The River Rae - Birmingham

History

The river Rea runs through the city center of Birmingham and spans over 23 km or 14 miles, The river starts at waseley hills country park and drops over 70m within its first mile, from here its a steady decline. There are numerous tributaries to the Rea including Callow brook, Bourne brook and flows into one of few remaining fords at the MIll walk in Northfield. The above ground culvert was constructed in the 19th century by the Worcester canal company after local mill owners complained that water from the river was being diverted to maintain canal levels which affect the effectiveness of their mills. The river passes through a pair of decorative archways which marks the very first settlement in Birmingham. The river completes itself near Gravelly hill interchange where it merges with the river Tame and eventually flows out to the north sea via the River Trent and Humber Estuary.