The
River Tillingbourne (also known as the
Tilling Bourne) runs along the south side of the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
and joins the
River WeyThe River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
at
GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. Its source is near Tilling Springs to the north of
Leith HillLeith Hill to the south west of Dorking, Surrey, England, reaches above sea level, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge, and is the second highest point in south-east England, after Walbury Hill near Hungerford, West Berkshire, high....
at and it runs through Friday Street,
Abinger HammerAbinger Hammer is a village situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford in Surrey, England. It lies with the parish of Abinger which includes Abinger Common and Sutton Abinger...
,
Gomshall,
Shere,
AlburyAlbury is a village and civil parish in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England, about south-east of Guildford town centre. The village is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Site of Special Scientific Interest....
,
ChilworthChilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
and
ShalfordShalford is a village in Surrey, England, situated on the busy A281 Horsham road immediately south of Guildford. It has a railway station which is between Guildford and Dorking on the North Downs Line....
. The source is a semi-natural uninhabited area. The catchment is situated on sandstone which has a low rate of weathering. The Tillingbourne is 18 km (11.2 mi) in length.
The Tillingbourne initially flows northward for 4 km (2.5 mi) down the northern slopes of
Leith HillLeith Hill to the south west of Dorking, Surrey, England, reaches above sea level, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge, and is the second highest point in south-east England, after Walbury Hill near Hungerford, West Berkshire, high....
over a series of weirs and cascades, before turning west to run for 14 km (8.7 mi) through
Abinger HammerAbinger Hammer is a village situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford in Surrey, England. It lies with the parish of Abinger which includes Abinger Common and Sutton Abinger...
and
ChilworthChilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
towards the
River WeyThe River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
at
ShalfordShalford is a village in Surrey, England, situated on the busy A281 Horsham road immediately south of Guildford. It has a railway station which is between Guildford and Dorking on the North Downs Line....
. The river is classified as a subsequent stream, since its course is determined by the direction of the stratum of softer rock for the majority of its length.
The river has four principal tributaries: the Friday Street stream joins at Wootton House; the Holmbury St Mary stream joins at Abinger Hammer; the Sherbourne Brook drains the
Silent PoolSilent Pool is a spring-fed lake at the foot of the North Downs, approximately east of Guildford in Surrey. Together with the nearby Newlands Corner it forms part of the privately owned Albury Estate SSSI managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. The outflow from Silent Pool runs into a second lake...
and Sherbourne Pond and the
Law BrookThe Law Brook or Postford Brook is a tributary of the River Tillingbourne in Surrey. It rises near Peaslake and drains the Winterfold Forest and Hurtwood. The upper catchment is heavily wooded, although there is some urban development in the lower catchment...
joins near Postford.
The river used to power a number of
gunpowderGunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
,
paperPaper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
and flour mills in the area. The gunpowder mill was at
ChilworthChilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
. Present day users include a
troutTrout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
farm,
watercressWatercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
beds and a business growing
reedsPhragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
.
The River Tillingbourne supports a healthy fish population of both wild
brown troutThe brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and
coarse fishCoarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for angling for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish . The sport and the techniques used are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.-History:The term "coarse fishing"...
. The
Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
has been working with local fishermen to improve the habitat for these fish by recreating a
pool and riffleIn a flowing stream, a riffle-pool sequence develops as a stream's hydrological flow structure alternates from areas of relatively shallow to deeper water. This sequence is present only in streams carrying gravel or coarser sediments. Riffles are formed in shallow areas by coarser materials such...
habitat* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
and by cutting back overhanging vegetation.