The Lea Navigation starts at Bow Locks and continues north to Hertford. The Limehouse cut carried barges on to the Thames at Limehouse, or they could go through the locks and into the tidal Bow Creek which is the lower reaches of the River Lea.

Stratford Marsh, between Stratford High Street and Hackney Wick, includes a number of streamsof the River Lea, known together as the Bow Back Rivers, as well as the Lea Navigation.

Most of these streams were once used to power mills, and some for water supply. There were various alterations to them including the building of several locks in the 1930s, partly for flood relief but also as a project to provide employment. The City Mill River was widened, embanked and made navigable, although there is little evidence that there was serious commercial traffic. Until they were closed for the Olympics they were occasionally used by leisure craft.

Much of the area was covered by small businesses with a few larger companies. There was a large area of railway sidings between the City Mill and Waterworks River and a few larger industrial buildings.

The rivers and their edges were rich with wildlife, often rather overgrown. There were areas of nature reserve near Old Ford Lock.

Running through the centre of the area is the elevated Northern Outfall Sewer, with a foot path along its top. Around 1990 this was improved and rebranded as the Greeway. Around the same time many of the other footpaths in the area were also cleared and large amounts of hardcore put down, along with new signposts, and volunteers spent a lot of time clearing the various waterways.

Pictures of the frontages of properties on Carpenters Road are shown in the Hackney Wick section of the site, while their backs on the Waterworks River are included here.

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Picture sections

1980-92 Black & White index

1980s:  colour

2000 on: colour

 

All photographs on this site are
© 1980-2010 Peter Marshall.

Pictures are available for commercial use - please email me, for terms.

Permission is normally granted for suitable non-commercial use without cost - please email the above address. I also welcome comments and questions about the work.


35p15: Warton Rd

35q11: Bridgewater Road

36n02: Bridgewater Rd

35q26: Warton Rd

35q32: Waterworks River

35q34: Waterworks River

35q36: Cooks Road

36m42: City Mill Lock and St Thomas's Creek (aka Bow Back River. St Thomas's Mill was also known as Pudding Mill)

90-9g22: Maryland Plastics, Marshgate Lane

90-9g24: Marshgate Lane 

90-9g24: Marshgate Lane 

90-9h52: Marshgate Lane 

90-9h53: Marshgate Lane 

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Stratford Marsh

 

Home    All pictures © 1970-2005, Peter Marshall. Contact me for permission for use, high res files and fees.

The River Lea

London's Second River

The River Lea (or Lee) from source to mouth