Spital Brook
Spital Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea in south-eastern Hertfordshire.
The Spital Brook rises in Hoddesdonpark Wood and flows eastwards from here, passing through Barclay Park, the former Hoddesdon Common, on its journey to the Lea. An unnamed parallel stream to the south has been diverted here to form ornamental ponds within the former parkland of Broxbournebury.
The stream crosses the line of a Roman road, Ermine Street, before going under the A10 and Cock Lane. The brook passes through a suburb of Hoddesdon known as Spital Brook. Its course here is the boundary between the parishes of Hoddesdon and Broxbourne. The stream runs parallel to the Lea Valley Lines by Broxbourne Station until it meets the River Lea close to Broxbourne Riverside, the former Broxbourne Lido.
The brook is relatively steep for a Hertfordshire water course, and loses approximately 150 feet of height over the half mile of its upper waters. Only the lower reach is always in water.
Location
- Location map: 51°45’1"N, 0°-0’44"W
