Many thanks to
St John Ambulance for facilitating this camera's location. Kendal is built around the River Kent and is crossed by five road bridges, including three historic stone arch bridges, the iron Victoria Bridge, built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, and the modern Romney Bridge. The town is also crossed by a railway bridge, several footbridges and a suspension footbridge, relocated in 1993 using components from the original Romney Footbridge after it was replaced by the current road bridge. Victoria Bridge carries the A6 through Kendal and remains one of the town's most recognisable landmarks. Downstream lies the historic Stramongate Bridge, whose origins date back to at least the 14th century, although much of the present structure was rebuilt in 1794 using material from an earlier 17th-century bridge. Immediately below the bridge is Stramongate Weir, an important feature of the river. Several of Kendal's footbridges have been shaped by the River Kent's powerful floods. Gooseholme Footbridge was destroyed during flooding in 1898, rebuilt, and then badly damaged again during Storm Desmond in December 2015. Following safety concerns, it was demolished in 2019 and is expected to be replaced by a modern single-span cable-stayed bridge. Jennings Yard Footbridge also suffered destruction in the 1898 floods before being rebuilt and later replaced as part of Kendal's flood alleviation works. Miller Bridge, carrying the A65, has a long history dating back to a wooden crossing serving the former Castle Corn Mill. Following repeated flood damage, it was rebuilt in stone during the 18th century, with the present bridge, designed by architect Francis Webster, opening in 1818 to improve access to the Lancaster Canal. Nether Bridge is another historic crossing, with sections dating from the 17th century and later widening in 1772 and 1908. The different phases of construction remain clearly visible within the bridge's arches. The River Kent is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) because of its outstanding wildlife and ecological importance. It supports one of England's strongest populations of the endangered white-clawed crayfish, together with bullhead, freshwater pearl mussels and extensive beds of water-crowfoot and water starwort, which provide valuable habitat for fish and aquatic invertebrates. The river is also well known for its excellent salmon, brown trout and sea trout fishing. The Kent Angling Association, established in 1848, manages approximately eight miles of fishing along the river. Fish passes installed in 1986 enabled salmon to reach important upstream spawning grounds, while ongoing conservation work, including the removal of obsolete weirs and the installation of eel passes, continues to improve fish migration and the overall health of the river. Since 1989, a full-width fish counter at Basinghyll has monitored fish movements along the River Kent. More recently, underwater cameras and modern monitoring equipment have been introduced to identify individual species, providing valuable information for fisheries management and conservation projects across the catchment. The River Kent webcam is located to get the best view of Victoria Bridge (aka Bat or Batman Bridge), where it provides a live view of the river and helps monitor changing river heights and flood conditions throughout the year.
