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, Sium 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 Warwickshire, 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 Grendon 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 surroundings, the arrow-head, Sagittaria sagittifolia; the flowering-rush, Butomus umbellate; the sweet forget-me-not, Myosotis palustris; and trailing in its waters the rare water starwort, Callitriche obtusangula, and the rarer endemic species, Œnanthe fluviatilis.
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