River Bourne, Chertsey
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There are two rivers named Bourne in Surrey which join together at St George's College, Weybridge. This article refers to the north branch which runs through Chertsey. It is not to be confused with the River Bourne, Addlestone which runs through Chobham.
The River Bourne is in Surrey, it runs from its source in Windsor Great Park through Wentworth, Thorpe, Chertsey and St George's College in Weybridge. Here the river joins with another River Bourne, River Bourne (Addlestone branch). This river joins the River Thames near Hamm Court, Weybridge. It is a river tucked into a small area close to the M3 motorway sometimes running along side it.
It is a small river about 3-5m wide and flows over land which is geologically part of the London formation, where clays, sands and gravel overlie chalk. Soils are generally alluvium and the area is low lying. The local annual rainfall is about 635mm.
The river is fished. The chub can reach 5lb, with barbel reported to touch 6lb. It is reported to have bream to 3lb or even carp to 10lb, along with roach, dace, perch and pike.[1]
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[edit] Up stream of Virginia Water Station
From the source in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, the River Bourne flows into Virginia Water Lake exiting it at the eastern end by the cascading waterfall. This landform is man-made. The river then flows past the edge of Wentworth Golf Course before it passes through a narrow corridor on its way to St Ann's Hill, Chertsey. During this passage, the northern bank of the River Bourne receives more sun than the south. This affects the microclimate as there are occasional frost pocket and area of high humidity which impacts on the vegetation.
The bridge nearest the source is an old girder bridge. It is a curiosity and its origin is obsure. Old maps show the valley as wet pastureland, probably suitable for cattle. Therefore a strong bridge would have been necessary.
Near the second bridge downstream from the source, there is colony of mandarin ducks. They were introduced to the River Bourne in 1929-30. The colony is probably the largest in the United Kingdom and is of international significance due to the rapid decline of mandarin ducks in its native Asia.
The land either side of the River Bourne near the source west of Virginia Water railway station is owned by Runnymede Borough Council as trustees of the Cabrera Trust.[2]
[edit] Downstream of Virginia Water Station
In January 2003, the River Bourne burst its banks in Chertsey. Approximately 130 properties were flooded and public buildings, including St Anne's County Primary School, were cut off by floodwater.[3] There was local concern that this flood was exacerbated by the building of the Jubilee River which was a flood alleviation scheme at Maidenhead.
The stretch of water running through Chertsey Meads is particularly full of fish when the River Thames is in flood. This is because the fish swim up the River Bourne to escape the turbulance.
