Thames Estuary

The Thames Estuary is a large estuary where the River Thames flows into the North Sea. The estuary is one of the largest inlets on the coast of Great Britain and parts of it constitute a major shipping route.

Related Topics:
Estuary - River Thames - North Sea - Coast - Great Britain - Shipping

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The term applies to the coast and the low-lying lands between the mouth of the River Stour on the Essex/Suffolk border and The Swale Estuary in north Kent; it extends up the river into London near Tower Bridge. It is now usually designated the Greater Thames Estuary: it is also a Natural Area under the auspices of English Nature.

Related Topics:
River Stour - Essex - Suffolk - The Swale - Kent - London - Tower Bridge - English Nature

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Saltmarshes and mudflats dominate the area, although much of the length has man-made embankments where the land behind is now cultivated or used for grazing. Rising sea levels in places may make it necessary to reflood some of that land in the future however. Where there is rising land some urban development has taken place, examples being Sheerness and Gravesend in Kent, and

Related Topics:
Sheerness - Gravesend

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Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.

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The inner Thames Estuary, now named Thames Gateway, on both banks of the river, has been designated as one of the principal development areas in Southern England by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and much development is planned for this area.

Related Topics:
Thames Gateway - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

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