Beverley Brook is a -long river in the south-western suburbs of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. It rises in

Worcester Park Worcester Park is a suburban town in South London, England. It lies in the London boroughs of Sutton and Kingston, and partly in the Surrey borough of Epsom and Ewell. The area is southwest of Charing Cross. The suburb's population was 16,031 ...

and joins the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

to the north of the Putney Embankment at

Barn Elms Barn Elms is an park, open space in Barnes, London, Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, located on the northerly loop of the River Thames between Barnes and Fulham. The WWT London Wetland Centre (105 acres of what were o ...

, having flowed through the green spaces of

Wimbledon Common Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Co ...

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...

, Barnes Common and

Putney Lower Common Putney Lower Common is an open Park, parkland space in the London Borough of Wandsworth between the town centres of Putney and Barnes, London, Barnes. It is part of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, lying 1.5 miles from the rest of the common area. ...

on its course. It is followed for much of its course by the Beverley Brook Walk. The brook has a

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of .

Etymology

The name is derived from the former presence in the river of the

European beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a species of beaver widespread across Eurasia, with a rapidly increasing population of at least 1.5 million in 2020. The Eurasian beaver was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur ...

(''Castor fiber''), a species extinct in Britain since the sixteenth century. The

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

word for beaver was '' bever'', the word for meadow was '' ley'' (or ''lei'' or various other spellings, still rarely used today as ''lea'') and '' brook'' meant stream, as it does today. Beverley Brook was thus the Beaver-Meadow Stream. For some to the south of Richmond Park, the brook is followed by the A3 trunk road from London to Portsmouth and that stretch of the road is named ''Beverley Way'' in consequence.OpenStreetMap
/ref>

Course

From source to Wimbledon Common

Beverley Brook in Motspur Park - geograph

Beverley Brook rises at the top of a hill in a shady area at Cuddington Recreation Ground in

then flows north in an approximately long

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe (fluid conveyance), pipe, reinforced concrete or other materia ...

under several residential streets and the A2043 road, emerging into an open culvert across the 4 lane interchange from ''The Brook'' pub. From here the brook flows for about alongside Green Lane and past Green Lane Primary School to a bridge under the Raynes Park to Epsom railway line. North of the railway, it flows about through the suburb of Motspur Park and passes under the A3 for the first time, before reaching Beverley Park, where the

Pyl Brook Pyl Brook is a small stream in southwest London. It is a tributary of Beverley Brook, itself a tributary of the River Thames. Pyl Brook has two sources. The 5.3 kilometre main brook rises in Sutton Common in Sutton, London, Sutton and flows thro ...

joins from the east. From the mouth of the Pyl Brook, the strengthened Beverley Brook flows north for just under , passing under the London to Southampton railway line and across Malden Golf Club before passing under the A3 for a second time. From the north side of the A3, the Beverley 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 before passing under Coombe Lane and entering

at its extreme south-western corner.

Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park

After entering Wimbledon Common, the brook passes along the western edge of the common for some 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 a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

and a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. Towards the south (upstream) end of the common, Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads nature reserve lies a few metres east of the stream. After passing under the A3, the brook then flows northeast for through

, the largest of London's Royal Parks. The park is a

and a National Nature Reserve and was first enclosed by Charles I in 1637. It contains many ancient

oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...

s that pre-date its enclosure, as well as herds of

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

and

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

. Within the park the Beverley Brook creates a water feature used by the deer, smaller animals, water grasses and some

water lilies ''Water Lilies'' ( ) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artistic production during ...

. Along this stretch the brook is followed by the Tamsin Trail as well as the Beverley Brook Walk.

Richmond Park to the Thames

After leaving Richmond Park, the brook flows for some , passing alongside Palewell Common and the Bank of England Sports Ground, before passing under the A205 Upper Richmond Road and reaching Priest's Bridge. At Priest's Bridge, a

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

and

exist to take flood water directly to the Thames. The brook then continues some in a north-easterly direction, passing under both the Waterloo to Reading and Hounslow Loop railway lines in close succession, before reaching Barnes Green and Barnes Common. Here the brook flows under a footbridge linking the two open spaces. Despite the Thames being under 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 around Barnes. The brook then flows for another through the south of Barnes, passing between the Barnes playing fields to the north and

to the south, and joins the

between

and Leader's Gardens.

Beverley Brook as a boundary

The Beverley Brook lies entirely within

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

but flows through a number of

London boroughs The London boroughs are the current 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs wer ...

. It rises in the borough of

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

, which it remains in until Green Lane Primary School, where it briefly becomes the boundary between the boroughs of Sutton and

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

, before becoming the boundary between the boroughs of Kingston upon Thames and Merton. This historic South West London boundary continues for the next until just before the brook flows into Richmond Park, where the brook briefly becomes the boundary between the boroughs of Kingston on Thames and

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

. Once in Richmond Park, the river passes into the borough of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. 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.

Tributaries

Beverley Brook's longest

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

, long, which is a Local Nature Reserve. It flows from

through Lower Morden to join it at Beverley Park in

New Malden New Malden is a suburban area in southwest London, England. It is within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston upon Thames, Kingston, Norb ...

. Both brooks are on the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

's watchlist of rivers susceptible to flooding.

Environmental improvements

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. At

, Beverley Brook has banks reinforced with wooden "toe-boarding", which prevents use by water voles, and there is scope for further such improvements.

In fiction

Beverley Brook is a regular character in

Ben Aaronovitch Ben Dylan Aaronovitch (born 22 February 1964) is an English author and screenwriter. He is the author of the series of novels '' Rivers of London''. He also wrote two ''Doctor Who'' serials in the late 1980s and spin-off novels from ''Doctor Who ...

's series of urban fantasy

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

novels '' Rivers of London''. She describes her kind thus: "'

Orisa Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several African diaspora religions, religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and B ...

', said Beverley. 'We're Orisa. Not spirits, not local geniuses – Orisa'."

References

External links

Beverley Brook Catchment

Royal Parks press release on the improving water quality of the river
1 January 2004
The Beverley Brook waymarked walk

Beverley Brook Walk map

{{Authority control Geography of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Geography of the London Borough of Merton Geography of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Geography of the London Borough of Sutton Geography of the London Borough of Wandsworth Putney Richmond Park Rivers of London 1BeverleyBrook

Beverley Brook Beverley Brook is a -long river in the south-western suburbs of London, England. It rises in Worcester Park and joins the River Thames to the north of the Putney Embankment at Barn Elms, having flowed through the green spaces of Wimbledon Common ...