Sudbrook (stream)
| Sudbrook | |
| Stream | |
 Sudbrook, near Ham Gate and pond, Richmond Park
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| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Latchmere Stream |
| Source | |
| - location | Dann's Pond, Richmond Park, Greater London |
| - coordinates | 51°25′40.74″N 0°16′47.64″W / 51.4279833°N 0.2799000°W |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Petersham Meadows, River Thames |
| - coordinates | 51°26′55.34″N 0°18′20.88″W / 51.4487056°N 0.3058000°WCoordinates: 51°26′55.34″N 0°18′20.88″W / 51.4487056°N 0.3058000°W |
| Length | 3.8 km (2 mi) |
  Sudbrook outfall on the Thames at Petersham.
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Sudbrook and its tributary, the Latchmere stream, are streams that drain the areas of north Kingston upon Thames, Ham and Petersham following the course of a meander scar in a terrace of the River Thames.
Sudbrook (from 'South brook') rises at Dann's Pond on relatively high ground in Richmond Park, flowing northwest towards Ham Gate. It flows through a small valley known as Ham Dip and has been dammed and enlarged in two places to form 'Ham Dip Pond' and 'Ham Gate Pond', first mapped in 1861 and 1754 respectively. These were created for the watering of deer. Both ponds are undergoing restoration work including de-silting, due for completion in summer 2013. Sudbrook drains the western escarpment of the hill that, to the east, forms part of the catchment of Beverley Brook and, to the south, the Hogsmill River.
Sudbrook is joined by the Latchmere Stream just beyond Ham Gate Pond. Sudbrook then flows into Sudbrook Park, Petersham, and is culverted for the remainder of its course, discharging into the tidal River Thames to the east of 'River Lane' where the culvert outfall is protected from tidal backflow by a flap valve.
Prior to culverting, Sudbrook used to flow alongside the A307 road and was crossed by a ford at the junction with Sudbrook Lane. The collapse of this culvert in the late 1970s, referred to as the Petersham Hole, caused widespread traffic disruption for over a year.
The name 'Latchmere' derives from 'lache', lazy or slow-moving and 'mere', a marsh or lake.
The Latchmere Stream or Latchmere Brook started as drainage ditches in the Canbury area to the north of Kingston railway station and flows north-east then north, fed from the east by surface runoff from the Richmond Park escarpment and from the west by the slight gradient to the east of the A307 road. Now culverted through most of its course, the Latchmere stream emerges on Ham Common, about 50 metres west of Ham Gate outside Richmond Park then flows a short distance before entering the park under the wall and joining Sudbrook by Ham Gate Pond.
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Wikipedia