River Ember

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River Ember on its old course as it passes mill buildings

River Ember on new flood management course

Navigable basin of the Ember before joining the Thames

The River Ember is a river in the county of Surrey, England. It is a distributary of the River Mole which splits in two at the Island Barn Reservoir to the South of East and West Molesey. The larger portion becomes the River Ember and flows in an easterly and then northerly direction around the reservoir. The River Mole flows in a northerly and then easterly direction around the reservoir. The two rivers then flow side by side in a north easterly direction, merging 400 metres before joining the River Thames on the south side of the reach above Teddington Lock opposite Hampton Court Palace.

The River Mole once flowed into the River Thames separately further upstream at a point where the present Hampton Court Bridge now crosses the river. However, during the early 1930s, when Hampton Court Way and the bridge were built, the River Mole was redirected to flow into the River Ember and both rivers now enter the Thames in a single widened and straightened channel once occupied only by the River Ember. There have been further alterations to the courses of these two rivers in a major flood prevention scheme since serious flooding in the area in 1947 and 1968.^[1]

[edit] Fishing

There is a section of the river at Old Cow Common, East Molesey where there is free fishing for pike (to 15 pounds), bream, carp, chub, dace, perch, roach and rudd.^[2]