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The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, Sussex, and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance of . About of the river lies in Sussex, with the remainder being in Kent. It has a catchment area of , the largest in southern England after the Thames. The map opposite shows only the major tributaries: a more detailed map〔(Map of the Medway catchment area:The River Medway (and tributaries) )〕 shows the extensive network of smaller streams feeding into the main river. Those tributaries rise from points along the North Downs, the Weald and Ashdown Forest. ==Tributaries== The major tributaries are: * River Eden * River Bourne, known as the River Shode and River Busty * River Teise, major sub tributary River Bewl. * River Beult * Loose Stream * River Len Minor tributaries include: * The Wateringbury Stream * The East Malling Stream Former minor tributaries include the Old Bourne River, that flowed through the Brook, Chatham (not to be confused with the main tributary River Bourne). The river and its tributaries flow through largely rural areas, Tonbridge, Maidstone and Medway being the exceptions. The Medway itself initially flows in a west-east direction south of the North Downs; at the confluence of the River Beult, however, it turns northerly and breaks through the North Downs at the Medway Gap, a steep and narrow valley near Rochester, before its final section to the sea. Until 1746 the river was impassable above Maidstone. To that point each village on the river had its wharf or wharves: at Halling, Snodland, New Hythe and Aylesford. Cargoes included corn, fodder, fruit, stone and timber. In 1746 improvements to the channel meant that barges of could reach East Farleigh, Yalding and even Tonbridge. In 1828, the channel was further improved to Leigh. There are eleven locks on the river. The lowest, opened in 1792, is at Allington, and is the extent of tides. The others are East Farleigh, Teston, Hampstead Lane, Stoneham Old Lock (disused), Sluice Weir Lock, Oak Wier Lock, East Lock, Porter's, Eldridge's and Town Lock in Tonbridge. The locks will take craft up to by , and vessels with a draft of can navigate the river. The shallowest point is just below Sluice Weir Lock which is prone to silting after heavy rain.〔The Medway navigation, Leaflet,March 1991, NRA-National Rivers Authority〕 Small craft such as canoes can sometimes travel as far as Penshurst. The stretch from Leigh to Allington is known as the Medway Navigation, and is in length. The Environment Agency is the navigation authority. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「River Medway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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