The river Stour was used a great deal for water power and transport during the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1817 John Constable, the artist, shows horse drawn river barges being hauled along the river Stour in his 'Scene on a Navigable River'. The Stour's shallow course, uninterrupted by rapids, required locks to be built at regular intervals to allow barges to pass up and down stream. At the same time water powered mills were also built.

Sudbury had its own quayside but further upstream the river became too small for water transport but was still effective as a source of power. The river was dredged and the banks raised to built large ponds of water which as can be seen here powered water mills to grind local corn into flour. The mill buildings were large with the owners house on site. Nearby were mill workers cottages.

At Sudbury the water meadows were drained to help stop flooding. These were used as common land for the grazing of cattle and sheep by the towns freemen. This is still the practise today. The meadows are also used by local people for walks and to gain access to the river for fishing and boating. Footpaths can be seen crossing the grassland in this picture. The water table under these meadows is carefully managed to provide habitat for wildlife and plants as well as to help with flood control. Today, the river is used by Anglian Water to transport water from a neighbouring drainage basin in Cambridgeshire for use in Essex.