River Foss - Izeria

The River Foss is in North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks Woods near Oulston Reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse in the centre of York. The name most likely comes from the Latin word Fossa, meaning ditch. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The York district was settled by Norwegian and Danish people, so parts of the place names could be old Norse. Referring to the etymological dictionary "Etymologisk ordbog", ISBN 82-905-2016-6 deals with the common Danish and Norwegian languages – roots of words and the original meaning. The old Norse word Fos (waterfall) means impetuous. The River Foss was dammed, and even though the elevation to the River Ouse is small, a waterfall was formed. This may have led to the name Fos which became Foss. The responsibility for the management of the river's drainage area is the Foss Internal drainage board (IDB). It has responsibility for the area from Crayke to the pre-1991 city boundary of York covering 9,085 hectares and 162.54 km of waterways. The Foss IDB is part of the York Consortium of Drainage Boards that oversees 10 IDB's in the Yorkshire region. The typical river level range at the Foss Barrier is between 5.05m and 7.90m. The highest river level recorded was 10.20 metres and the river level reached 9.34 metres on 23 January 2008.

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River Foss Barrier

The Foss Barrier consists of a retractable floodgate and pumping station owned and managed by the Environment Agency. It straddles the River Foss in York, just above the confluence of the Foss with the River Ouse. The barrier’s purpose is to prevent water from the Ouse flowing upstream into the Foss, raising water levels and flooding properties along the River Foss. The pumps next to the flood gate move water around the barrier via a side culvert so that it can continue to drain into the Ouse. This prevents water levels on the Foss rising when the barrier is closed. The Ouse’s normal water level at York is approximately 5 metres (16 ft) AOD (Above Ordnance Datum). When the river level reaches 7.5 metres (25 ft) AOD, the barrier is lowered into the Foss, shutting it off from the Ouse. The electrically driven barrier takes less than five minutes to lower into position. The barrier operates as a ‘turn and lift’ gate (see below) so it opens and closes in a similar way to a garage door. The pump-house attached to the barrier maintains the water level in the Foss at around 6.5 metres (21 ft) AOD. When the flood subsides and the level of the Ouse drops back to 6.5 metres (21 ft), the levels in both rivers are equalised so the barrier opens, and the pumps shut down.

Landmark Maritime

Tower House, York

Tower House is a former military headquarters building in Fishergate, York, England.

Government Landmark

Masons Arms, York

The Masons Arms is a pub on Fishergate, immediately south of the city centre of York, in England. The Masons Arms was first recorded in 1835, when George Tilney successfully applied for a licence. It had a bar, tap room and smoke room, and also offered one bedroom for visitors. The pub was demolished and rebuilt in 1936, in a Tudor Revival style. The new building was designed by James Knight, who was working for Biscomb and Ferrey. It is of two storeys, the ground floor of stone, and the first floor of brick, with timbers inlaid to resemble timber framing. There are two front entrances, one either side of the central bay, with identical porches. At each end of the front is a large corbel, one depicting the White Rose of York, and the other five lions, taken from the city's coat of arms. The ground floor bar area has panelling and a fireplace dating from about 1830, which was taken from the gatehouse of York Castle, that having been demolished in 1935. The lounge bar and sitting room were combined after World War II, but the public bar remains a separate space. The building was Grade II listed in 1996. It was inundated during the 2015 York flood and finally reopened in July 2016, following restoration.

Landmark Nightlife

Pikeing Well

The Pikeing Well, occasionally known as Lady Well, is a well in the city of York, in England. The well lies on New Walk, which runs along the east bank of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, running south from the city centre. The walk was laid out in the 1730s, as an attraction for visitors to the city. By the 1750s, mineral water spas were popular places to visit. York did not have mineral water springs, so the city council instead decided to commission a decorative wellhead over an existing well. It claimed that the water was useful for healing illness related to the eye. The wellhead was designed by John Carr, its form inspired by grottos. He reused Mediaeval stonework, which is sometimes said to have come from the chancel of All Saints' Church, but must have come from another source, as the chancel was not demolished until 1782. The commission was for £88 13 shillings, but Carr's fee was reduced by £25 in exchange for granting him the Freedom of the City. The building is small and rectangular, with a semicircular niche at the rear, and a round-headed door facing the river. It is built of a mixture of limestone and sandstone. There is a parapet, which incorporates a broken 12th-century capital. There is a barrel roof, now covered in asphalt. Inside, the floor is covered in flagstones, and in the centre is a stone-lined pool, with steps down to it. The well was closed by the Ministry of Health in 1929, at which time, an iron gate was placed over the pool. The building was Grade II* listed in 1954, and it was restored in 2000.

Historic Site Landmark