A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



Dosthill to the north side of Tamworth, where it receives the Anker, 

 and passing under Lady Bridge, enters Staffordshire and joins the Trent 

 near Croxall. 



2. BLYTHE AND COLE 



The Blythe rises on the high land forming the western boundary 

 of the county at an elevation of 585 feet above sea-level and flows 

 through Earlswood reservoir to Waring's Green, where it receives streams 

 draining a wide stretch of the surrounding country. Here it is a small 

 stream often choked with water-loving plants such as the water honewort, 

 Slum inundatum. Its course is now north-west through low-lying 

 meadows, gay with the beautiful daffodil, Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus ; and 

 under Blythe Bridge, past Escole Hall. Thence the river flows south- 

 east past Temple Balsall, where it is fed by streams draining Packwood 

 and the surrounding country. At this point its course is again diverted 

 northward through Bradnocks Marsh, now a well cultivated district, 

 through the beautiful Packington Park, and east of Coleshill, past the 

 historic Blythe Hall to its confluence with the Tame near Hams Hall. 

 The Cole enters the county at an elevation of about 500 feet near the 

 source of the Blythe, and after flowing for a short distance in a north- 

 easterly direction, forming the boundary between Worcester and Warwick- 

 shire, re-enters the county near Sheldon Hall and has a sinuous easterly 

 course past Chelmsley Wood, passing under a bridge richly covered with 

 the spleenwort, Asplenium Trichomanes ; thence meandering northwards 

 through Coleshill Park and the lower portion of Coleshill to its 

 confluence with the Blythe near Blythe Hall. Like the Blythe its 

 whole course is through low-lying meadows which are liable to be 

 flooded. 



3. THE ANKER 



The Anker has its origin from the confluence of several small streams 

 draining Bulkington, Wolvey and Burton Hastings. It takes a north- 

 west course through Attlebury fields and Chilvers Coton, and receives on 

 its left bank a stream which drains a large area of the coal measures 

 around Bedworth, Chilvers Coton and Nuneaton. Pursuing its way 

 northwards, the Anker flows through Nuneaton, Caldecote and Mancetter. 

 Passing Atherstone on its east side, it flows on north-west through Gren- 

 don Park, and west through Polesworth. After this its course is very 

 winding, making considerable curves north and south before reaching its 

 confluence with the Tame near Lady Bridge. The distance from its rise 

 its mouth is about twenty-five miles. It is everywhere a pretty stream, 

 very like a brook in character, fringed with those lovers of watery sur- 

 roundings, the arrow-head, Sagittaria sagittifolia ; the flowering-rush, 

 Butomus umbellate* ; the sweet forget-me-not, Myosotis palustris ; and trail- 

 ing in its waters the rare water starwort, Callitriche obtusangula, and the 

 rarer endemic species, (Enanthe jiuviatilis. 



36 



