Mill race

Compared with the broad waters of a mill pond, the narrow current is swift and powerful.

A mill race has many geographically specific names, such as leat,[4] lade, flume, goit, penstock.

[5] In the first meaning of the term, the millrace was the stream; in the sense of the word, there was no separate channel, so no race.

The example of Mill Lade in Godmanchester refers to a wide channel leading to moorings where laden vessels unload, similar waterways known by the similar name of Lode exist in neighbouring districts.

From the waterwheel, the water was channelled back to the course of the stream by a sluice known as the tail race.