Nailsworth Stream is a small river in Gloucestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Frome. From its source near Cherington, it flows westwards through Avening to reach Nailsworth, where it turns towards the north, and passes through Woodchester to join the Frome at Dudbridge, a suburb of Stroud.
Course
Nailsworth Stream rises as a series of springs to the north-west of Cherington. It flows to the south-west and enters Cherington Pond, a Y-shaped lake which is also fed by other springs. It continues past the hamlet of Nag's Head, and turns to the west to reach Avening. In the village, it is culverted under a building, once the site of a corn mill, and then passes under the B4014 High Street and Church Street, to be joined by another stream, flowing to the north-west from Lodgemore Pond. At the junction, it turns to the north, and passes under Woodstock Lane and back under the B4014. Soon it reaches the southern tip of Gatcombe Park, a grade II listed park and garden which was set out in the late 18th century. A sewage treatment works is located on the left bank, where the river turns to the west. Soon it enters a large L-shaped lake called Gatcombe Water, and at its western end are a number of buildings associated with Longfords Mill. The main mill building dates from the early or mid 18th century, with alterations from 1828. It has ten bays and four storeys.
A little further downstream was Iron Mills. A building dating from 1830, which was once partly used for warehousing, has been converted into two houses, while the mill house, dating from 1683, with 19th century extensions, has been converted into four houses. Next the river arrives at an industrial estate, once the site of Holcombe Mill. A tall octagonal chimney dating from the mid-19th century is the most prominent feature. It is connected by a dilapidated building to a two-storey mill building with 11 bays of similar age to the chimney.
On the eastern edge of Nailsworth are more industrial buildings, where the river is partially culverted. To the north-west of George Street was Station Corn Mill, and beyond Station Road was Egypt Mill, dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries, although medieval masonry seems to be included in the structure. The river splits into two, and there were two mill wheels, one on each stream, one of which predates 1820. The river continues as two channels, and at Watledge there are three ponds constructed between the channels. These supplied water to drive Dunkirk Mills, which has the best surviving mill buildings in Gloucestershire, and probably had the best water power of all the mills on the Nailsworth Stream. The mill was constructed in 1741 and rebuilt in 1798. The works were extended five times between 1805 and 1855.
The river is culverted beneath modern buildings, surfaces briefly to pass under Giddynap Lane, and then passes under a trading estate, formerly the site of Dyehouse Brass Works. Just downstream of that is an office building dating from the early 19th century which was formerly Merrett's Mill. The river is crossed by the A46 road. The remains of Frogmarsh Mill include an early 17th century house, which was incorporated into the mill buildings and altered in the 19th century. The river passes to the east of South and North Woodchester, where there is a huge Roman Villa site. It was discovered in 1693 and investigated in 1712, 1722 and 1793, when over 64 rooms were found. It is famous for the "Orpheus Mosaic", which was opened up seven times between 1880 and 1973 for the public to view it.
The river continues, flowing to the west of Lightpill. The site of Cotswold Mills is marked by a 17th-century mill house with three storeys and a stone roof. A little further downstream is Lightpill Mill. The present building dates from the early 19th century and has four storeys. The river is then culverted beneath a trading estate, appears in the open and is then culverted beneath housing on Dudbridge Meadow and Selsey Hill. It then runs through the car park of Sainsbury's Dudbridge supermarket, where it powered a flour mill. The building has five floors and dates from 1849. The junction with the Frome was just beyond the mill, although this appears to have been altered by the construction of the supermarket and the A419 bypass, which crosses the river below the mill. There is a second channel for the Frome on the western side of the bypass.