| Beverley Brook | |
|---|---|
 The source of Beverley Brook in Cuddington Recreation Ground | |
 Map of the Beverley and Pyl Brooks showing surrounding parkland and access from settlements | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Cuddington Recreation Park,Worcester Park,Greater London |
| Mouth | |
• location | Barn Elms,River Thames |
• coordinates | 51°28′18.48″N0°13′22.8″W / 51.4718000°N 0.223000°W /51.4718000; -0.223000 |
| Length | 14.3 km (8.9 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Pen Ponds overflow, Keswick Avenue ditch,Coombe Brook |
| • right | Kingsmere Stream, Queensmere Stream,Cannizaro Park stream,Pyl Brook, East Pyl Brook, Old Pyl ditch, Merton ditch culvert, Grand Drive ditch |
Beverley Brook is a 14.3 km (8.9 mi)-long river in the south-western suburbs ofLondon, England. It rises inWorcester Park and joins theRiver Thames to the north of the Putney Embankment atBarn Elms, having flowed through the green spaces ofWimbledon Common,Richmond Park,Barnes Common andPutney Lower Common on its course. It is followed for much of its course by theBeverley Brook Walk.[1]
The brook has acatchment area of 64 km2 (25 sq mi).[2]
The name is derived from the former presence in the river of theEuropean beaver (Castor fiber), a species extinct in Britain since the sixteenth century. TheMiddle English word for beaver wasbever, the word for meadow wasley (orlei or various other spellings, still rarely used today aslea) andbrook meant stream, as it does today. Beverley Brook was thus the Beaver-Meadow Stream.[1][3][4]
For some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the south of Richmond Park, the brook is followed by theA3 trunk road from London to Portsmouth and that stretch of the road is namedBeverley Way in consequence.[5]
Beverley Brook rises at the top of a hill in a shady area at Cuddington Recreation Ground inWorcester Park then flows north in an approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) longculvert under several residential streets and theA2043 road, emerging into an open culvert across the 4 lane interchange fromThe Brook pub. From here the brook flows for about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) alongside Green Lane and past Green Lane Primary School to a bridge under theRaynes Park to Epsom railway line. North of the railway, it flows about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) through the suburb ofMotspur Park and passes under theA3 for the first time, before reachingBeverley Park, where thePyl Brook joins from the east.[6][5]
From the mouth of the Pyl Brook, the strengthened Beverley Brook flows north for just under 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), passing under theLondon to Southampton railway line and acrossMalden Golf Club before passing under the A3 for a second time. From the north side of the A3, theBeverley Brook Walk follows, at times more closely than others, the brook to its mouth. From the A3, the brook passes through a residential area for about 500 metres (1,600 ft) before passing under Coombe Lane and enteringWimbledon Common at its extreme south-western corner.[1][5]
After entering Wimbledon Common, the brook passes along the western edge of the common for some 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) before passing under the A3 for a third time. Along this stretch the lightly managed woodland of the common rises to the east of the brook, with the A3 some distance to the west. Except for the playing fields, the whole of the common, including Beverley Brook, is both aSite of Special Scientific Interest and aSpecial Area of Conservation. Towards the south (upstream) end of the common,Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads nature reserve lies a few metres east of the stream.[1][5][7][8][9][10]
After passing under the A3, the brook then flows northeast for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) throughRichmond Park, the largest ofLondon's Royal Parks. The park is aSite of Special Scientific Interest and aNational Nature Reserve and was first enclosed byCharles I in 1637. It contains many ancientoak trees that pre-date its enclosure, as well as herds ofred deer andfallow deer. Within the park the Beverley Brook creates a water feature used by the deer, smaller animals, water grasses and somewater lilies. Along this stretch the brook is followed by theTamsin Trail as well as theBeverley Brook Walk.[1][5]
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After leaving Richmond Park, the brook flows for some 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi), passing alongsidePalewell Common and theBank of England Sports Ground, before passing under theA205 Upper Richmond Road and reaching Priest's Bridge. At Priest's Bridge, aweir andculvert exist to take flood water directly to the Thames.[1][5]
The brook then continues some 850 metres (2,790 ft) in a north-easterly direction, passing under both theWaterloo to Reading andHounslow Loop railway lines in close succession, before reachingBarnes Green andBarnes Common. Here the brook flows under a footbridge linking the two open spaces. Despite the Thames being under 500 metres (1,600 ft) to the north-west along this stretch, the brook here turns east and heads across the base of the peninsular formed by the larger river's meander aroundBarnes.[1][5]
The brook then flows for another 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) through the south of Barnes, passing between the Barnes playing fields to the north andPutney Lower Common to the south, and joins theRiver Thames betweenBarn Elms andLeader's Gardens.[1][5][6]
The Beverley Brook lies entirely withinGreater London but flows through a number ofLondon boroughs. It rises in the borough ofSutton, which it remains in until Green Lane Primary School, where it briefly becomes the boundary between the boroughs of Sutton andKingston upon Thames, before becoming the boundary between the boroughs of Kingston upon Thames andMerton. This historic South West London boundary continues for the next 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) until just before the brook flows into Richmond Park, where the brook briefly becomes the boundary between the boroughs of Kingston on Thames andWandsworth.[11][12]
Once in Richmond Park, the river passes into the borough ofRichmond. After leaving Richmond Park, the brook briefly forms the boundary between the boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth, before flowing back into the borough of Richmond near Priest's Bridge. It remains in that borough until it reaches Putney Lower Common, where it again forms the boundary between the boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth as far as the Thames.[11]
Beverley Brook's longesttributary isPyl Brook, 5.3 km (3.3 mi) long,[2] which is aLocal Nature Reserve.[13] It flows fromSutton throughLower Morden to join it at Beverley Park inNew Malden.[6] Both brooks are on theEnvironment Agency's watchlist of rivers susceptible to flooding.[citation needed]
For much of the twentieth century, Beverley Brook was joined by poorly treated sewage from a sewage works in Green Lane, Worcester Park. Since some pipe redirection enabling the removing of the works and the introduction of improved treatment methods in 1998, the range of wildlife species in the river has steadily increased.[citation needed]
AtWimbledon Common, Beverley Brook has banks reinforced with wooden "toe-boarding", which prevents use bywater voles,[14] and there is scope for further such improvements.[clarification needed]
Beverley Brook is a regular character inBen Aaronovitch's series of urban fantasypolice procedural novelsRivers of London. She describes her kind thus: "'Orisa', said Beverley. 'We're Orisa. Not spirits, notlocal geniuses – Orisa'."[15]
| Next confluence upstream | River Thames | Next confluence downstream |
| Stamford Brook (north) | Beverley Brook | River Wandle (south) |
