The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. It flows into the tidal River Thames at Deptford, where its tidal reach is known as Deptford Creek.
The Ravensbourne is 11 miles (17 km) in length with a total catchment area of 180 km2. It flows through the London Boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich.
The Ravensbourne rises at Caesar’s Well, Keston, four miles south of Bromley town centre, and flows initially in a northerly direction. For the initial third of its length the river flows across common land (including Hayes Common and Bromley Common) until it reaches the southern outskirts of Bromley town. There it is joined by the Ravensbourne South Branch and the Ravensbourne East Branch, which substantially increase the flow. It then flows northwards alongside the A21, passing below Bromley town centre through Church Gardens and Glassmill Reservoir, then on into Beckenham Place Park, the last semi-natural reach of the river. Further north it passes through Ladywell Fields, where considerable restoration[clarification needed] work has been taking place since 2007/08, with the removal of a long stretch of 1980’s concrete channeling, re-routing to more closely match its natural course, and the introduction of terraces and SAV to provide animal habitat and improve flood control.[1][2]
South of Bellingham, the small Spring Brook joins the Ravensbourne after flowing only about one mile (1.6 km) from the east through Plaistow and Downham; it crosses the borough boundary from Bromley to Lewisham and it follows a narrow strip of parkland named Shaftesbury Park Recreation Ground and Downham Playing Fields along its short course.
Just above Catford the Ravensbourne is joined by the River Pool. The Ravensbourne is also joined by the River Quaggy (known upstream of Sundridge Park as Kyd Brook, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) in length). This rises near Princess Royal University Hospital at Locksbottom then flows north through Petts Wood to Sundridge Park in Bromley where its name changes to the River Quaggy. It then flows northwards through the Mottingham area to Kidbrooke where it then turns westwards through Manor Park in Lee, before joining the Ravensbourne at Loampit Vale in Lewisham. Numerous other small streams and surface water outfalls join the main river between its source and confluence. Until the 19th century one such stream flowed from Brockley Cross crossing Tanners Hill before joining at Deptford Creek.
Its confluence with the Thames is in Greenwich Reach, north-east of Deptford town centre and downstream of the A2 (and west of Greenwich).
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