River
The River Dee is steeped in history. Read about some of the less well known aspects of this great, graceful river.
A view across Lake Bala, which the Dee flows through.
The River Dee runs through North Wales and Cheshire for more than 70 miles from its source near Dolgellau to the sea at the Dee Estuary. It passes through richly varied landscapes and has seen many historical events.
Many people claim River Dee has had an aura of mystery, more so than other rivers. Deva means river of the Goddess. Many poems (including those by Spenser, Tennyson, and Drayton) reference this mysterious aspect.
John Milton’s friend Edward King drowned on the crossing from Chester to Ireland, and Milton wrote his great poem Lycidas in his memory. It includes the line Nor yet where Deva spreads her wizard stream.
In 1399 Flint Castle on the Dee Estuary was the scene of a turning point in history when Richard II was captured by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke - who was crowned Henry IV that year.
Close to the banks of the Dee near Llangollen is the stunning Valle Crucis abbey built in 1201 by the Cistercians. In its day it was famous for lavish feasts and in Wales its wealth was second only to Tintern Abbey (before Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries).
The personification of the River Dee in Wales is Aerfen, the Celtic goddess of fate and warfare. Aerfen apparently had a shrine in Glyndyfrdwy on the banks of the river. According to local legend, three human sacrifices had to be drowned in the river to ensure success in battle.
Wolf Hall trivia: In 1534 William Brereton (one of the men framed for adultery with Anne Boleyn) was allegedly involved in bribery and corruption at Valle Crucis abbey – something he was supposed to be investigating.
In 1800 there was one bridge across the Dee in Chester: the medieval Old Dee Bridge. Now there are three more: the suspension bridge (1923), Grosvenor Bridge (1833), and the railway bridge and footbridge (1904).
One of the Beethoven’s minor pieces is a song setting of the poem The Miller of the Dee. Other composers, including Benjamin Britten, have also set this verse to music.
The most recent bridge across the Dee is the Flintshire Bridge (nicknamed ‘The Bridge to Nowhere’) which was opened in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II.
The River Dee in Chester has frozen over many times, and you can find photographs of people skating on it. Less well known is that Lake Bala has also frozen over repeatedly.
The NHS health board across North Wales is named in honour of Betsi Cadwaladr, born close to Bala Lake. Betsi nursed alongside Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War. Betsi first went to the Crimea at age 65.
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct across the River Dee was the first great masterpiece by Thomas Telford (nicknamed ‘Colossus of Roads’) and it made his international reputation.
In 1354 the Black Prince (father of Richard II, see above) granted Admiralty powers to Chester. These allowed the Mayor of Chester to be ‘Admiral of the Dee’, a title the Lord Mayor still has today.
Between 1732 and 1736 the River Dee west of Chester was diverted from its meandering natural course to flow along an artificial channel all the way to the Dee Estuary.
In Corwen on 16 September 1400 Owain Glyndŵr launched his rebellion against Henry IV (see above). Glyndwr was first effective guerrilla leader, according to Fidel Castro.
Statue of Owain Glyndŵr in Corwen Town Centre
Thomas De Quincey wrote about being scared out of his wits by a tidal bore on the Dee charging alongside him in Chester. This was 1801: the Dee has silted up a lot since then, and the tidal bore is much tamer.
Chester Regatta was founded in 1733 which makes it the world’s regatta. If you fancy watching some vintage footage head over to the British Film Institute’s collection of free films. The link is here: Chester on the River Dee in 1901
A wonderful book on the River Dee is by John Saul Howson, Dean of Chester Cathedral. Howson raised £7m (in today’s money) over 5 years to restore the crumbling fabric of the Cathedral and was instrumental in education in the city.