The River Meon () is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at East Meon then flows in a generally southerly direction to empty into the Solent at Hill Head near Stubbington.[Hampshire County Council (2006). Activities at Titchfield Haven - River Study . Retrieved March 19, 2005.] Above Wickham, the river runs through the South Downs National Park.
Course
The River Meon rises one mile (1.6 km) south of the village centre of East Meon. It flows due north, then northwest to
West Meon, and southwest to
Warnford followed by its characteristic, quite straight, south-southwest course, with many tiny wobbles in short stretches. The river descends through the villages of Exton,
Corhampton and
Meonstoke,
Droxford, Wickham, and
Titchfield. The river outflows over of estuary through the marshes of the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve to enter the
Solent through a small harbour at
Hill Head.
[Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map 119 - Meon Valley, Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham. .] Overall the valley forms the shape of that of a shepherd's crook.
Navigation
Above the estuary has never been navigable. Titchfield Haven, on the Solent coast was a minor harbour. In the 17th century, the Earl of Southampton caused a sluice (not a
canal) to be built (
Titchfield Canal) to drain the marshes. The reinstated wetlands form the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve.
Water quality
The Environment Agency measures the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of
,
and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail.
[ Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.]
Water quality of the River Meon in 2019:
Gallery
| South Downs to the Solent" mode=packed heights=165>
File:River Meon at East Meon - geograph.org.uk - 425106.jpg | 1. East Meon
File:River Meon upstream, of the A32 roads bridge at Warnford - geograph.org.uk - 239505.jpg | 2. The Meon at Warnford
File:Bridge carrying King's Way across River Meon at Soberton - geograph.org.uk - 237768.jpg | 3. Bridge over River Meon at Soberton
File:Mislingford - geograph.org.uk - 400701.jpg | 4. Mislingford
File:View upstream of River Meon as it crosses Ironmill Lane - geograph.org.uk - 458456.jpg | 5. Fareham, north of the M27 motorway
File:River Meon flooding over Fishers Hill road - geograph.org.uk - 1157558.jpg | 6. Flooding in Catisfield
File:Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 94769.jpg | 7. Titchfield Haven
File:The Mouth of the River Meon. - geograph.org.uk - 193535.jpg | 8. River Meon at the Solent
|
See also
-
Meonwara - The people who lived in the Meon Valley during the Anglo-Saxon period.
External links
-
Ordnance Survey National Grid: (source), (mouth)
-
Current flood status for River Meon, from the Environment Agency
