This study explores the potential of the ostracod Cyprideis torosa (Jones, 1850) as a brackish-water indicator for mapping freshwater/estuarine boundaries in Pleistocene interglacials in SE England. Ostracod species records from MIS 9 (Purfleet) and MIS 11 (Hoxnian) interglacial sites are mapped onto established palaeogeographies of the Thames–Medway river system, revealing distribution patterns indicative of a salinity gradient from west (freshwater) to east (brackish estuarine) in both cases. Comparisons with the ostracod biofacies of the present-day Thames Estuary suggest there may be no exact modern analogue for the Thames/Medway palaeoenvironments of the MIS 9 and MIS 11 interglacials. A similar conclusion is drawn from discussion of noding in C. torosa , which is common in the interglacial assemblages but extremely rare in the modern estuary. The value of mapping C. torosa onto estuarine palaeogeography is limited by taphonomic considerations because post-mortem transport and mixing in a macrotidal estuary significantly influence the composition of ostracod assemblages. Nevertheless, its use in combination with other brackish-water taxa provides useful insights regarding the palaeosalinity regimes of the lower River Thames and River Medway during the MIS 9 and MIS 11 interglacials.