Kayaking The Dedham Vale | The River Stour | Constable Country | Flatford Mill
The river stour is 47 miles long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Bures, Sudbury, Dedham and flows through the Dedham Vale an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It becomes tidal just before Manningtree in Essex and joins the North Sea at Harwich. the name Stour derives from the Celtic word sturr meaning “strong”, the area is also steeped in history During the Anglo-Saxon era, the river became the boundary between the Kingdom of the East Saxons and the Kingdom of East Anglia. The Life of King Alfred records a naval battle taking place at the mouth of the river in 884, where Alfred the Great defeated a force of 13 Viking ships. Nearby Manningtree was the home of the witch finder general, and evidence of occupation in the area dates back 5000 years. The Stour valley has been portrayed as a working river by John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, Alfred Munnings, John Nash and Cedric Morris. Constable’s connection with the area was especially important, evident in such works as The Stour Valley and Dedham Church which was painted in 1815. We intend to Kayak into the Dedham Vale today and past Flatford Mill, which was portrayed a few times by Constable, in some of his most admired paintings. The area is known as Constable Country. Interestingly, Dedham was home to my fifth great-grandfather Jasper Rouse, so todays visit is both an adventure and a journey into the past and our family history. Enjoy the video everyone, as we Kayak The River Stour and deep into constable country. Flatford Mill has had many owners during its lifetime and interestingly several were called “Constable”. In 1742 Abram Constable (John Constables great uncle) bought Flatford Mill from Matthew Isaac who had owned it from 1731. Abram rebuilt the mill in 1753 – During Abram’s time, Flatford Mill operated between two floors: #kayaking #dedhamvale #constablecountry #flatfordmill #riverstour
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- Published: 17 October 2022
- Location: Essex, England
- Duration: 16:16
- Photography – Stephen Robert Kuta
- Written by – Stephen Robert Kuta
Music –
Music Licensed by Epidemic Sound
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