List of rivers of England

This is a list of rivers of England, organised geographically and taken anti-clockwise around the English coast where the various rivers discharge into the surrounding seas, from the Solway Firth on the Scottish border to the Welsh Dee on the Welsh border, and again from the Wye on the Welsh border anti-clockwise to the Tweed on the Scottish border.

Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction. The main stem (or principal) river of a catchment is labelled as (MS), left-bank tributaries are indicated by (L), right-bank tributaries by (R). Note that in general usage, the 'left (or right) bank of a river' refers to the left (or right) hand bank, as seen when looking downstream. Where a named river derives from the confluence of two differently named rivers these are labelled as (Ls) and (Rs) for the left and right forks (the rivers on the left and right, relative to an observer facing downstream). A prime example is the River Tyne (MS), the confluence of the South Tyne (Rs) and the North Tyne (Ls) near Hexham. Those few watercourses (mainly in the Thames catchment) which branch off a major channel and then rejoin it or another watercourse further downstream are known as distributaries or anabranches and are labelled (d).

The list is (or at least will be when completed) essentially a list of the main rivers of England (as defined by the Environment Agency) and which includes those named watercourses for which the Environment Agency has a flood defence function. Difficulties arise otherwise in determining what should and what should not be included. Some minor watercourses are included in the list, especially if they are named as 'river'- such examples may be labelled (m).

For simplicity, they are divided here by the coastal sections within which each river system discharges to the sea. In the case of the rivers which straddle the borders with Scotland and Wales, such as the Border Esk, Tweed, Dee, Severn and Wye, only those tributaries which lie at least partly in England are included.

Rivers discharging into the Irish Sea

This section includes all rivers entering the Irish Sea from England between the Scottish border and the Welsh border.

Cumbrian coast

All rivers discharging into the Solway Firth, Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay from the Scottish border south to Silverdale on the Cumbria/Lancashire border.

Flowing into the Solway Firth

Border Esk catchment

The lowest reaches of the Esk are in England but most of the river is in Scotland whilst a short section is followed by the England/Scotland border. Tributaries of the Esk which are wholly in Scotland are omitted from this list but may be found at List of rivers of Scotland.

All further upstream tributaries of the Esk are wholly in Scotland.

Eden catchment

Wampool catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Flowing into the Irish Sea

Derwent catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Ehen catchment

Calder catchment

Cumbrian Esk catchment

Minor coastal catchment

Duddon catchment

Flowing into Morecambe Bay

Minor Coastal catchment

Leven catchment

Kent catchment

Lancashire and Cheshire coast

All rivers discharging into the Irish Sea from Silverdale on the Cumbria/Lancashire border south to the Dee Estuary.

Keer catchment

Lune catchment

Cocker catchment

Wyre catchment

Ribble catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Alt catchment

Mersey catchment

The Dee and most of its tributaries arise in Wales. Though a section of it passes through England, it passes into Wales once again before discharging into the Irish Sea via the Dee estuary. For other rivers entering the Irish Sea and Cardigan Bay from Wales, see List of rivers of Wales. Only those tributaries of the River Dee which flow wholly or partly in England are listed here - for a complete list of the rivers and watercourses of the Dee catchment see List of rivers of Wales.

Dee catchment

All further upstream tributaries of the Dee are wholly in Wales.

Rivers discharging into the Bristol Channel and Southwest Approaches

This section includes all rivers entering the Bristol Channel and the sea off the northern coasts of Devon and Cornwall which is referred to variously as the Southwest Approaches or Celtic Sea.

Rivers Severn and Wye

The lowermost Wye forms the boundary between England and Wales. Only those tributaries of the River Wye which flow wholly or partly in England are listed here - for a complete list of the rivers and watercourses of the Wye catchment and for other rivers entering the Bristol Channel from Wales see List of rivers of Wales.

Wye catchment

All further upstream tributaries of the Wye are wholly in Wales.

The River Severn upstream of the M48 Severn Bridge. This section includes all tributaries of the Severn which lie wholly or partly in England. For tributaries of the Severn which lie partly or wholly within Wales, see List of rivers of Wales.

Severn catchment

With the exception of the Morda and parts of the Camlad, Tanat and Cynllaith all tributaries of the Severn and Vyrnwy upstream of their confluence are in Wales. They can be found here.

Bristol Channel

All English rivers discharging into the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel from the M48 Severn Bridge south and west to Morte Point, North Devon.

Bristol Avon catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Axe catchment

Brue catchment

Parrett catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Lyn catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Heddon, Sherrycombe, Umber & Wilder catchments

Atlantic Coast of Devon and North Cornwall

Rivers discharging into the Atlantic Ocean between Morte Point in North Devon and Land's End.

Taw catchment

Torridge catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Camel catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Rivers discharging into the English Channel

This section includes all rivers entering the sea along England's south coast.

South Coast of Cornwall and Devon

All rivers discharging into the Atlantic Ocean between Land's End, Cornwall and Lyme Regis on the Devon/Dorset border.

Note that there are no watercourses named on either the 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey maps of the Isles of Scilly.

Minor coastal catchments

Helford catchment

Restronguet catchment

Fal catchment

Percuil catchment

St Austell catchment

Par catchment

Fowey catchment

Pol catchment

Looe catchment

Seaton catchment

Tamar catchment

Plym catchment

Yealm catchment

Erme & Avon catchments etc.

Kingsbridge catchment

Dart catchment

Teign catchment

Exe catchment

Otter catchment

Sid catchment

Axe catchment

Coast of Dorset and Hampshire

All rivers discharging into the English Channel between Lyme Regis on the Devon/Dorset border and Hayling Island on the Hampshire/Sussex border but excluding the Isle of Wight.

Minor coastal catchments

River Simene near Symondsbury

Brit catchment

Coastal catchments

Poole Harbour (Frome and Piddle catchments and minor streams)

Christchurch Harbour (Stour and Avon catchments)

Minor coastal catchments

Test catchment

Itchen catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Isle of Wight

All rivers in the Isle of Wight - list taken anticlockwise from Cowes

Medina catchment etc.

Newtown River catchment

Western Yar catchment

Eastern Yar catchment etc.

Wootton Creek catchment etc.

Coast of South East England

All rivers discharging into the English Channel and Straits of Dover between Hayling Island on the Hampshire/Sussex border and Foreness Point at the northeast corner of Kent. This section includes the entire coast of Sussex and the south and east coasts of Kent.

Minor coastal catchments

Arun catchment

Adur catchment

Ouse catchment

Cuckmere catchment

Pevensey Haven catchment

Wallers Haven catchment

Combe Haven catchment

Rother catchment

Dour catchment

Stour catchment

Rivers discharging into the North Sea

This section includes all of the rivers along England's east coast.

Thames Estuary

All rivers discharging into the Thames and Medway and their estuaries. This section includes the coast of Kent west of Foreness Point at the northeast corner of Kent and the south coast of Essex, west of Shoeburyness. But see also

Medway catchment

Thames catchment

East Anglian Coast

All rivers discharging into the North Sea along the coast of East Anglia, including the counties of Essex (north and east of Shoeburyness), Suffolk and Norfolk as far as King's Lynn.

Crouch catchment

Blackwater catchment

Colne catchment

Stour catchment

Orwell catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Yare catchment

Coastal catchments

Great Ouse catchment

Lincolnshire Coast and The Wash

All rivers discharging into The Wash and the North Sea between King's Lynn and Cleethorpes at the mouth of The Humber.

Nene catchment

Welland catchment

The Haven catchment

Steeping catchment

Saltfleet catchment

Grainthorpe catchment

Tetney Haven catchment

Humber catchment

This section includes all rivers entering the Humber, defined as the estuary west of a line between Spurn Head and Cleethorpes. The Humber is often referred to as the River Humber though the name is unusual insofar as it is an entirely tidal stretch of water formed as the Rivers Ouse and Trent combine at Trent Falls.

Minor coastal catchments

Ancholme catchment

Minor catchment

Trent catchment

Yorkshire Ouse catchment

Hull catchment

Sands Drain catchment

Yorkshire Coast

All rivers entering the North Sea between Spurn Point at the mouth of the Humber and Redcar, Cleveland. This section includes the entire North Sea coast of the traditional county of Yorkshire.

Barmston Main Drain catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Yorkshire Esk catchment

Coastal catchments

Skelton Beck catchment

North East England

All rivers entering the North Sea from Redcar north to the Scottish border. This section includes the rivers of County Durham and Northumberland.

Tees catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Wear catchment

Tyne catchment

Minor coastal catchment

Blyth catchment

Wansbeck catchment

Lyne catchment

Minor coastal catchment

Coquet catchment

Aln catchment

Minor coastal catchments

Tweed catchment

Tributaries of the Tweed which are wholly in Scotland are omitted from this list but may be found in the List of rivers of Scotland.

All further upstream tributaries of the Tweed are wholly in Scotland.

See also

References

Except where otherwise unannotated, rivers and other watercourses in this list are taken from the various sheets of the 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:63,360 scale map series of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain.

  1. OS Contoured road map of Preston, Southport and Blackpool (sheet 29,Popular Edition 1928)
  2. Virtual-knutsford.co.uk
  3. Streetmap,co.uk shows Wyncham Streem named
  4. Wildlifebcnp.org
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