River Ingrebourne

The River Ingrebourne /ˈɪŋɡərˌbɔːrn/ is a tributary of the River Thames 27 miles (43.3 km) in length. It is considered a strategic waterway in London, forming part of the Blue Ribbon Network. It flows through the London Borough of Havering roughly from north to south, joining the Thames at Rainham.

Ingrebourne Rainham Creek
Looking north from the bridge on Berkeley Drive
Location
Country	England
Counties	Greater London
London boroughs	Havering
Towns	Upminster, Hornchurch, Rainham
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Brentwood, Essex
Mouth	River Thames
• location	Rainham Marsh, Rainham
Length	43.3 km (26.9 mi)
Discharge
• location	Gaynes Park
• average	0.33 m3/s (12 cu ft/s)
• minimum	0.06 m3/s (2.1 cu ft/s)17 August 1972
• maximum	29.0 m3/s (1,020 cu ft/s)21 November 1974
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Weald Brook, Carters Brook, Paynes Brook

Etymology

The name is recorded in 1062 as Ingceburne and its suffix is a form of the Old English 'burna', meaning bourne, a type of stream. The meaning of the prefix is unclear, although it could refer to a person.

Description

The Ingrebourne rises near Brentwood, Essex, whence it flows in a southwesterly direction under the M25 motorway through the London Borough of Havering in north east London. The river passes under the motorway near Junction 28, where the first of its tributaries, the 2.7 miles (4.3 km) long Weald Brook joins, followed shortly by Carters Brook and Paynes Brook. After skirting south of the built-up area of Harold Hill, the route passes under the Great Eastern Main Line. From here it is partly non-urban: a large area of flood-plain follows before the Ingrebourne threads between the suburbs of Upminster and Hornchurch.

Ingrebourne Valley from Hornchurch Country Park

The river from here is surrounded by public open space: with Gaynes Parkway, the Ingrebourne Valley Greenway and Hornchurch Country Park taking up the area until reaching Rainham. Here the river divides, the main channel becoming Rainham Creek, where it flows into the Thames between Hornchurch Marshes (to the west) and Rainham Marshes (to the east) at Old Man's Head. The second channel becomes the Wennington Sewers complex.

Significance

The Ingrebourne Marshes are a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the diversity of its wildlife and extensive areas of wetland reeds. The river forms one of the strategic waterways identified in the Blue Ribbon Network policy in the London Plan. The Ingrebourne Valley is a Local Nature Reserve.

Crossings

Crossing	Type	Coordinates	Opened	Notes	Photo
Putwell Bridge	Road bridge	51°36′25″N 0°15′29″E	1582	Carries the A12 road
Harold Park Bridge	Road bridge	51°36′0″N 0°14′59″E
River Ingrebourne Underline Bridge	Railway bridge, brick bridge	51°35′46″N 0°14′31″E		Carries the Great Eastern Main Line
Cockabourne Bridge	Road bridge	51°35′27″N 0°14′20″E	1613
Footbridge	Footbridge	51°35′20″N 0°14′24″E
Rainbow Bridge	Footbridge	51°35′17″N 0°14′23″E	2002
Badger Bridge	Footbridge	51°34′54″N 0°14′47″E	2002
Upminster Bridge	Road bridge	51°33′30″N 0°14′23″E	1375
Hacton Bridge	Road bridge	51°33′3″N 0°13′58″E	1299
Footbridge	Footbridge	51°32′42″N 0°13′16″E
Footbridge	Footbridge, bicycle bridge	51°32′11″N 0°12′56″E
Red Bridge	Road bridge	51°31′15″N 0°11′24″E	1234	Also known as Rainham Bridge
Rainham Viaduct	Girder bridge, high-speed railway viaduct	51°31′7″N 0°11′12″E	2007
Rainham Creek Culvert	Buried watercourse	51°30′30″N 0°10′29″E	1976	Discharges into the River Thames at a sluice

See also

• Tributaries of the River Thames
• List of rivers in England