Tributaries of the River Thames

This article lists the tributaries of the River Thames from the sea to the source, in England. There are also secondary lists of backwaters of the river itself and the waterways branching off.

Note: the River Medway shares the saline lower Thames Estuary.

Tributaries Name Confluence Averagedischarge(m3/s) Source Length Tributaries Catchment Notes Ebbsfleet River Northfleet Springhead, just S. of the A2 road at Southfleet Approx. 10 miles due west of London Stone at Mardyke Purfleet 0.48 Holden's Wood between Great Warley and Little WarleyThurrock Flood Risk Assessment DarentRiver Darent Dartford 0.72 Westerham River Cray Tidal reach: Dartford Creek IngrebourneRiver Ingrebourne or Ingrebourne Rainham, London 0.33 Brentwood Tidal reach: Rainham Creek BeamRiver Beam and/or Rom and Bourne Brook Dagenham 0.34 Stapleford Abbotts Golf Club, Watton's Green The Ravensbourne Rom upstream of inflow of Ravensbourne WogebourneWogebourne Crossness, Thamesmead Oxleas Wood, Shooter's Hill RodingRiver Roding Creekmouth 1.85 Molehill Green, near Dunmow River Roding fluvial/tidal flood defence project - National Environmental Research Council, 1992 Cripsey BrookCran BrookAlders Brook Seven Kings Water Mayes Brook Tidal reach: Barking Creek Lea00River Lea Leamouth 5.48 Leagrave The Hackney Brook River Moselle Pymmes Brook River Ching Turkey Brook River Stort River Beane River Mimram Tidal reach: Bow Creek RavensbourneRiver Ravensbourne or Ravensbourne Deptford 0.43 Keston Spring Brook River Pool River Quaggy Tidal reach: Deptford Creek NeckingerRiver Neckinger or the Neckinger Channel Shad Thames north Southwark (about; longer old catchment drains to other surface and combined water conduits) Mainly diverted to surface and combined sewer drains WalRiver Walbrook or Walbrook Walbrook Wharf, just west of Cannon Street railway station. north walls of City of London () Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains FleetRiver Fleet or Fleet streamBazelgette's Mid and Lower Northern Interceptor Sewers (previously a stream/field ditch ending at Blackfriars, London) Hampstead Heath (as to connecting lengths of ponds)Lamb's Conduit, Fagswell Brook Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains. Was also known as the Holbourne/Holborn EffraRiver Effra Vauxhall west and east limits of Gypsy Hill, London Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains TyburnRiver Tyburn, the Tyburn or the Ty Bourne north and south of Vauxhall Bridge, and small forked mouth around Horseguards Avenue, Westminster (4 mouths) South Hampstead Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains Falconbrook Battersea Tooting Graveney Common, Tooting and east end of Poynder's Road, Clapham Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains WestbourneRiver Westbourne Chelsea Grange Gardens, Hampstead, West Hampstead and two sources in east Willesden (today's Brondesbury Park) Tyburn Brook Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains Counter's Creek west Chelsea/east Fulham Kensal Green Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains WandleRiver Wandle Wandsworth 1.7 Waddon River Graveney Beverley Brook Putney Worcester Park Pyl Brook Stamford Brook Hammersmith Acton Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains – old tidal mouth: Hammersmith Creek Bollo or Bollar Brook Chiswick Acton Diverted to surface and combined sewer drains BrentRiver Brent Brentford 1.32 Barnet Dollis Brook Folly Brook Mutton Brook Duke of Northumberland's River (west) and (east) Isleworth River Crane & River Colne (includes eastern 2.5 miles) Artificial distributary of the Colne and Crane CraneRiver Crane Isleworth 0.54 Hayes, Hillingdon Yeading Brook Sudbrook Petersham Dann's Pond, Richmond Park Latchmere Stream Culverted Hogsmill River Kingston upon Thames 0.98 Ewell Bonesgate Stream RytheThe Rythe Thames Ditton north Oxshott MoleRiver Mole Molesey 5.43 Rusper Ifield BrookGatwick StreamEarlswood BrookPipp Brook The Rye Longford River Hampton Court Palace River Colne Artificial distributary of the Colne AshRiver Ash southwest corner of Sunbury-on-Thames River Colne Distributary of the Colne WeyRiver Wey (and Caker Stream) Weybridge 6.95 Hartley Mauditt and Upper Farringdon, Hampshire (main, north or west branch);parishes of Fernhurst/Lurgashall in South Downs National Park (south branch) River Ock, Surrey Cranleigh WatersRiver Tillingbourne Hoe Stream (fed by the Hodge Brook and Stanford Brook)Of south branch:River Slea, HampshireDead WaterCooper's Stream Source of south branch about 52 miles to/from mouth. BourneRiver Bourne, Chertsey Weybridge Windsor Great Park, Ascot and Swinley ForestRiver Bourne, Addlestone ColneRiver Colne Staines 4.05 (before all distributaries) North Mymms River Pinn River Misbourne River Chess River Gade River Ver Colne Brook Hythe End, Wraysbury River Colne Distributary of the Colne CutThe Cut Bray North Ascot Bull Brook, The Bourne WyeRiver Wye Bourne End 1.00 West Wycombe Hughenden Stream In wet years this river is additionally sourced by an aquifer further up the same valley, extending the river by another mile in length.Hamble BrookHambleden MarinaSourced by an aquifer in the Hambleden Valley, occasionally dry. LoddonRiver Loddon Wargrave 2.16 Basingstoke St Patrick's Stream River Broadwater Emm Brook River Blackwater Berry BrookBerry Brook Hallsmead Ait, near Shiplake street (Surface Water) drains of South View Avenue, Caversham KennetRiver Kennet Reading 9.75 Swallowhead spring and others near Silbury Hill Foudry Brook Clayhill Brook River Enborne River Lambourn River Dun River Og PangRiver Pang Pangbourne 0.62 Compton River Bourne, Berkshire River Roden ThameRiver Thame Dorchester 3.90 Rowsham / Cheddington, Vale of Aylesbury OckRiver Ock Abingdon 1.52 Cock Well, Little CoxwellHolywell Brook (rising in same parish)Stutfield Brook CherwellRiver Cherwell Oxford 7.2 Hellidon River Ray River Swere EvenlodeRiver Evenlode Above King's Lock 3.7 Moreton-in-Marsh, OxfordshireRiver GlymeRollright Brook WindrushRiver Windrush Newbridge 3.27 Taddington, Gloucestershire River DiklerRiver Eye, Gloucestershire ColeRiver Cole Above Buscot Lock 1.20 Burderop Park, Hodson, WiltshireDorcan Stream (has subsumed original Cole sources)Pennyhooks Brook LeachRiver Leach Lechlade 0.75 Hampnett, Gloucestershire Coln00River Coln Lechlade 2.06 Brockhampton, Gloucestershire RayRiver Ray, Wiltshire Cricklade 1.28 Markham Hill, Wroughton, Wiltshire KeyRiver Key Cricklade West of Battle Lake, Braydon ChurnRiver Churn Cricklade 0.86 Seven Springs, Gloucestershire

The average discharge is taken from the lowest point at which measurements are taken, which may be upstream of the confluence.

Backwaters and cuts This list comprises the principal instances; longest ex-mill races (leats), with own articles are included; the main weirstream/river stream of each Thames lock is omitted and the smallest such associated instances; but the Sheepwash Channel is included for its importance in Oxford. +Principal backwaters and cuts (ordered lowest to highest elevation) NameRe-convergence Length Effluence The Creek, Sunbury Wheatley's Ait (North), Sunbury-on-Thames Tumbling Bay weir, east Shepperton (traditionally) (& storm weir) Desborough Cut SW Walton-on-Thames NE Weybridge Abbey River Chertsey Lock Penton Hook Island, Thorpe Jubilee River Black Potts Ait, Datchet Boulter's Lock, Taplow Clewer Mill Stream Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Windsor Bush Ait, Clewer, Windsor, Berkshire Hennerton Backwater Opposite Ferry Eyot Above Camps Puddle, by foot of Wargrave Hill Swift Ditch Culham Bridge Abingdon Lock Seacourt Stream and Hinksey Stream Kennington Railway Bridge, Oxford North Wytham Castle Mill Stream Gasworks Bridge, Oxford Port Meadow, Oxford Bulstake Stream Osney Rail Bridge Four Rivers, Oxford Sheepwash Channel Four Rivers, Oxford Castle Mill Stream at Isis Lock Kingsbridge Brook/ Wolvercote Mill Stream Above Godstow Lock and weir Oxey Mead, south Yarnton, Oxfordshire

Linked waterways NameVia Confluence Length Destination Notes Regent's Canal Limehouse Basin south exit Little Venice junction with Paddington Arm of Grand Union Canal(to Paddington Basin, or Hayes for Brentford riverside or main course to the Midlands) Lee NavigationLower River Lea Bromley-by-Bow Hertford Castle Weir, Hertford, Hertfordshire Grand Union CanalLower River Brent Brentford Birmingham Wey and Godalming NavigationsLower River Wey Weybridge Godalming, Surrey, via Guildford Maidenhead Waterways Bray — Unnavigable Kennet and Avon CanalRiver Kennet Reading Bristol and via Avonmouth the Bristol Channel, Atlantic OceanWilts & Berks Canal Abingdon Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington near Melksham, west Wiltshire Abandoned 1914, under restorationOxford Canal Sheepwash Channel, Oxford Oxford Coventry, Warwickshire and the Grand Union CanalDukes CutKing's Lock Thames and Severn CanalRiver Coln Lechlade Stroud, Gloucestershire and Gloucester and the Severn valley Closed 1933, under restoration

Poem by Alexander Pope listing some Thames tributaries

See also

Locks and weirs on the River Thames Islands in the River Thames

References

Cove-Smith, Chris (2006). The River Thames Book. Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. . Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs, 1920. Republished by David & Charles, 1968.

External links Map of 'Tributaries of the River Thames' compiled from this list, includes tributaries and confluences