The etymology of the name "Effra" has been much disputed.
There is no evidence that it was applied to the stream before the … See more

The Effra was fed by all water falling on the inside and north of the very broad Norwood Ridge. Much of this coalesced south-east of Brixton, … See more

Until 1935 a key part of the combined sewer flooded during heavy rains every decade or so; an inscription on a white stone tablet high up the side of a building in Elder Road, West Norwood reads: "FLOOD LEVEL 17th July 1890".
After a three-hour-long See more

• Tributaries of the River Thames
• Subterranean rivers of London
• List of rivers of England See more

Before the 19th century
The drainage basin of the stream covered around 20 square kilometres (8 sq miles) of present-day inner south London. Historically, the Effra … See more

A local story tells of a coffin found floating down the Thames in Victorian times, which was traced back to West Norwood Cemetery. Cemetery staff were puzzled to find that the plot the coffin had come from was undisturbed. Further investigation revealed that the … See more

In 1992, a project by the London arts group Platform sparked a local campaign to dig up the river. The Unearthing the Effra project was … See more