Prittle Brook


The Prittle Brook is a minor watercourse in south Essex, England. A short tributary of the River Roach, the brook rises near Thundersley and discharges into the North Sea via the Roach and Crouch estuaries.

Description

It appears to rise in Thundersley, just to the west of West Wood. Flowing eastwards, it courses through West Wood, then briefly under some private properties before crossing Daws Heath Road. It then flows through private property again before reaching Dodds Grove Nature Reserve and then into Great Wood, Belfairs Wood.
A pathway enables walkers to follow the section of the Brook from Belfairs, past Southend University Hospital to Roots Hall, effectively providing a route from Leigh into Southend which avoids the main roads. This pathway, built in the 1940s, passes under several roads; the bridge which leads to Our Lady of Lourdes School in Manchester Drive runs directly over the Brook. This part of the Brook's route has been urbanised since the 1930s, and the banks have been concreted east of the Belfairs Wood area. As a consequence, the velocity of the river has greatly increased, a phenomenon particularly noticeable during and after heavy rain.
The Prittle Brook Greenway was the object of major improvement work between 2009 and 2012, during which the sections running parallel with Blenheim Chase and Prittlewell Chase were widened and signposted.
The Prittle Brook then flows under the A127, through Priory Park and north, past London Southend Airport and eventually enters the River Roach at Purdeys Way.
Note: Coordinate is at Priory Park, Southend on Sea