River Medway

River Medway
Medway at Gun Wharf, Chatham
Rivers in Kent, showing the Medway
Location
CountryEngland
RegionSouth East England, West Sussex, Kent
DistrictMid Sussex, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Medway and Maidstone
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationTurners Hill, West Sussex
 • coordinates51°06′25″N 0°5′37″W / 51.10694°N 0.09361°W / 51.10694; -0.09361
 • elevation489 ft (149 m)
MouthThames Estuary
 • location
Garrison Point, Sheerness, Kent
 • coordinates
51°26′57″N 0°44′18″E / 51.44917°N 0.73833°E / 51.44917; 0.73833
Length70 mi (113 km)
Basin size930 sq mi (2,400 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationTeston
 • average11.08 m3/s (391 cu ft/s)
 • minimum0.43 m3/s (15 cu ft/s)24 August 1978
 • maximum358.6 m3/s (12,660 cu ft/s)16 September 1968
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftEden, Bourne, Wateringbury Stream, East Malling Stream, other minor streams
 • rightTeise, Beult, Loose Stream, Len, other minor streams
Designation
Official nameMedway Estuary & Marshes
Designated15 December 1993

The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance of 70 miles (113 km). About 13 miles (21 km) of the river lies in East Sussex, with the remainder being in Kent.[1]

The Medway has a catchment area of 930 square miles (2,409 km2), the second largest in southern England after the Thames. The map opposite shows only the major tributaries: a more detailed map[2] shows the extensive network of smaller streams feeding into the main river. Those tributaries rise from points along the North Downs, the Weald and Ashdown Forest.

  1. ^ Arscott, David (2011). A Little Book of Sussex. Abingdon: The History Press Ltd.
  2. ^ Map of the Medway catchment area:The River Medway (and tributaries) Archived 22 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine