Longford River
Encyclopedia
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
that diverts water 19km from the River Colne
River Colne, Hertfordshire
The Colne is a river in England which is a tributary of the River Thames. It flows mainly through Hertfordshire and forms the boundary between the South Bucks district of Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hillingdon...
at Longford
Longford, London
Longford is a village immediately west of London Heathrow Airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Longford is located 15.8 miles west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
to Bushy Park
Bushy Park
- External links :***...
and Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
where it reaches the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
on the reach above Teddington Lock
Teddington Lock
Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames in England at Ham in the western suburbs of London. The lock is on the southern Surrey side of the river....
.
In its northern course, it runs side by side with its "twin", the Duke of Northumberland's River
Duke of Northumberland's River
The Duke of Northumberland's River consists of two sections of artificial waterway. The older name: "Isleworth Mill Stream", or River, more accurately describes the economic motivation for their construction.-The western section :...
, both of which have been diverted on more than one occasion to accommodate the development of Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
. Most recently they were diverted as part of the Twin Rivers Diversion Scheme to allow the construction of Terminal 5. The two rivers emerge to flow along the Airport's southern perimeter, separating at 'Two Bridges' just east of Terminal 4.
The Longford River then flows south east, through Bedfont, Feltham
Feltham
Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
and Hanworth
Hanworth
Hanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow. The name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”....
then forms the boundary between Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
and Hampton Hill
Hampton Hill
Hampton Hill is a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, bounded approximately by Fulwell Golf Course to the north, Bushy Park to the east and the Longford River to the south and west...
before running through Bushy Park
Bushy Park
- External links :***...
to Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
. One outlet is under the Water Gallery opposite the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
's confluence, and the other is adjacent to Raven's Ait
Raven's Ait
Raven's Ait is an ait in the Thames at Surbiton, in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London, England, in the reach above Teddington Lock. It is situated upstream of Queen's Promenade where it departs from the river, and opposite Thames Sailing Club, home of the Thames A Class Raters...
.
Responsibility for the maintenance of the river still resides with the Royal Parks Agency.
History
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, the watercourse's purpose was to augment the water supply to the Royal Parks at Hampton Court and enable the development of the water features. Before the 20th century, the river was known as the New River, the King's River, the Queen's River, the Cardinal's River, the Hampton Court Cut, and the Hampton Court Canal.