River Ravensbourne

The Ravensbourne is one of many rivers which flow into the Thames. Its catchment area is southeast of the Thames.

Ravensbourne Deptford Creek
The river in Bromley
Location
Country	England
London boroughs	London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Lewisham, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Towns	Bromley, Lewisham, Deptford
Physical characteristics
Source	Keston
Mouth	River Thames
- location	Deptford
Length	17.4 km (10.8 mi)
Basin size	180 km2 (69 sq mi)
Discharge
- location	Catford Hill
- average	0.43 m3/s (15 cu ft/s)
- minimum	0.09 m3/s (3.2 cu ft/s)23 May 1992
- maximum	28.4 m3/s (1,000 cu ft/s)9 June 1992
Discharge
- location	Bromley
- average	0.05 m3/s (1.8 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
- left	Ravensbourne South Branch, Ravensbourne East Branch, Spring Brook, River Pool, River Quaggy

The Ravensbourne source rises in Keston, four miles south of Bromley town centre. The river collects many sub-tributaries, such as the River Quaggy. It empties into the Thames at Deptford.

These river names are very old. The Ravensbourne, for example, is noted in the Domesday Book.

In the centre of London the rivers are hidden under the "made" road surfaces (under Fleet Street, for example). The tributaries can usually be seen In the suburbs. The tributaries influenced the positioning of roadways and housing during the 19th century.

Before the 19th century London was a much smaller city. Most of the tributaries to the Ravensbourne ran through country districts at that time.