River Bourne, Kent

River Bourne
The River Bourne enters the Medway
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Ightham. TQ 597 567
• coordinates	51°17′13″N 0°17′28″E / 51.2869°N 0.2911°E / 51.2869; 0.2911
• elevation	249 feet (76 m)
Mouth
• location	River Medway, East Peckham. TQ 664 477
• coordinates	51°12′15″N 0°22′59″E / 51.2042°N 0.3830°E / 51.2042; 0.3830
• elevation	42 feet (13 m)
Length	10-mile (16 km)

v t e River Bourne mills
Legend
River Bourne Old Mill Crouch Mill Basted Mill Lower Basted Mill Winfield Mill Longmill Roughway Paper Mill Hamptons Mill Uridge's Mill Fairlawne Sawmill Claygate Pump Oxonhoath Mill Bourne Mill Goldhill Mill Pierce Mill Little Mill River Medway

The River Bourne rises in the parish of Ightham, Kent and flows in a generally south easterly direction through the parishes of Borough Green, Platt, Plaxtol, West Peckham, Hadlow, and East Peckham where it joins the River Medway. In the 18th century the river was known as the Busty or Buster, the Shode or Sheet, but is not known by these names nowadays. A bourne is a type of stream, while shode means a branch of a river.^[1]

It gives its name to the Bourne ward in Tonbridge and Malling Borough.^[2]