The river then enters Sutcliffe Park and starts to flow west through southern Kidbrooke, and Blackheath then finally through Lee and its park Manor House Gardens into Hither Green then Lewisham where it joins the River Ravensbourne next to Lewisham station.

As part of the Ravensbourne catchment area, the river is kept constantly under inspection by the Environment Agency which issues flood warnings[2] when applicable.

In the early part of the current century the concrete channel with its fences and hedges was demolished and river was remodelled to give a natural, meandering appearance with a small flood plain; this was to encourage wild plants and animals back to the area and to be more pleasant and attractive for the public.

[3][4] Since the restoration Chinbrook Meadows has won the Green Flag Award two years in a row.

[6][7] The name has existed for quite a long while; references to it can be found in numerous works of British fiction in the 19th and 20th centuries, for example in Edith Nesbit's The New Treasure Seekers.