London's Lost Rivers - Book and Walking Tours by Paul Talling
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  • London's Lost Rivers
    • The Black Ditch
    • Bollo Brook
    • Carbuncle Ditch
    • The Cock & Pye Ditch
    • Counter's Creek
    • Earl's Sluice
    • River Effra
    • Falcon Brook
    • River Fleet
    • Hackney Brook
    • River Moselle
    • Muswell Stream
    • River Neckinger
    • Parr's Ditch
    • River Peck
    • Pudding Mill River
    • Rotherhithe Mill Streams
    • Stamford Brook
    • River Tyburn
    • Tyburn Brook
    • River Walbrook
    • River Westbourne
  • London's Lost Canals
    • City Canal
    • Croydon Canal
    • Cumberland Arm
    • Grand Surrey Canal
    • Grosvenor Canal
    • Kensington Canal
    • Romford Canal
    • Royal Arsenal Canal
    • The Royal Gunpowder Mills Canals
  • Author's Guided Walks
    • River Fleet Walk
    • River Tyburn Walk
    • River Westbourne Walk
    • Lost Rivers of Hampstead Walk
    • Lost Docks of Wapping Walk
    • Grand Surrey Canal Walk
    • Woolwich - Dockyard & Royal Arsenal Canal Walk
    • Isle of Dogs Canal and Millwall Docks Walk
    • Derelict Limehouse & Poplar Walk
    • Derelict Silvertown walk
    • River Peck/Earl's Sluice
    • Bow Creek
    • River Neckinger walk
    • Croydon Canal Walk
    • Hammersmith Walk
    • East Finchley to Gospel Oak
    • Whitechapel and Bethnal Green walk
    • Minories to Poplar
  • Buy The Book Here
    • Sample Chapter
    • Reviews
  • London's Lesser Known Rivers
    • Beverley Brook
    • Bow Backs Rivers
    • River Brent
    • River Ching
    • River Crane
    • River Cray
    • River Darent
    • Dead River
    • Dollis Brook
    • Duke of Northumberland's River
    • River Ember
    • Hogsmill River
    • River Lea
    • River Mole
    • The New River
    • River Pool
    • River Ravensbourne
    • River Roding
    • The Silk Stream
    • River Wandle
    • Yeading Brook
  • Contact/Mailing List
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  • London's Lost Music Venues
  • Home
  • London's Lost Rivers
    • The Black Ditch
    • Bollo Brook
    • Carbuncle Ditch
    • The Cock & Pye Ditch
    • Counter's Creek
    • Earl's Sluice
    • River Effra
    • Falcon Brook
    • River Fleet
    • Hackney Brook
    • River Moselle
    • Muswell Stream
    • River Neckinger
    • Parr's Ditch
    • River Peck
    • Pudding Mill River
    • Rotherhithe Mill Streams
    • Stamford Brook
    • River Tyburn
    • Tyburn Brook
    • River Walbrook
    • River Westbourne
  • London's Lost Canals
    • City Canal
    • Croydon Canal
    • Cumberland Arm
    • Grand Surrey Canal
    • Grosvenor Canal
    • Kensington Canal
    • Romford Canal
    • Royal Arsenal Canal
    • The Royal Gunpowder Mills Canals
  • Author's Guided Walks
    • River Fleet Walk
    • River Tyburn Walk
    • River Westbourne Walk
    • Lost Rivers of Hampstead Walk
    • Lost Docks of Wapping Walk
    • Grand Surrey Canal Walk
    • Woolwich - Dockyard & Royal Arsenal Canal Walk
    • Isle of Dogs Canal and Millwall Docks Walk
    • Derelict Limehouse & Poplar Walk
    • Derelict Silvertown walk
    • River Peck/Earl's Sluice
    • Bow Creek
    • River Neckinger walk
    • Croydon Canal Walk
    • Hammersmith Walk
    • East Finchley to Gospel Oak
    • Whitechapel and Bethnal Green walk
    • Minories to Poplar
  • Buy The Book Here
    • Sample Chapter
    • Reviews
  • London's Lesser Known Rivers
    • Beverley Brook
    • Bow Backs Rivers
    • River Brent
    • River Ching
    • River Crane
    • River Cray
    • River Darent
    • Dead River
    • Dollis Brook
    • Duke of Northumberland's River
    • River Ember
    • Hogsmill River
    • River Lea
    • River Mole
    • The New River
    • River Pool
    • River Ravensbourne
    • River Roding
    • The Silk Stream
    • River Wandle
    • Yeading Brook
  • Contact/Mailing List
  • Advertising on London's Lost Rivers
  • Privacy Policy/Cookies
  • London's Lost Music Venues
London's Lost Rivers - Book and Walking Tours by Paul Talling

​London's Lesser Known Rivers - Hogsmill River 

Picture of Clattern Bridge across the Hogsmill in Kingston  has an original 12th Century structure and believed to be one of the oldest road bridges in Britain
Clattern Bridge in Kingston has an original 12th Century structure and believed to be one of the oldest road bridges in Britain
The Hogsmill River in Surrey is one of the tributaries of the River Thames.

The Hogsmill's source is a chalk spring in Ewell in Surrey. It flows in a northerly direction through Old Malden, New Malden and Berrylands to the River Thames close to the centre of Kingston upon Thames. The river is approx  7 miles in length.

The main river flows through much low-lying land, the majority of which is given over to sports grounds, until the final section through the built-up area of Kingston. Epsom and Ewell borough council maintain the Hogsmill Open Space which follows the river until the boundary with Kingston.

The name "Hogsmill" may come from John Hog, an important 12th century resident of Kingston upon Thames.

The Hogsmill has appeared in the art of Millais in his rendition of Ophelia - the play may have been in Denmark and the model in a bath, but the landscape was the Hogsmill near Ewell. The Hogsmill is known for watermills, reputed to have produced gunpowder for the Napoleonic and American Civil Wars. 

William the Conqueror is said to have "watered his horse" in the source waters near today's Spring Hotel. Other points of interest are the Coronation Stone beside the river in Kingston which was believed to have been used for the coronations of up to seven Saxon Kings and the adjacent Clattern Bridge has an original 12th Century structure and believed to be one of the oldest road bridges in Britain.

In past centuries the Hogsmill was a fast flowing river which provided a variety of mills including 12 gunpowder mills. The Worcester Park gunpowder mills on several occasions blew up. In 1851, it was the door of the derelict gunpowder huts near here which pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt used in his picture "The Light of the World". This mill is at the junction of three parishes and has variously been known as Malden, Long Ditton, Tolworth and Worcester Park mills. It was once run by the Evelyn Family (of John Evelyn, the diarist, fame). More recently, HG Wells, Jimmy Hill and ex-pm John Major also lived down the road.
Picture
William Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World"

River Hogsmill (from Ewell to Tolworth) - click on pics for description and to enlarge:

River Hogsmill (from Tolworth to Kingston) - click on pics for description and to enlarge

London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling. All images are copyright.