15/10/2026
Today’s speaker was Mike Burton, a former journalist and history teacher, who gave us a thoroughly informative talk on the river Trent, ‘England’s Heart’.
England's prosperity was built along the waterway which, since ancient times, has been a great border - the country's north-south dividing line. Great men, great queens, and great innovation mark the Trent's history.
Yet it is, for all that, a mysterious river; silently and secretly doing its own thing and not fully known or understood.
The River Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn and the River Thames. It rises in Staffordshire, on the southern slopes of Biddulph Moor, and flows for approximately 298 kilometers (185 miles).
From its source, the Trent winds northeast through the English Midlands-draining much of the North Midlands-before joining the River Ouse to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea.
Historically, the Trent has been one of England's most important commercial waterways, serving as a key transport route during the Industrial Revolution. It has also been prone to significant flooding.
Periods of heavy raintall have caused the river to overflow its banks, inundating surrounding lowlands. While major engineering works and flood defenses have reduced its impact in modern times, historic floods did alter local channels and reshape floodplains, influencing settlement patterns and agriculture along its course.
Take a look at our website for more information: https://carlton.u3asite.uk/
