The Rivers Great Ouse and the River Cam

Rising in Northamptonshire, the River Great Ouse flows around 161 miles from its source to the sea. It is joined, along the way, by the Rivers Cam, Little Ouse, Wissey, and Nar. After winding south-east to Buckingham, the Great Ouse runs in a generally north-easterly direction through Bedford, St. Neots, Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ely, and Littleport to Denver Sluice. Finally, the river heads north to King's Lynn and the Wash. Throughout its length the Great Ouse and its banks are steeped in history, but the marinas and locks used by the boaters of today, along with the flood control and drainage systems, make this a modern waterway, too. It is fascinating to compare the present-day river with how it once would have been. Using an evocative collection of informatively captioned old prints and photographs, whose subjects range from boats, bridges, water mills, and ferries to riverside towns and villages, a cathedral city, and a sea port, the author takes the reader on an historical journey along the Great Ouse and some of its tributaries. This delightful new study of bygone days on these waterways will interest local residents, river users, visitors, and transport historians in equal measure.