History of the River Witham

The River Witham has a transport history dating from Roman times. It becomes tidal at Boston, a seaport for over 800 years, before entering The Wash. The Sleaford Navigation (Kyme Eau) connects with the River Witham at Chapel Hill.

The Romans connected the river with Lindum Colonia, now known as Lincoln, and westwards to the River Trent via the Fossdyke Navigation in around 120AD. Agricultural produce was a staple but one of the river's more unusual cargoes was the stone used to build Lincoln Cathedral in the 11th century. The Glory Hole in Lincoln is reputedly the oldest bridge in the country with buildings still standing on it.

Other than work carried out during the time of Henry I in the 12th century, little improvement was made until the construction of the Grand Sluice at Boston in the middle of the 18th century as a flood prevention measure. Once this was in place, locks were built along the river to aid navigation.