River Rom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the river in Val Müstair/South Tyrol, see Rom River.

The Rom is a river that flows through the East London suburbs.

The name is believed to be a 'back-formation' from the name of the town Romford, which was sited on a crossing of the river. Some historians believe that the stream was originally named the 'Murkeyditche'[citation needed] and that the name was altered later for the sake of appearances. The name 'Romford' most likely derives from early English 'rúm ford', meaning 'wide or roomy ford'.

The river rises to the north of Romford and flows through it underground in a man-made channel. To the south of the town centre it flows under Roneo Corner. At Eastbrookend Country Park it is joined by a tributary, known locally as the Ravensbourne, which rises in Ardleigh Green and flows through Emerson Park and Harrow Lodge Park.

The Rom then continues under the name of the River Beam and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Havering and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham before reaching the River Thames near the Ford Motor Company Works.