, with an average of 3,600 ships per year entering the port.<ref name="Lawrence 2005 pages=157–158"/> Peak [[tonnage]] occurred in 1857, with 142 vessels totaling {{convert|17800|tonne|LT}}.<ref name="farr-109">{{harvnb|Farr|1954|page=109}}</ref> In the short term, the opening of the docks increased the profitability of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, which carried {{convert|81650|tonne|LT}} of cargo in 1840.<ref name="Lawrence 2005 pages=157–158"/> This peaked in 1847 at {{convert|88000|tonne|LT}} of cargo; however, by the mid-1850s the canal was bankrupt due to competition from the railways.<ref name="Lawrence 2005 pages=157–158"/>

Combwich Pill, a small creek near the mouth of the river, had been used for shipping since the 14th century. From the 1830s, with the development of the brick and tile industry in the Combwich area, the wharf was used by two local brickyards to import coal and export tiles to Wales and parts of Gloucestershire.<ref name=dunning-86>{{Harvnb|Dunning|1992|p=86}}</ref> This traffic ceased in the 1930s; in the late 1950s the wharf was taken over and upgraded by the [[Central Electricity Generating Board]] (CEGB) to bring in heavy materials for the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations.<ref name=dunning-86/> Construction of [[Hinkley Point A nuclear power station]] was ordered in 1957, with a scheduled completion date of 1960, but was not completed until 1965.<ref name="hannah-243">{{Harvnb|Hannah|1982|p=243}}</ref> This was followed by [[Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station|Hinkley Point B nuclear power station]], which began operation in 1976.<ref name="hannah-284-285">{{Harvnb|Hannah|1982|pp=284–285}}</ref> It is proposed to use the wharf again for the construction of [[Hinkley Point C nuclear power station|Hinkley Point C]].{{sfn|Body|Gallop|2015|p=92}}

[[File:Dunball Wharf.jpg|alt=A cargo boat moored at a wharf with cranes and others machines. To the right is a metal gate opening to the water which flows past the boat.|thumb|left|Dunball Wharf. To the right is Dunball clyce where the [[King's Sedgemoor Drain]] flows into the River Parrett.]]
Dunball wharf was built in 1844 by Bridgwater coal merchants,<ref name="somharbours-116">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=116}}</ref> and was linked to the [[Bristol and Exeter Railway]] by a rail track which crossed the A38. The link was built in 1876, also by coal merchants, and was originally operated as a horse-drawn [[tramway (industrial)|tramway]]. In 1875, the local landowner built The Dunball Steam Pottery & Brick & Tile Works adjacent to the wharf.<ref name="murless-11-38">{{harvnb|Murless|2000|pages=11&nbsp;&&nbsp;38}}</ref>

The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, which had been bought out by the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1866 and later passed into the control of the [[Great Western Railway]] had, by the beginning of the First World War, fallen into disrepair due to lack of trade. This trade, particularly the Wales-Somerset traffic after the opening of the [[Severn Tunnel]] in 1886, had been lost to the railways; the canal continued to be used as a source of water.<ref name= haskell-ch-9>{{Harvnb |Haskell|2007| pages=154–188}}</ref> In the mid-1950s, the Port of Bridgwater was importing some {{convert|80050|to|106800|tonne|LT}} of cargo, mainly sand and coal by tonnage, followed by timber and flour.<ref name="somharbours-114">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=114}}</ref> It was also exporting some {{convert|7300|tonne|LT}} of bricks and tiles.<ref name="somharbours-114"/> By then, Bridgwater's brick and tile industry was in terminal decline. In the 1960s, [[British Rail]], the owner of the docks, which were limited by the size of its locks to boats of maximum size {{convert|180|by|31|ft}},<ref name="somharbours-115">{{Harvnb|Farr|1954|p=115}}</ref> decided that they were commercially non-viable.<ref name= haskell-198-199>{{Harvnb|Haskell|2007| pages=198–199}}</ref> British Railways offered to sell the docks to any buyer; however, there were no takers, so the docks were closed to river traffic.<ref name= haskell-198-199/>

Although ships no longer dock in the town of Bridgwater, {{convert|90213|tonne|ST}} of cargo were handled within the port authority's area in 2006, most of which was stone products via the wharf at Dunball.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3078&p=0 |title=Port of Bridgwater Trade Figures&nbsp;– 2006 |publisher=Sedgemoor Council |access-date=12 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235140/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3078&p=0 |archive-date=3 June 2011}}</ref> It is no longer linked to the railway system. The link was removed in the 1960s as part of the railway closures following the [[Beeching cuts|Beeching Report]]. [[Dunball railway station]], which had opened in 1873, was closed to both passengers and goods in 1964.<ref name="oakley">{{harvnb|Oakley|2002|p=54}}</ref> All traces of the station, other than "Station Road", have been removed. The wharf is now used for landing stone products, mainly marine sand and gravels dredged in the Bristol Channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=2825&p=0 |title=Port waste management plan 2007 |year=2007 |publisher=Port of Bridgwater |access-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622003110/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=2825&p=0 |archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref> Marine sand and gravel accounted for {{convert|55754|tonne|ST}} of the total tonnage of {{convert|90213|tonne|LT}} using the Port facilities in 2006, with salt products accounting for {{convert|21170|tonne|LT}} in the same year,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3078&p=0 |title=Port of Bridgwater Trade Figures, 2006 |publisher=Sedgemoor District Council |access-date=22 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235140/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3078&p=0 |archive-date=3 June 2011}}</ref> while the roll-on roll-off berth at Combwich is used occasionally for the transfer of heavy goods for the two existing Hinkley Point nuclear power stations. With the possible future construction of the two [[Hinkley Point C nuclear power station]]s by [[EDF Energy]], it is proposed that Combwich wharf be employed to transfer heavy goods to the sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hinkleypoint.edfconsultation.info/websitefiles/PPS_SW_3031_EDF_HINK_POINT_PROPOSAL_SUM_Final.pdf |title=Hinkley Point C Proposed Nuclear Development: Initial Proposals and Options Summary Document November 2009 |pages=6–7  |publisher=EDF energy |date=November 2009 |access-date=31 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218104043/http://hinkleypoint.edfenergyconsultation.info/websitefiles/PPS_SW_3031_EDF_HINK_POINT_PROPOSAL_SUM_Final.pdf|archive-date=18 February 2012 }}</ref> Combwich Pill is the only site where recreational moorings are available in the estuary.<ref name="port"/>

[[Sedgemoor|Sedgemoor District Council]] acts as the Competent Harbour Authority for the port, and has provided pilotage services for all boats over {{convert|98|ft|m|0}} using the river since 1998, when it took over the service from [[Trinity House]]. Pilotage is important because of the constant changes in the navigable channel resulting from the large tidal range, which can exceed {{convert|39|ft|m|1}} on spring tides. Most commercial shipping travels upriver as far as Dunball wharf, which handles bulk cargoes.<ref name="port">{{cite web|url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2392|title=Facts on the Port of Bridgwater|publisher=Sedgemoor District Council|access-date=22 December 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071024055019/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2392| archive-date = 24 October 2007}}</ref>

=== Parrett Navigation ===
{{River Parrett map}}

The Parrett Navigation was a series of improvements to the river to allow increased boat traffic between Burrowbridge and Thorney. The work, done in the 1830s and 1840s, was made mostly obsolete by the coming of railways in 1853, though some aspects survive to this day.

==== Background ====
Trade on the river upstream of Bridgwater had developed during the 18th century, with {{convert|20|LT|ST|adj=on}} barges operating between Bridgwater and Langport, while smaller barges carrying {{convert|6|to|7|long ton}} operated on the upper reaches between Langport and Thorney, and along the River Yeo to Long Load Bridge and Ilchester.<ref name="body3-4">{{Harvnb|Body|Gallop|2006|pp=3–4}}</ref> The channel below the junction with the [[River Tone]] had been improved as a result of Acts of Parliament passed in 1699 and 1707, "for making and keeping the River Tone navigable from Bridgewater to Taunton", and a third act with a similar purpose was passed in 1804.<ref name=priestley638>{{harvnb|Priestley|1969|p=638}}</ref> Traffic on the higher reaches was hindered by [[shoal]]s in the river and by the Great Bow Bridge at Langport, which consisted on nine small arches, none of them big enough for navigation. All cargoes heading upstream had to be off-loaded from the bigger barges, carried to the other side of the bridge, and reloaded into the smaller barges. Traffic above Langport was sporadic, as the water levels were often inadequate, forcing boats to wait several days for the right conditions before proceeding.<ref name=body10-12>{{Harvnb|Body|Gallop|2006|pp=10–12}}</ref>

The abortive [[Ivelchester and Langport Navigation]] scheme had sought to avoid the Great Bow Bridge by making the Portlake Rhine navigable, rebuilding Little Bow Bridge in the centre of Langport, and making a new cut to Bicknell's Bridge. Seven locks, each with a small rise, were planned, but the scheme foundered in 1797 due to financial difficulties.<ref name="body13-15"/> After the cessation of hostilities with France at the beginning of the 19th century, there was renewed interest in canal building in Somerset; the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal was authorised in 1824,<ref name=priestley093>{{harvnb|Priestley|1969|p=93}}</ref> the [[Glastonbury Canal]] in 1827,<ref>{{harvnb|Dunning|2002|pp=100–101}}</ref> and the [[Chard Canal]] in 1834.<ref name="hadfield66-71">{{Harvnb|Hadfield|1967|pp=66–71}}</ref>

When the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal was opened in 1827, it joined the Parrett by a lock at Huntworth, where a [[Canal basin|basin]] was constructed, but in 1841 the canal was extended to the new floating harbour in Bridgwater, and the Huntworth link was filled in.<ref name="hadfield55-56">{{Harvnb|Hadfield|1967|pp=55–56}}</ref> The canal and river were not re-connected at this point when the canal was restored,<ref>{{harvnb|OS-Nicholson|2003|p=30}}</ref> because the tidal Parrett, at Huntworth, is a [[Brackish water|salt water]] river laden with silt whereas the canal contains [[fresh water]]. Not only is there a risk of silt entering the canal, but the salt water cannot be allowed to contaminate the fresh, as the canal is still used for the transport of [[drinking water]] for Bridgwater's population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wow4water.net/media/images/2007116111743.pdf|title=Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Information Pack|work=Wow4Water|publisher=British Waterways|pages=4|access-date=6 January 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218132658/http://www.wow4water.net/media/images/2007116111743.pdf|archive-date=18 February 2012}}</ref>

==== Construction ====
With the prospect of the Chard Canal in particular damaging trade on the Parrett, four traders from Langport including Vincent Stuckey and [[Walter Bagehot]], who together operated a river freight business, commissioned the engineer Joseph Jones to carry out a survey for the Parrett Navigation which was then put before Parliament. It was supported by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]] and a large quantity of documentary evidence. Objections from local landowners were handled by including clauses in the Parrett Navigation Act to ensure that surplus water would be channelled to the Long Sutton Catchwater Drain by culverts, siphons, and sluices, and the act of Parliament{{which|date=February 2025}} was passed on 4 July 1836.<ref name=body13-15/>

The Parrett Navigation Act allowed the proprietors, of whom 25 were named, to raise £10,500 in shares and £3,300 by mortgage, with which to make improvements to the river from Burrow Bridge to Langport, to reconstruct the restrictive bridge at Langport, and to continue the improvements as far as Thorney. The River Isle, which joined the Parrett at Muchelney, was to be improved for its first mile, and then the [[Westport Canal]] was to be constructed from there to [[Westport, Somerset|Westport]]. Locks were planned at Stanmoor, Langport, and Muchelney, with a half-lock at Thorney.<ref name="hadfield83-91"/> An extra lock was added at [[Oath, Somerset|Oath]], when tests revealed that the depth of water would not meet that specified in the act without it. Costs were considerably higher than expected, and a second act of Parliament{{which|date=February 2025}} was obtained in 1839, to allow an extra £20,000 to be raised.<ref name="hadfield83-91"/><ref name="body13-15">{{Harvnb|Body|Gallop|2006|pp=13–15}}</ref><ref name="body16-20">{{Harvnb|Body|Gallop|2006|pp=16–20}}</ref> The lock at Oath has since been replaced by a sluice gate to control flooding.<ref name="Paper by the Environment Agency"/>

The section below Langport opened on 28 October 1839; the section to Thorney and the Westport Canal were completed in August 1840.<ref name="hadfield83-91"/> The Langport Bridge was not finished until March 1841; of the £3,749 cost of construction, £500 came from the Langport Corporation and the rest was raised by a bridge toll operated from March 1841 until January 1843. The total cost of the works was £38,876, and no dividends were paid until 1853, as all profits were used to repay the loans which had been taken out. There are no records of traffic, but it has been estimated at {{convert|60000|to|70000|long ton}} per year, based on the toll receipts and the knowledge that the Stuckey and Bagehot boats carried about three-quarters of the total tonnage.<ref name=body16-20/>

==== Decline ====
The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened in late 1853, and the effects on the Parrett Navigation were immediate. Despite petitions from users of the Westport Canal to keep their section open for navigation, the Commissioners opted to abandon the entire navigation; the canal was maintained for drain purposes only.<ref name=russell-65-66>{{Harvnb|Russell|1971|pp=65–66}}</ref> Some boats continued to use the river to reach Langport and beyond until the early years of the 20th century.<ref name="hadfield83-91"/> There is still a public right of navigation as far as Oath Lock, but very few private boats use the river, largely due to the fierce tides in the estuary and a lack of moorings along its route.<ref>{{harvnb|OS-Nicholson|2003|p=25}}</ref>

In 2019, the town of Langport obtained a grant of £179,000 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] (Defra). With a contribution from the town council and other sources, over £200,000 was available to improve access to {{convert|7.6|mi|km}} of the river from Oath Lock to Thorney Bridge. The grant funded the construction of pontoons and access ramps, and improvements to the riverside pathway between Langport and Huish Bridge. The project covered {{convert|6.5|mi|km}} of the upper Parrett, together with {{convert|1|mi|km}} of the River Yeo and a tiny section of the River Isle.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Funding for River Parrett project |magazine=Waterways World |date=May 2019 |issn=0309-1422 |page=41}}</ref>{{sfn |Mead |2022 |p=78}} Langport councillor Ian Macnab launched a former ferry from Devon onto the upper Parrett on 5 July 2017, with a view to running it as a community boat. The launch of ''The Duchess of Cocklemoor'' was witnessed by over 200 local people,{{sfn |Mumby |2017}} and the vessel has since had its diesel engine replaced by a {{convert|1.5|kW|hp|abbr=on}} electric motor, powered by solar panels mounted on the roof.{{sfn |Mead |2022 |p=80}}

== Bridges and structures ==
Much of the history of the river is defined by its bridges, which are described here from mouth to source. The Drove Bridge, which marks the current extent of the Port of Bridgwater, is the nearest to the mouth and the newest road bridge to cross the river. With a span of {{convert|184|ft|m}}, the bridge was constructed as part of the Bridgwater Northern Distributor road scheme (1992), and provides a navigable channel which is {{convert|66|ft|m}} wide with {{convert|8.2|ft|m}} headroom at normal spring high tides.<ref name=DroveBridge>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1995/Uksi_19950270_en_3.htm#end|title=Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 270, NDR confirmation order|publisher=Office of Public Sector Information|access-date=22 December 2009}}</ref> Upstream of this is the [[retractable bridge|retractable]] or [[Telescopic Bridge, Bridgwater|Telescopic Bridge]], built in 1871 to the design of [[Sir Francis Fox]], the engineer for the Bristol and Exeter Railway. It carried a [[broad gauge]] (later [[standard gauge]]) railway siding over the river to the docks, and was movable, to allow boats to proceed up river. An {{convert|80|ft|m|adj=on}} section of railway track to the east of the bridge could be moved sideways, so that the main {{convert|127|ft|m|adj=on}} girders could be retracted, creating a navigable channel which was {{convert|78|ft|m}} wide.<ref name="otter"/> It was manually operated for the first eight months, and then powered by a steam engine, reverting to manual operation in 1913, when the steam engine failed. The bridge was last opened in 1953, and the traverser section was demolished in 1974, but public outcry at this resulted in the bridge being listed as a [[scheduled monument]], and the rest of the bridge was kept.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/11837|title=Rail bridge over River Parrett, Bridgwater|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record |publisher=Somerset County Council |access-date=21 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003092834/http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/11837 |archive-date= 3 October 2016}}</ref> It was later used as a road crossing, until the construction of the Chandos road bridge alongside it, and is now only used by pedestrians. Parts of the steam engine were moved to Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum in 1977.<ref name=otter/>

The next bridge is the Town Bridge. There has been a bridge here since the 13th century, when Bridgwater was granted a charter by [[John, King of England|King John]]. The present bridge was designed by R. C. Else and G. B. Laffan, and the {{convert|75|ft|m|adj=on}} [[cast iron]] structure was completed in 1883.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bridgewater |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18640 |volume=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6|last1=Dunning |first1=RW |first2=C R |last2=Elrington |first3=A P |last3=Baggs |first4=M C |last4=Siraut |year=1992 |publisher=British History Online; Victoria County History |access-date=21 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303083620/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18640 |archive-date= 3 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="ioetownbridge">{{NHLE|num=1187392 |desc=Town Bridge |access-date=21 December 2009 }}</ref> It replaced an earlier iron bridge, which was completed in 1797 and was the first cast iron bridge to be built in [[Somerset]].<ref name="ioetownbridge"/> The stone abutments of that bridge were reused for the later bridge, which was the only road crossing of the river in Bridgwater until 1958.<ref name=otter/> Above the bridge there were two shoals, called The Coals and The Stones, which were a hazard to barge traffic on the river, and [[wikt:bargee|bargees]] had to navigate the river at high tide, when there was enough water to carry them over these obstructions.<ref name="Haskell">{{Harvnb |Haskell|2007| p=108}}</ref> In March 1958 a new reinforced concrete road bridge, the Blake Bridge, was opened as part of a bypass to take traffic away from the centre of Bridgwater.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fitzhugh|1993|p=93}}</ref> It now carries the A38 and A39 roads. At the southern edge of Bridgwater is a bridge which carries the Bristol and Exeter Railway across the River Parrett. Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a brick bridge, known as the [[Bridgwater railway station#Somerset Bridge|Somerset Bridge]], with a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on}} span but a rise of just {{convert|12|ft|m|1}}. Work started in 1838 and was completed in 1841. Brunel left the centring scaffold in place, as the foundations were still settling, but had to remove it in 1843 to reopen the river for navigation. Brunel demolished the brick arch and replaced it with a timber arch within six months without interrupting the traffic on the railway. This was in turn replaced in 1904 by a steel girder bridge.<ref name=MacD>{{harvnb|MacDermot|1931|pp=135–137}}</ref> Slightly further east is a modern concrete bridge which carries the M5 motorway over both the river and the railway line. It was started in 1971 and opened in 1973.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18640|chapter=Bridgwater|last1=Dunning |first1=RW |first2=C R |last2=Elrington |first3=A P |last3=Baggs |first4=M C |last4=Siraut |year=1992 |title=A History of the County of Somerset |volume=6: ''Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and Neighbouring Parishes)'' |publisher=British History Online |access-date=11 February 2010 |isbn=0-7509-0192-6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303083620/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18640 |archive-date= 3 March 2010}}</ref>

Before 1826, the bridge at Burrowbridge, just below the junction with the River Tone, consisted of three arches, each only a little wider than the barges that used the river. They restricted the flow of water in times of flood and made navigation difficult. The bridge was highlighted in a report made by William Armstrong in 1824, as a factor which would prevent the River Tone Navigation competing with the new Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, then being built.<ref>{{Harvnb |Haskell|2007| p=32}}</ref> An act of Parliament{{which|date=February 2025}} was obtained in 1824 by the Turnpike Commissioners, authorising the construction of a new bridge and the removal of the old. A design for a {{convert|70|ft|m|adj=on}} single-span bridge in cast iron was dropped because of the cost of cast iron at the time, and instead a stone bridge was built, which was completed in 1826.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haskell|2007|p=110}}</ref><ref name="completesomerset">{{harvnb|Bush|1994|pp=65–66}}</ref> This is the longest single span masonry road bridge in the county, and was also the last [[toll bridge]] in Somerset until it was "freed" in 1946.<ref name="curio"/><ref>{{NHLE|num=1344608|desc=Burrow Bridge at NGR ST 3075|access-date=30 November 2008}}</ref> It now carries the [[A361 road]]. Just below the bridge there was a shoal of rocks and stones, which was also mentioned in Armstrong's report, but no action was taken to remove it. Except at spring tides, Burrowbridge was the normal upper limit for barges riding the incoming tide. Above here, horses were used to pull the boats, either towards Langport or along the River Tone towards Taunton.<ref name="Haskell" />

Stanmoor lock was constructed above the junction with the River Tone, but all traces of it have gone. Next to the pedestrian bridge at [[Stathe]] four living willow cones, which were woven in 1997 by Clare Wilks, have now rooted and sprouted.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arts & Crafts Along the Trail|url=http://www.riverparrett-trail.org.uk/artscrafts/|publisher=The River Parrett Trail|access-date=5 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518001715/http://www.riverparrett-trail.org.uk/artscrafts/|archive-date=18 May 2009}}</ref> Oath lock no longer functions as a lock, but the sluice is used to regulate the river levels.<ref name="eelodyssey">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/worldonthemove/reports/the-odyssey-of-the-eel/|title=The Odyssey of the Eel|date=15 October 2008|work=Radio 4|publisher=BBC |access-date=28 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118053012/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/worldonthemove/reports/the-odyssey-of-the-eel|archive-date=18 November 2011}}</ref> Below Langport, the river is crossed by a lattice girder bridge, carrying the [[Reading to Taunton Line|Taunton to Westbury railway line]], which approaches the crossing on multi-arched viaducts.<ref name=body&Gallop-35>{{Harvnb|Body|Gallop|2006|p=35}}</ref> This is followed by the derelict remains of the Langport lock and sluice.<ref name=body&Gallop-35/>

[[File:Great Bow Bridge.jpg|alt=A stone three-arch bridge over water. On the bridge is a small blue lorry. Either side of the river is vegetation and to the right of the bridge houses.|thumb|Great Bow Bridge at [[Langport]]]]

At Langport, the Great Bow Bridge, which now carries the [[A378 road (Great Britain)|A378]], is a three-arched bridge, constructed under the terms of the [[Parrett Navigation Act 1836]] ([[6 & 7 Will. 4]]. c. ci). Completed in 1841 at a cost of £3,749,<ref name=body16-20/> it replaced the previous medieval bridge, with its nine tiny arches, all too small to allow navigation. A bridge at this site was first mentioned in 1220.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1235760 |desc=Great Bow Bridge |access-date=22 December 2009 }}</ref> The medieval bridge consisted of a total of 31 arches, of which nine crossed the river, and 19 of the original arches were located by ground-penetrating radar in 1987, buried beneath the road which runs from Great Bow Bridge to Little Bow Bridge.<ref name=otter/> The [[Warehouse, Langport|Warehouse]] in Langport was built in the late 18th century of [[English bond]] red brick, with [[Flemish bond]] extensions. It has clay plain tile roofs with [[Hip roof|hipped]] ends. It was built by the [[Parrett Navigation Company]], a trading company owned by Vincent Stuckey and [[Walter Bagehot]], on the banks of the River.<ref name="sbpt"/> When the river became unnavigable, the building was no longer needed, and it was eventually abandoned. The Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development, which became the Ecos Trust, purchased the site, designated as a [[Brownfield land|brown field site]], in February 2003, and worked with [[Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust]], [[English Heritage]] and local councils to redevelop it into a craft, heritage learning and small business centre, with the surrounding land being used for an eco-friendly housing development.<ref name="sbpt">{{cite web |url=http://www.sbpt.info/the-warehouse-great-bow-yard_langport.php |title=The Warehouse, Great Bow Yard |publisher=Somerset Building Preservation Trust |access-date=7 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930061152/http://www.sbpt.info/the-warehouse-great-bow-yard_langport.php |archive-date=30 September 2012 }}</ref> It is a grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former Stuckey and Bagehot Warehouse |num=1271727 |access-date=5 November 2006 }}</ref>

[[File:Parrett Ironworks.jpg|alt=Two culverts opening into a river. In the background are industrial and residential stone buildings|thumb|left|Parrett Ironworks from the Carey's Mill Bridge]]

The newest bridge across the Parrett is Cocklemoor Bridge, a pedestrian footbridge close to the Great Bow Bridge. It was erected in 2006 and forms part of the [[River Parrett Trail]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5401180.stm |title=Bridge is centrepiece of trail |publisher=BBC News |date=3 October 2006 |access-date=15 December 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109112155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5401180.stm |archive-date= 9 November 2006 }}</ref> The next bridge upstream is Bicknell's bridge, which was formerly known as Bickling bridge, which carries the road from [[Huish Episcopi]] to Muchelney. It replaced a footbridge in 1829 or 1830.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66482 |title=Parishes: Huish Episcopi |last1=Dunning |first1=R.W. |first2=A. P. |last2=Baggs |first3=R. J. E. |last3=Bush |first4=Margaret |last4=Tomlinson |work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3 (1974), pp. 1–13 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525181903/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66482 |archive-date=25 May 2011 }}</ref> At Muchelney the Westover Bridge carries a minor road over the river, and another minor road crosses on the Thorney Bridge close to the Thorney (or silent) Mill and a lock. The mill, with an iron overshot wheel, was built to grind corn in 1823.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1057718 |desc=Thorney Mill |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> Another bridge and mill occur further upstream at Gawbridge west of Martock, where the mill has been the subject of a feasibility study by the [[South Somerset Hydropower Group]].<ref>{{cite web|title=South and West Somerset WFD Management Area Abstraction Licensing Strategy |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292763/LIT_7607_0c5611.pdf |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=11 May 2015 |page=15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091354/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292763/LIT_7607_0c5611.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref> Carey's Mill Bridge was built of [[Ham stone]] in the 18th century and named after Carey's Mill, which originally occupied the site.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1266523 |desc=Carey's Mill Bridge |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> It is surrounded by a collection of buildings known as the [[Parrett Iron Works]],<ref>{{NHLE|num=1225080 |desc=Parrett Iron Works |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> founded in 1855<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/52616 |title=Former rope walk, about 65 metres south-east of main building, Parrett Iron Works, Carey's Mill |work=Somerset Historic Environment Record |publisher=Somerset County Council |access-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003100416/http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/52616 |archive-date= 3 October 2016 }}</ref> on the site of a former [[snuff (tobacco)|snuff]] mill,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage-explorer.co.uk/web/he/searchdetail.aspx?id=7888&crit=Mill+at+Parrett+Iron+Works|title=Mill at Parrett Iron Works, Martock, Somerset|work=Heritage Explorer|publisher=Historic England|access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref> which included a foundry, with a prominent chimney,<ref>{{NHLE|num=1225752 |desc=Boiler Chimney |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> [[ropewalk]],<ref>{{NHLE|num=1225754 |desc=Former Rope Walk etc, Carey's Mill |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> workshops<ref>{{NHLE|num=1266185 |desc=Workshop buildings etc, Carey's Mill. |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1225753 |desc=Workshop building etc. Carey's Mill |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> and several smaller workshops and cottages.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1266186 |desc=Nos. 1 & 2 Parrett Works Cottages |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1225756 |desc=Nos. 3 & 4 Parrett Works Cottages |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1225757 |desc=Nos. 5 & 6 Parrett Works Cottages |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1225078 |desc=Carey's Mill Cottage |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> The sluice which powered the waterwheel<ref>{{NHLE|num=1266524 |desc=Waterwheel house |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> and sluice keeper's cottage still exist.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1266221 |desc=Sluice and sluice keepers house |access-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> Further south the river flows under the A303 near [[Norton-sub-Hamdon]] and the [[A356 road|A356]] near Chedington.

== Flood prevention ==
[[File:Monksleazeclyce.jpg|alt=A metal gantry between the road in the foreground and a river. To the right is a breeze block building with warning signs on it.|thumb|left|Monk's Leaze clyce. This sluice regulates the flow of water between the River Parrett and the [[Sowy River]] (the River Parrett Relief Channel).]]
The waters of the Severn Estuary, which are heavily laden with silt, flow into the lower reaches of the Parrett and the Tone on each tide. This silt can rapidly gather on the banks of the rivers, reducing the capacity and performance of the channel, and increasing the risk of flooding of surrounding land.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrettcatchment.info/what-we-are-doing/water/|title=Component 5: Dredging and maintaining river channels|publisher=Parrett Catchment Project|access-date=4 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301081613/http://www.parrettcatchment.info/what-we-are-doing/water/|archive-date=1 March 2012}}</ref>

The river is a [[highland carrier]], as it is embanked and the water level is often higher than the land through which it flows.<ref name=eafloodplan/> Water from the surrounding countryside does not therefore drain into the river naturally, and drainage schemes have relied on pumping to remove the water. The pumping station at [[Westonzoyland]] was built in 1830, the first [[pump|mechanical pumping station]] on the Somerset Levels. It was designed to drain the area around Westonzoyland, [[Middlezoy]] and [[Othery]],<ref name=bhowestonzoyland/> and the success of the [[Drainage system (agriculture)|drainage system]] led to the formation of [[internal drainage board]]s and the construction of other [[pumping station]]s.

The pump at Westonzoyland originally comprised a beam engine and [[scoop wheel]], which is similar to a water wheel, except that it is driven round by the engine and lifts water up to a higher level. After 25&nbsp;years, there were problems pumping the water away as the land surface had dropped as it dried out.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15118 |title=Westonzoyland |work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels |year=2004 |pages=190–210 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=14 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622101457/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15118 |archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref> A better method was sought, and in 1861 a replacement pump was installed. The engine was built by [[Easton and Amos]] of London, to a design patented in 1858 by Charles Amos.<ref name="eastonandamos">{{cite web |url=http://www.wzlet.org/enginesenginehouse.htm |title=The engine house |publisher=Westonzoyland Pumping Station |access-date=7 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717073437/http://www.wzlet.org/enginesenginehouse.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref> It is a twin cylinder, vertical condensing engine, driving a [[centrifugal pump]]. A similar engine was on display at the [[The Great Exhibition|Great Exhibition of 1851]] and was shown to be able to lift 100&nbsp;tons of water per minute (1,700 L/s), to a height of {{convert|6|ft|m|1}}.<ref name="eastonandamos"/> The Westonzoyland pump lifts water from the [[rhyne]] (pronounced "reen") into the River Parrett. The pump operated until 1951, when a new diesel-powered pumping station, capable of pumping 35&nbsp;tons per minute (600 L/s) at any state of the tide, was built beside the old one.<ref name=bhowestonzoyland>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol8/pp190-210|title=Westonzoyland|work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels (2004), pp. 190–210 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711075419/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol8/pp190-210 |archive-date=11 July 2015}}</ref> The pumping station is now an Industrial Heritage museum of steam powered machinery and land drainage, and houses most of the equipment from the disused Burrowbridge pumping station.<ref name="westonpump"/>

The Somerset River Authority was established in the 1960s, and later became part of [[Wessex Water]]. Tidal models were used to explore the effects of any improvements to the river, and the likelihood of adverse consequences, i.e. flooding and subsequent silting.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Allen|first=Jack|date=December 1942|title=Schemes of Improvement for the River Parrett : An Investigation with the Aid of a Tidal Model|journal= Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers|volume=19|issue=2|pages=85–99|doi=10.1680/ijoti.1942.13845}}</ref> Engineering works were undertaken at the Parrett, King's Sedgemoor Drain, and River Brue systems, to try to ensure that the agricultural land benefited from a potable water supply in the groundwaters from the Quantock Hills to the coastline.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrettcatchment.info/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=1926&type=full&servicetype=Attachment|title=Future Organisational Structure for the Levels and Moors and Parrett Catchment|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=18 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301081504/http://www.parrettcatchment.info/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=1926&type=full&servicetype=Attachment|archive-date=1 March 2012}}</ref>

Various measures including [[Sluice|sluice gates]], known locally as "clyce", have been deployed to try to control flooding. Completed in 1972, the [[Sowy River]] is a {{convert|7.5|mi|km|adj=on}} embanked channel which starts at Monks Leaze clyce below Langport, and carries excess water from the river to the Kings Sedgemoor Drain, from where it flows to the estuary by gravity, rejoining the Parrett near Dunball wharf. Construction of the channel, together with improvements to the Kings Sedgemoor Drain and the rebuilding of the clyce at Dunball, to create a fresh water seal which prevents salt water entering the drain from the river, cost £1.4&nbsp;million.<ref name=otter/> The scheme has resulted in less flooding on Aller Moor.<ref name=eafloodplan/>

[[File:OathLockRiverParrett.jpg|alt=Metal gates surmounted by a gantry across the river. To the left is a weir.|thumb|right|The sluice at [[Oath, Somerset|Oath]] Lock in summer, with the gates lowered. Oath Lock cottage is off to the right.]]
In the 1970s a study was commissioned by Wessex Water to investigate the likely effects of constructing a tide-excluding barrier, aimed at stopping the silt, just upriver of Dunball Wharf on the hydraulic, sedimentary and pollutant regime of the estuary. Results showed that a site further upriver could be viable.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Maskell |first=J.M. |year=1980 |title= River Parrett tidal barrier: hydraulic investigation |journal=Public Health Engineer |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=11–19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bridgwater Strategic Flood Defence Infrastructure Planning Final Report June 2009 |url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=4205&p=0 |publisher=Sedgemoor Council |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080705/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=4205&p=0 |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref>

The area around the estuary, known as Parrett Reach, around the Steart Peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. As a result, the [[Environment Agency]] produced the [[Stolford]] to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study in 2002, to examine options for the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/stolford_to_combwich.pdf.pdf |title=Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study |access-date=31 October 2007  |work=Environment Agency |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182252/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/stolford_to_combwich.pdf.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref> In July 2010 the Environment Agency presented plans to convert the peninsula into wetland habitat. It was claimed to be the largest wetland habitat creation scheme in England.<ref>{{cite news|title=Plans to flood Steart peninsula to create wetlands |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10513811 |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 July 2010 |date=5 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908021614/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10513811 |archive-date= 8 September 2014 }}</ref> The old sea-wall has been breached to let [[salt marsh]] develop.<ref name="wwt">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/steart-marshes/about/project-milestones/ |title=Project Milestones |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109022325/http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/steart-marshes/about/project-milestones/ |archive-date= 9 January 2017 }}</ref>

Following summer floods of 1997 and the prolonged flooding of 1999–2000 the Parrett Catchment Project was formed, partly funded by the [[European Union]] [[European Regional Development Fund|Regional Development Fund]], by 30 organisations, including [[British Waterways]], [[Campaign to Protect Rural England]], [[Countryside Agency]], [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]], Environment Agency, Kings Sedgemoor and Cary Vale Internal Drainage Board (now part of Parrett Internal Drainage Board), Levels and Moors Partnership, [[National Farmers Union of England and Wales|National Farmers Union]], Sedgemoor, [[Somerset County Council]], [[South Somerset|South Somerset District Council]], [[Taunton Deane]] and Wessex Water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrettcatchment.info/who-we-are/|title=Who we are|publisher=Parrett Catchment Project|access-date=18 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110220616/http://www.parrettcatchment.info/who-we-are/|archive-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> They aim to tackle twelve areas, which, when combined, will make a significant contribution to reducing the adverse effects of flooding. These include the conversion of arable land, adoption of the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) approach to controlling rainwater runoff from developed areas, dredging, raising riverbanks and improving pumping facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrettcatchment.info/what-we-are-doing/|title=What we are doing|publisher=Parrett Catchment project|access-date=18 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110220710/http://www.parrettcatchment.info/what-we-are-doing/|archive-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> Further studies of the possible beneficial effects of woodland in reducing flooding have also been undertaken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/pdf/FR_report_2004-5_floodplain.pdf/$FILE/FR_report_2004-5_floodplain.pdf  |title=Interactions between floodplain woodland and the freshwater environment |access-date=8 December 2007 |work=Forest Research: Annual Report and Accounts2004–2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906112851/http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/pdf/FR_report_2004-5_floodplain.pdf/%24FILE/FR_report_2004-5_floodplain.pdf |archive-date=6 September 2008 }}</ref>

During the [[winter flooding of 2013–14 on the Somerset Levels]] the River Parrett overflowed at new year, during the rain and storms from [[Cyclone Dirk|Storm Dirk]], with many residents asking for the Environment Agency to resume river dredging.<ref name="westerndailypress1">{{cite news |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Plea-calm-political-storm-erupts/story-20601268-detail/story.html |title=Somerset floods: Cameron orders end to petty squabbles in Cabinet |newspaper=Western Daily Press |date=7 February 2014 |access-date=11 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222042740/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Plea-calm-political-storm-erupts/story-20601268-detail/story.html |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25633693 |title=UK storms: Further flooding risk as heavy rain forecast |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2014 |access-date=7 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107135451/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25633693 |archive-date= 7 January 2014 }}</ref> On 24 January 2014, in light of the continued flooded extent of the Somerset Moors and forecast new rainfall as part of the [[2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods|winter storms of 2013–14 in the United Kingdom]], both Somerset County Council and Sedgemoor District Council declared a [[Emergency management#United Kingdom|major incident]], as defined under the [[Civil Contingencies Act 2004]].<ref name=BBC25876309/><ref name=GuardMajIncid>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/24/uk-floods-major-incident-somerset-levels |title=UK floods: council declares major incident on Somerset Levels |first=Steven |last=Morris |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 January 2014 |access-date=24 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203161413/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/24/uk-floods-major-incident-somerset-levels |archive-date= 3 February 2014 }}</ref> At this time, with {{convert|17000|acre}} of agricultural land having been under water for over a month,<ref name=GuardMajIncid/> the village of Thorney was abandoned and Muchelney was cut off by flood waters for almost a month.<ref name=BBC25876309>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25876309|title=Somerset floods: 'Major incident' declared|publisher=BBC |work=BBC News |date=24 January 2014 |access-date=24 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125212823/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25876309 |archive-date=25 January 2014}}</ref> [[Northmoor Green]], which is more commonly known as Moorland, was also severely affected. By the end of January, agricultural land under water included [[North Moor]], [[Curry and Hay Moors]] and [[Greylake]].<ref name=GuardMajIncid/> Bridgwater was partly flooded on 10 February 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26071149|title=Living with the Somerset floods|work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=February 2014 |access-date=11 February 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211075703/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26071149 |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> Over 600 houses were flooded, and both flooding and groundwater disrupted services including trains on the [[Bristol to Exeter line]] between Bridgwater and Taunton.<ref name="westerndailypress1"/>

As a result of the extensive flooding, more funds were allocated to dredge the Parrett,<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-34602139 |title=Dredging work costing £2m approved for River Parrett |publisher=BBC |date=October 2015 |access-date=27 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026190154/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-34602139 |archive-date=26 October 2015 }}</ref> although there are doubts as to whether this is an effective solution to the problem of flooding.<ref name="Monbiot">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/30/dredging-rivers-floods-somerset-levels-david-cameron-farmers |title=Dredging rivers won't stop floods. It will make them worse |date=2014 |access-date=27 September 2016 |author=Monbiot, George |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613005655/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/30/dredging-rivers-floods-somerset-levels-david-cameron-farmers |archive-date=13 June 2016 }}</ref> Also, earlier proposals for a [[tidal barrage]] across the Parrett were reviewed, and new proposals were suggested to construct the barrage at an estimated cost of between £26,000 and £100,000.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bridgwater barrage in £100&nbsp;m Somerset flood plan |work=BBC News |date=5 March 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26447005 |access-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520065358/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26447005 |archive-date=20 May 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Views sought on Bridgwater tidal barrier on River Parrett |publisher=BBC News |date=15 September 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-37371230|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> Further planning and construction could take up to ten years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Environment Agency and Sedgemoor District Council set-up Bridgwater barrier workshop |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-and-sedgemoor-district-council-set-up-bridgwater-barrier-workshop |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091346/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-and-sedgemoor-district-council-set-up-bridgwater-barrier-workshop |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parrett Barrier |url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10028 |publisher=Sedgemoor Council |access-date=9 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075354/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10028 |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref> The [[Inland Waterways Association]] has suggested that the barrage should include a [[Lock (water transport)|lock]] to enable boats to travel to Bridgwater and potentially to reopen the link to the harbour and the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.<ref>{{cite journal|title=IWA West Country Branch Launches Tidal Barrier campaign|journal=Waterways|date=Summer 2015|issue=248|page=10}}</ref>

In January 2022 a £100m scheme to construct a [[Bridgwater tidal barrier|tidal barrier]] at Bridgwater was announced, planned to be in place by 2027.<ref>{{Cite news|date=25 January 2022|title=Bridgwater tidal barrier: One of England's biggest flood defences approved|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-60124245|access-date=25 January 2022}}</ref> It is to be built between Express Park and Chilton Trinity, with two vertical lift gates to allow the waterway to be blocked to stop water from flowing upstream during very high tides in the Bristol Channel.<ref>{{cite news |title=One of England's biggest flood defences gets £43m funding boost |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly4xwnlze7o.amp |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=BBC News |date=5 February 2025 |language=en-gb}}</ref>

== Geology ==
Close to the source of the river the underlying geology is a thin layer of [[Fuller's earth]] clay over [[Yeovil Sands]]. The resulting light soil made the area important for the production of [[flax]] and for market gardening in the past.<ref name="trail"/>

[[File:BurrowBridgeView2.jpg|thumb|alt=Water on grassy lowland with hills in the distance.|View from the summit of [[Burrow Mump]] across the winter-flooded [[Somerset levels]] toward [[Aller Hill]] and the village of [[Aller, Somerset]].]]
[[Burrow Mump]], an ancient earthwork owned by the National Trust,<ref name="curio"/> is a natural hill of [[Triassic]] [[sandstone]] capped by [[Keuper marl]], standing at a strategic point where the [[River Tone]] and the old course of the [[River Cary]] join the River Parrett. It probably served as a natural outwork to the defended royal island of [[Athelney]] at the end of the 9th century.<ref>{{cite map |publisher=National Trust, Levels and Moors Partnership |title= interpretive signs and map at the foot of Burrow Mump }}</ref>

The Levels and Moors are a largely flat area in which there are some slightly raised parts, called "burtles"<ref name="natengsomerset">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/geological/sites/area_ID30.asp |title=Somerset |access-date=10 June 2007 |work=Natural England |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610043102/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/geological/sites/area_ID30.asp |archive-date=10 June 2007 }}</ref> as well as higher ridges and hills. It is an agricultural region typically with open fields of [[Permanent vegetative cover|permanent]] grass, surrounded by ditches lined with [[willow]] trees. Access to the Levels and Moors is by [[Drovers' road|"droves"]], i.e. green lanes. The Levels are a coastal sand and clay barrier about {{convert|20|ft|m|0}} above mean sea level (roughly west of the M5 motorway) whereas the inland Moors can be {{convert|20|ft|m|0}} below peak tides and have large areas of [[peat]]. The geology of the area is that of two basins mainly surrounded by hills, the runoff from which forms rivers that originally meandered across the plain but have now been controlled by embanking and [[Sluice#Regional names for sluice gates|clyces]]. The area is prone to winter floods of fresh water and occasional salt water inundations, the worst of which in recorded history was the [[Bristol Channel floods, 1607|Bristol Channel floods of 1607]], which resulted in the drowning of an estimated 2,000 or more people, with houses and villages swept away, an estimated {{convert|200|sqmi|km2|-1}} of farmland inundated and livestock destroyed.<ref name="bbcsom">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2007/01/30/somerset_flood_1607_anniversary_feature.shtml|title=The great flood of 1607: could it happen again?|access-date=20 February 2008 |work=BBC Somerset |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403082713/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2007/01/30/somerset_flood_1607_anniversary_feature.shtml |archive-date= 3 April 2008}}</ref> A further severe flood occurred in 1872–1873 when over {{convert|107|sqmi|km2|0}} were under water from October to March.<ref name="havinden">{{harvnb|Havinden|1982|pp=149–170}}</ref>

The extraction of peat from the Moors is known to have taken place during [[Roman Britain|Roman]] times, and has been an ongoing practice since the levels were first drained. The introduction of plastic packaging in the 1950s allowed the peat to be packed without rotting. This led to the industrialisation of peat extraction during the 1960s as a major market in horticultural peat was developed. The reduction in water levels that resulted put local [[ecosystem]]s at risk; peat wastage in pasture fields was occurring at rates of {{convert|1|–|3|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} over 100&nbsp;years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-87^16182_4000_0__|title=Peat Wastage and Wetland Archaeology|access-date=21 November 2009 |work=The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223224727/http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-87%5E16182_4000_0__ |archive-date=23 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
[[File:Burrow Bridge.jpg|alt=Arched bridge with metal railing. Sign showing River Parrett, Burrow Bridge.|thumb|left|1826 bridge at [[Burrowbridge]]]]
The river flows through several areas of ecological interest and supports a variety of rare and endangered species.

From January until May, the Parrett provides a source of [[European eel]]s (''Anguilla anguilla'') and young elvers, which are caught by hand netting as this is the only legal means of catching them.<ref>{{cite web|title=The European Eel |url=http://www.eelregulations.co.uk/pdf/Elver_Poaching.pdf |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080824/http://www.eelregulations.co.uk/pdf/Elver_Poaching.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Morris |first1=Steven |title=Poachers devastate Somerset's elver fisheries |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/may/28/poachers-devastate-elver-fisheries |access-date=11 May 2015 |work=Guardian |date=28 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090446/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/may/28/poachers-devastate-elver-fisheries |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref> A series of eel passes have been built on the Parrett at the King's Sedgemoor Drain to help this endangered species; cameras have shown 10,000 eels migrating upstream in a single night.<ref name="eelodyssey"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/09/03/eels_feature.shtml |title=Groundbreaking project saves glass eels |date=4 September 2008 |work=Nature Features |publisher=BBC Somerset |access-date=21 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113192806/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2008/09/03/eels_feature.shtml |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref> The 2003 [[BBC Radio 4]] play ''[[Glass Eels]]'' by [[Nell Leyshon]] was set on the Parrett.<ref>{{cite news|last=Spencer |first=Charles |title=Glass Eels&nbsp;– a whirlpool of emotion |date=11 July 2007 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3666439/Glass-Eels-a-whirlpool-of-emotion.html |access-date=11 May 2015 |work=[[Sunday Telegraph]] |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007162523/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3666439/Glass-Eels-a-whirlpool-of-emotion.html |archive-date= 7 October 2014 }}</ref>

To the north of the river bank northwest of Langport are the Aller and Beer Woods and Aller Hill biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Aller and Beer Woods is a [[Somerset Wildlife Trust]] reserve. It consists of large blocks of semi-natural [[ancient woodland]] along the west-facing slope of Aller Hill, overlooking King's Sedgemoor. The reserve is about {{convert|40|ha|acre}} and the underlying geology of most of it is [[Lias Group|Lias]] [[limestone]]. Prior to the 20th century it appears to have been managed for centuries as traditional [[Coppicing|coppice]] woodland,<ref>{{cite web|title=Aller and Beer Woods|work=Wildlife Trusts|url=http://www.somersetwildlife.org/aller_beer_woods |access-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109114122/http://www.somersetwildlife.org/aller_beer_woods |archive-date= 9 November 2010}}</ref> and it provides an outstanding example of ancient escarpment woodland. The woodland is a variant of the calcareous [[Fraxinus|ash]]/[[Ulmus glabra|wych elm]] stand-type, with [[Quercus robur|pedunculate oak]] (''Quercus robur''), and ash (''Fraxinus excelsior'') the dominant canopy trees throughout, and with scattered concentrations of wych elm (''Ulmus glabra''). Ancient woodland indicators include [[Tilia cordata|small-leaved lime]] (''Tilia cordata''), and [[Sorbus torminalis|wild service tree]] (''Sorbus torminalis''), both of which are locally common. Plants of particular interest include [[Neottia nidus-avis|bird's nest orchid]] (''Neottia nidus-avis''), [[Platanthera chlorantha|greater butterfly orchid]] (''Platanthera chlorantha'') and the very rare Red Data Book species [[Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum|purple gromwell]] (''Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum'').<ref>{{cite web|title=Aller and Beer Woods |work=English Nature |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003646.pdf |access-date=12 August 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013122127/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003646.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2006 }}</ref> Aller Hill contains three species of plant which are nationally rare and a further three which are of restricted distribution in Somerset. The central area contains a sward dominated by [[Festuca ovina|sheep's fescue]] (''Festuca ovina'') in combination with [[Trisetum flavescens|yellow oat-grass]] (''Trisetum flavescens'') and [[Briza media|quaking-grass]] (''Briza media''). [[Sanguisorba minor|Salad burnet]] (''Sanguisorba minor'') forms a major component of the sward with the two nationally rare species [[rough marsh-mallow]] (M''alva setigera'') and [[Gastridium ventricosum|nit-grass]] (''Gastridium ventricosum''), also present.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aller Hill |work=English Nature |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005494.pdf |access-date=12 August 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121732/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005494.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2006 }}</ref>

Southlake Moor is another SSSI. The marshes and ditches provide grazing. At certain times of the year sluice gates can be opened to flood the moor.<ref name="southlake"/> [[Sium latifolium|Greater water-parsnip]] (''Sium latifolium'') is among the 96 aquatic and vascular plant species on the moor.<ref name="southlake"/> Numerous wildfowl visit the flooded moor; up to 22,000 [[Eurasian wigeon|wigeon]] (''Anas penelope''), 250&nbsp;[[Tundra swan|Bewick's swan]] (''Cygnus bewickii'') and significant populations of [[Common pochard|pochard]] (''Aythya ferina''), [[Eurasian teal|teal]] (''Anas crecca'') and [[tufted duck]] (''Aythya fuligula''). Signs of [[European otter]]s (''Lutra lutra'') have also been seen on the river banks. [[Palmate newt]]s (''Triturus helveticus'') have been found in surrounding ditches.<ref name="southlake">{{cite web |title=Southlake Moor |work=Natural England |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1002426.pdf |access-date=21 August 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013122149/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002426.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2006 }}</ref>

[[File:Mudflats at Combwich.jpg|alt=Muddy bank in the foreground before an expanse of water, with a concrete wall just visible on the right hand side of the water. In the distance is a line of low hills.|thumb|Tidal mudflats at [[Combwich]], near the mouth of the River Parrett on [[Bridgwater Bay]]]]
[[Langmead and Weston Level]] is nationally important for its species-rich neutral [[grassland]] and the [[invertebrate]] community found in the ditches and rhynes. The terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates recorded on the site include four nationally
rare species: the [[Hydrophilus piceus|great silver diving beetle]] (''Hydrophilus piceus''), the soldier fly ''[[Odontomyia ornata]]'', which is now called the ornate brigadier,{{sfn|Stubbs|Drake|2001|p=310}} and two other [[Fly|flies]], ''[[Lonchoptera scutellata]]'' and ''[[Stenomicra cogani]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Langmead and Weston Level |work=Natural England |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1005918.pdf |access-date=17 August 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121442/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005918.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2006 }}</ref>

The Parrett then flows through the Somerset Levels National Nature Reserve, which contains a rich [[biodiversity]] of national and international importance.<ref name="ncprofile">{{cite web |url=http://www.naturalareas.naturalengland.org.uk/Science/natural/profiles%5CnaProfile85.pdf |title=Somerset Levels and Moors Natural Area&nbsp;– A nature conservation profile July 1997 |access-date=4 July 2011  |work=English Nature |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184747/http://www.naturalareas.naturalengland.org.uk/Science/natural/profiles/naProfile85.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref> It supports a vast variety of plant species, including common plants such as [[Caltha palustris|marsh-marigold]] (''Caltha palustris''), [[Filipendula ulmaria|meadowsweet]] (''Filipendula ulmaria'') and [[Lychnis flos-cuculi|ragged-robin]] (''Lychnis flos-cuculi''). The area is an important feeding ground for birds including Bewick's swan (''Cygnus columbianus bewickii''), [[Eurasian curlew]] (''Numenius arquata''), [[common redshank]] (''Tringa totanus''), [[Eurasian skylark|skylark]] (''Alauda arvensis''), [[common snipe]] (''Gallinago gallinago''), common teal (''Anas crecca''), Eurasian wigeon (''Anas penelope'') and [[Eurasian whimbrel]] (''Numenius phaeopus''), as well as birds of prey including the [[western marsh harrier]] (''Circus aeruginosus'') and [[peregrine falcon]] (''Falco peregrinus'').<ref name=defraramsar>{{cite web|title=Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/RIS/UK11064.pdf |publisher=DEFRA |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010203902/http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/RIS/UK11064.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2012 }}</ref> A wide range of invertebrate species is also present including rare insects, particularly the [[hairy click beetle]] (''Synaptus filiformis''), which until recently was only known in Britain from the Parrett,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arkive.org/hairy-click-beetle/synaptus-filiformis/range-and-habitat.html |title=Hairy click beetle (Synaptus filiformis) |work=Arkive |publisher=Natural History Museum |access-date=4 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220082701/http://www.arkive.org/hairy-click-beetle/synaptus-filiformis/range-and-habitat.html |archive-date=20 December 2009  }}</ref> and other insects, including the [[lesser silver water beetle]] (''Hydrochara caraboides''), ''[[Bagous nodulosus]]'', ''[[Hydrophilus piceus]]'', ''[[Odontomyia angulata]]'', ''[[Oulema erichsoni]]'' and ''[[Valvata macrostoma]]''. In addition, the area supports an important European otter (''Lutra lutra'') population.<ref name=defraramsar/> 282 [[American mink]] (''Mustela vison'') have been captured after their escape from breeding farms, which is encouraging [[European water vole|water voles]] (''Arvicola amphibius'') to recolonise areas of the Levels where they have been absent for 10&nbsp;years.<ref>{{cite web|last=Marshall-Ball |first=Robin |title=The Somerset Levels Green Shoots Project |url=http://basc.org.uk/conservation/green-shoots/green-shoots-in-the-south-west/ |publisher=BASC |access-date=9 May 2015 |page=10 |year=2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317124956/http://basc.org.uk/conservation/green-shoots/green-shoots-in-the-south-west/ |archive-date=17 March 2015 }}</ref> The Levels and Moors include 32 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (twelve of them also [[Special Protection Area]]s), the Huntspill River<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=0&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=216 |title=Huntspill River NNR |access-date=9 June 2007 |work=English Nature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610053517/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=0&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=216 |archive-date=10 June 2007 }}</ref> and Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserves,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=0&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=28 |title=Bridgwater Bay NNR |access-date=9 June 2007 |work=English Nature |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610052822/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=0&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=28 |archive-date=10 June 2007 }}</ref> the Somerset Levels and Moors [[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar Site]] covering about {{convert|86000|acre|km2|0}},<ref name=defraramsar/> the Somerset Levels National Nature Reserve,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=35&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=143|title=Somerset Levels NNR|access-date=10 June 2007 |work=English Nature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610051646/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=35&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=143 |archive-date=10 June 2007}}</ref> [[Shapwick Heath|Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=35&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=141 |title=Shapwick Heath NNR |access-date=10 June 2007 |work=English Nature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610051615/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=35&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=141 |archive-date=10 June 2007 }}</ref> and numerous Scheduled Ancient Monuments. In addition, some {{convert|72000|acre|km2|-1}} of the Levels are recognised as an [[environmentally sensitive area]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/SLM%20Information%20Sheet%20updated_tcm6-11844.pdf|title=The Somerset Levels and Moors |access-date=26 December 2009 |work=Rural Development Programme for England|publisher=Natural England|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227111428/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/SLM%20Information%20Sheet%20updated_tcm6-11844.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2012}}</ref> while other portions are designated as [[Area of archaeological potential|Areas of High Archaeological Potential]]. Despite this, there is currently no single [[conservation designation]] covering the entire area of the Levels and Moors.

On the outskirts of Bridgwater at Huntworth the river passes several local nature reserves which provide roosts for thousands of [[common starling]]s (''Sturnus vulgaris'') each winter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wild Guide to the South West|date=May 2013 |url=https://issuu.com/wildswimming/docs/wild_guide_sample|publisher=Wild Things Publishing|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Somerset Levels – A Beginner Birdwatching Tour|url=https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/reports_new/GBR40_report_150121_The_Somerset_Levels_A_Beginner_Birdwatching_Tour.pdf|publisher=Naturetrek|access-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021142/https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/reports_new/GBR40_report_150121_The_Somerset_Levels_A_Beginner_Birdwatching_Tour.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The mouth of the river is where it flows into the National Nature Reserve at Bridgwater Bay on the Bristol Channel. It consists of large areas of [[mudflat]]s, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989,<ref name="sssicitation">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001145.pdf  |title=SSSI citation sheet for Bridgwater Bay |access-date=12 November 2008 |work=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=English Nature |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910045332/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001145.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref> and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the [[Ramsar Convention]].<ref name="NNR">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?NNR_ID=28 |title=Bridgwater Bay NNR |access-date=13 November 2008 |work=National Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911222029/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?NNR_ID=28 |archive-date=11 September 2009 }}</ref> The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1549&p=0 |title=Oil spill contingency plan |access-date=13 November 2008 |publisher=Sedgemoor Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235219/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1549&p=0 |archive-date=3 June 2011 }}</ref>

== Tourism ==
{{Main|River Parrett Trail}}
[[File:Riverparrettseat.jpg|alt=View from the rear of a seat made from 5 vertical rough-hewn planks of wood, with a person sitting on the seat and looking out over a wide river|thumb|Seat, made in 1996, on the west bank of the Parrett Estuary, a mile from the village of [[Combwich]]]]
The {{convert|47|mi|km|0|adj=on}} River Parrett Trail is a [[Long-distance footpaths in the UK|long-distance footpath]] following the Parrett from its source to the sea.<ref name="edpack"/> The river passes many landmarks and places of interest including: [[Burrow Hill Cider Farm]], Muchelney Abbey, [[West Sedgemoor]] (a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the [[Blake Museum]], Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum, the site of the [[Battle of Sedgemoor]], and finally discharges into Bridgwater Bay (another SSSI).<ref name=trail/> The Langport and River Parrett Visitor Centre located at Langport details local life, history and wildlife.<ref name="edpack"/>

Since 2000, attempts have been made to clarify the legal status and organisational responsibilities for the maintenance of the river and explore issues involving the sustainability and safe use of the waterway for a public trip boat and recreational craft. The work has identified economic and social benefits from the development of the Parrett navigation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appendix D – Feasibility Costs for Upper Parrett Waterway Plan and Langport River access and navigation project. |url=http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/88971/14d.pdf |publisher=South Somerset Council |access-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104205/http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/88971/14d.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 }}</ref>

== Route and points of interest ==
{{geoGroup}}
{{PoIgb start}}
{{PoIgb|Source|50.847|-2.733|ST484055|near [[Chedington]]}}
{{PoIgb|Hydrological measuring station|50.927|-2.769|ST461144|Located under road bridge at [[Chiselborough]]<ref name="hydoreg"/>|name=Chiselborough Hydrological Station}}
{{PoIgb|[[A303 road|A303]] bridge|50.947|-2.783|ST450167|[[South Petherton]]|name=A303 bridge}}
{{PoIgb|[[River Isle]] confluence|51.009|-2.832|ST416237||name=River Isle confluence}}
{{PoIgb|[[River Yeo (South Somerset)|River Yeo]] confluence|51.032|-2.822|ST424262|||name=River Yeo confluence}}
{{PoIgb|Bow Bridge|51.036|-2.835|ST415266|[[Langport]]}}
{{PoIgb|Monk's Leaze clyce|51.048|-2.844|ST408280|Regulates flow into Sowy River}}
{{PoIgb|Oath Lock|51.047|-2.881|ST382128|Tidal limit of the river|name=Oathe Lock}}
{{PoIgb|[[River Tone]] confluence|51.067|-2.917|ST357302|Located at [[Burrowbridge]]|name=River Tone confluence}}
{{PoIgb|[[Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum]]|51.091|-2.944|ST339328||name=Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum}}
{{PoIgb|Town Bridge|51.129|-3.001|ST300372|[[Bridgwater]]}}
{{PoIgb|Drove Bridge|51.138|-3.001|ST300382|Most seaward and newest road bridge on river<ref name=DroveBridge/>}}
{{PoIgb|[[Dunball|Dunball Wharf]]|51.162|-2.989|ST309408||name=Dunball Wharf}}
{{PoIgb|Mouth|51.229|-3.009|ST296482}}
{{PoIgb end}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport}}
* [[North Petherton]] and [[South Petherton]] (named after the river)
* [[Rivers of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Taunton Stop Line]]

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Arthur |first=William |year=1857 |url=https://archive.org/stream/etymologicaldict00arthuoft/etymologicaldict00arthuoft_djvu.txt |title=An etymological dictionary of family and Christian names. With an essay on their derivation and import |publisher=Sheldon, Blakeman & Co |location=New York |format=text |access-date=3 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628181240/http://www.archive.org/stream/etymologicaldict00arthuoft/etymologicaldict00arthuoft_djvu.txt |archive-date=28 June 2010 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Body |first1=Geoffrey |last2=Gallop |first2=Roy |title=Parrett River Trade|location = Bristol |publisher=Fiducia Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-946217-25-0 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Body |first1=Geoff|last2=Gallop|first2=Roy|title=Any Muddy Bottom: A History of Somerset's Waterborne Trade|date=2015|publisher=History Press|isbn=9780750961639}}
* {{cite book |last=Bush |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Bush (historian) |title=Somerset: The complete guide |year=1994 |publisher=Dovecote Press |location=Wimborne, Dorset |isbn=978-1874336273 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush }}
* {{cite book |last=Costen |first=Michael |title=Aspects of the Medieval Landscape of Somerset |editor=Michael Aston |publisher=Somerset Books |location=Taunton |year=1992 |chapter=The late Saxon Landscape |isbn=978-0-86183-129-6 |editor-link=Michael Aston |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/aspectsofmediaev0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last=Crowden |first=James |others=George Wright (Photographer)|title=In Time of Flood: The Somerset Levels-The River Parrett |publisher=The Parrett trail Partnership|location=Yeovil |year=1996 |isbn=978-1899983254 }}
* {{cite book|title=The histories of the parishes of Kingsbury (east), Pitney, Somerton and Tintinhull hundreds |series=The [[Victoria County History|Victoria History]] of the County of Somerset |last=Dunning |first=R. W. |location=Oxford |publisher=Victoria County History |year=1974 |volume=III |isbn=0-19-722739-2 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=545 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028064456/http://british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=545 |archive-date=28 October 2011 }}
* {{cite book|title=Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and Neighbouring Parishes)|series=The [[Victoria County History|Victoria History]] of the County of Somerset |editor-last=Dunning |editor-first=R. W. |location=Oxford|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] for the University of London Institute of Historical Research |year=1992 |volume=VI|isbn=978-0197227800 }}
* {{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |year=1992b |title=Bridgwater: History and Guide |location=Stroud |publisher=Alan Sutton |isbn=978-0197227398 }}
* {{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |title=A history of Somerset |publisher=Somerset County Library |location=Tiverton |year=2002 |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0861834761 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ekwall |first=Eilert |title=English River Names |publisher=Oxford Clarendon Press |year=1928 }}
* {{cite book|last=Farr |first=Grahame |title=Somerset Harbours |publisher=Christopher Johnson |location=London |year=1954 |isbn=978-0900131158}}
* {{cite book |last=Fitzhugh |first=Rod |year=1993 |title=Bridgwater and the River Parrett: in old photographs |location=Stroud |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing |isbn= 978-0750905183 }}
* {{cite book |title=The Canals of South West England |last=Hadfield |first=Charles |year=1967 |publisher=David and Charles |location=Newton Abbot |isbn=978-0-7153-4176-6 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Hannah |first=Leslie |year=1982 |title=Engineers, Managers, and Politicians: The First Fifteen Years of the Nationalised Electricity Supply in Britain |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |isbn=978-0801828621 }}
* {{cite book|last=Haskell|first=Tony|title=By Waterway to Taunton: The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal |location=Stroud |publisher=Tempus Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7524-4267-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Havinden |first=Michael |title=The Somerset Landscape |year=1982 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |location=London |series=The making of the English landscape |isbn=978-0340201169 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hawkins |first=Desmond |title=Avalon and Sedgemoor |year=1982 |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing |location=Gloucester |isbn=978-0-86299-016-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/avalonsedgemoor0000hawk }}
* {{cite book |editor=Blair, John |title=Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England |last1=Hollinrake |first1=Charles |last2=Hollinrake |first2=Nancy |chapter=Chapter 9: The Water Roads of Somerset |year=2007 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-921715-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hussey |first=David |year=2000 |title=Coastal and River Trade in Pre-Industrial England: Bristol and Its Region 1680–1730 |publisher=Regatta Press |location=Ithaca, New York |isbn=978-0967482644 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=J.F. |last2= Lawrence|first2= J.C. |year=2005 |title=A History of Bridgwater |location=Chichester |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=978-1860773631 }}
* {{cite book |last=Leach |first=Peter |title=Roman Somerset |year=2001 |location=Wimborne |publisher=The Dovecot Press |isbn=978-1-874336-93-8 }}
* {{cite book |title=Curiosities of Somerset |last=Leete-Hodge |first=Lornie |year=1985 |publisher=Bossiney Books |location=Bodmin |isbn=978-0-906456-99-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863–1921 |year=1931 |publisher=[[Great Western Railway]] |location=Paddington }}
* {{cite book|title=UK Hydrographic Register |editor1-last=Marsh |editor1-first=Terry |editor2-last=Hannaford |editor2-first=Jamie |publisher=Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |location=Wallingford, Oxfordshire |year=2008 |series=Hydrological data UK series |isbn=978-0-9557672-2-7 |url=http://www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/documents/HydrometricRegister_Final_WithCovers.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005215639/http://www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/documents/hydrometricregister_final_withcovers.pdf |archive-date=5 October 2013 }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Mead |first=Rachel |title=In praise of the Parrett |magazine=Waterways World |date=October 2022 |issn=0309-1422}}
* {{cite book |last=Mills |first=A. D. |year=1998 |title=Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names |edition=Second |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0192800749}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/boats-return-river-parrett-langport-173558 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624122909/https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/boats-return-river-parrett-langport-173558 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |url-status=live |last=Mumby |first=Daniel |title=Boats return to River Parrett at Langport as The Duchess of Cocklemoor successfully launched |publisher=Somerset Live |date=7 July 2017}}
* {{Cite book |last=Murless |first=Brian J |year=2000 |title=Somerset Brick & Tile Manufacturers: A Brief History & Gazetteer |series=SIAS Survey no. 13 |location=Taunton |publisher=The Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society |isbn=978-0953353927 }}
* {{cite book |last=Oakley |first=Mike |title=Somerset Railway Stations |publisher=Dovecote Press |location=Stanbridge |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-904349-09-9 }}
* {{cite book |title=Taunton & Lyme Regis 193 |publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]] |year=2008 |series=OS Landranger Map |isbn=978-0-319-23140-1 |ref={{harvid|OS 193|2008}} }}
* {{cite book |title=No 7: River Thames and the southern waterways |publisher=Harper Collins |location=London |year=2003 |edition=2nd |series=OS-Nicholson Guide to the Waterways |chapter=Bridgwater and Taunton Canal |isbn=978-0-00-713670-4 |ref={{harvid|OS-Nicholson|2003}} }}
* {{cite book|last=Otter|first=R. A.|title=Civil Engineering Heritage: Southern England|location=London|publisher=Thomas Telford |year=1994 |isbn=978-0727719713 }}
* {{cite book|title=Victoria History of the Counties of England vol 1.|year=1906|publisher=Archibald Constable & Co|editor-first=William |editor-last=Page|location=London|chapter=Romano-British Somerset }}
* {{cite book|last=Priestley |first=Joseph |title=Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, of Great Britain |location=Newton Abbot |publisher=David & Charles |year=1969 |edition=2nd |url=http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/sdoc.php?wpage=PNRC0001 |isbn=978-0715343951 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630163737/http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/sdoc.php?wpage=PNRC0001 |archive-date=30 June 2011 }}
* {{cite book|title=Two papers : entitled "The Severn and other Wye Rivers" and "The Meaning of Minster in place names" read at meetings of the Philological Society on Friday, 2&nbsp;November&nbsp;1928, and on Friday, 28 October 1927, respectively), with an additional chapter on "Conjectural meanings of the individual Minster place names" and notes on both papers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Do52n_1KEYAC&q=parrett|last=Priestley Evans|first=Evan David|year=1931|publisher=Stephen Austin|location=Hereford }}
* {{cite book|last=Rippon |first=Stephen |title=The Severn Estuary: Landscape Evolution and Wetland Reclamation |location=London |publisher=Leicester University Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7185-0069-6 }}
* {{cite book |editor=Blair, John |title=Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England |last=Rippon |first=Stephen |chapter=Chapter 8: Waterways and Water Transport on Reclaimed Coastal Marshlands: The Somerset Levels and Beyond |year=2007| location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-921715-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |title=Somerset Place Names |year=1992 |location=Wimborne|publisher=Dovecote Press |isbn=978-1874336037 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Ronald |year=1971 |title=Lost Canals of England and Wales |location=Newton Abbot |publisher=David & Charles |isbn=978-0715354179 }}
* {{cite book |last=Stenton |first=Frank |title=Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=1971 |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-19-280139-5 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Stubbs |first1=Alan |first2=Martin |last2=Drake |title=British Soldierflies and Their Allies: A Field Guide to the Larger British Brachycera |publisher=British Entomological & Natural History Society |location=Reading |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-899935-04-8 }}
* {{cite book |title=Portrait of the Quantocks |last=Waite |first=Vincent |year=1964 |publisher=Robert Hale |location=London |isbn=978-0709111580 }}
* {{cite book |last=Williams |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Williams (geographer) |title=The Draining of the Somerset Levels |year=1970 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0521074865 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/drainingofsomers0000will }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline}}

{{Somerset}}
{{Authority control}}

<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Parrett catchment| ]]
[[Category:Dredged rivers and waterways]]
[[Category:Somerset Levels]]
[[Category:River navigations in the United Kingdom|Parrett]]
[[Category:Rivers of Somerset|Parrett, River]]