68-655: Lakeview Estate is a housing estate in Old Ford , east London, designed by Berthold Lubetkin . It was built on a site damaged by bombing in World War II, on Grove Road between Old Ford Road and the Hertford Union Canal . The estate opened in 1958. It overlooks the lake in Victoria Park . 51°31′59″N 0°2′27″W / 51.53306°N 0.04083°W / 51.53306; -0.04083 This article about
136-514: A distinctively bow-shaped, three-arched, bridge to be built over the River Lea ( The like of which had not been seen before ), at Bow, the first bridge over the lower Lea. The lower Lea was at that time a wide, tidal and unchannelled river, so the construction of the bridge allowed a far greater degree of social and economic integration between Essex on one side and Middlesex (including the City of London) on
204-572: A London building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Old Ford, London Old Ford is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets that is named after the natural ford which provided a crossing of the River Lea . Historically, Old Ford was a cluster of houses and a mill, around the ford. It formed a part of the Ancient Parish of Stepney . Together with
272-541: A major source of drinking water for London. An artificial waterway known as the New River , opened in 1613, abstracts clean water away from the upper stretch of the river near Hertford for drinking. The Lea's origin in the Chilterns contributes to the extreme hardness (high mineral content) of London tap water. The name of the River Lea was first recorded in the 9th century, although is believed to be much older. Spellings from
340-563: A set of community programs. The oldest model boat club in the world, the Victoria Model Steam Boat Club, founded in Victoria Park on 15 July 1904, is still active today and holds up to 17 of their Sunday regattas a year. The VMSB Club runs straight-running boats just as they did 100 years ago but have also progressed to radio controlled boats and hydroplanes . The first Regatta is traditionally held on Easter Sunday and
408-799: A shipyard which straddled either side of the Lea at its confluence with the Thames. The 2012 Olympics was focused in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the banks of the Lea, and its main Stadium, on an island between two branches of the river, is now home to West Ham United. The Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire is another sporting legacy of the games. Various versions of the nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down make reference to Bow Bridge. The oldest known version could be that recalled by
476-582: A station at Old Ford railway station . The line was badly damaged during World War II and never reopened. The station buildings were demolished in the early 1960s. As part of the post-war rebuilding, the Lakeview Estate was built and designed by Berthold Lubetkin , on a site damaged by bombing in World War II , on Grove Road between Old Ford Road and the Hertford Union Canal . The estate opened in 1958. Fish Island also saw significant bombing during
544-453: A tumble at the ford on her way to Barking Abbey and ordered a distinctively bow-shaped three-arched bridge to be built over the River Lea . The building of the bridge at Bow did not leave Old Ford as a backwater and the ford continued to be well used, but it was in an isolated and rural area and the local population centre moved to Bow in the Middle Ages . Old Ford was the site of one of
612-633: Is also used in geology, archaeology, etc. to refer to the Lea Valley . The term River Lea is Cockney rhyming slang for tea. The line of the Lea, and its major tributary, the Stort, has long been used as a political boundary. In the Iron Age the Lea and Stort valleys formed a hotly contested frontier zone between the Catuvellauni to the west and the eastern Trinovantes . The two rivers are assumed to have been
680-670: Is derived). The River Lea flows through the old brewing and malting centre of Ware , and consequently transport by water was for many years a significant industry based there. Barley was transported into Ware, and malt out via the river, in particular to London. Bargemen born in Ware were given the "freedom of the River Thames" — avoiding the requirement of paying lock dues — as a result of their transport of fresh water and food to London during The Great Plague of 1665–66. A local legend says that dead bodies were brought out of London at that time via
748-796: Is in the East of England and Greater London . It originates in Bedfordshire , in the Chiltern Hills , and flows southeast through Hertfordshire , along the Essex border and into Greater London , to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek . It is one of the largest rivers in London and the easternmost major tributary of the Thames. The river's significance as a major east–west barrier and boundary has tended to obscure its importance as north–south trade route. Below Hertford
SECTION 10
#1732848440711816-514: Is much greater, and the communities on either side better integrated as a result. The source of the Lea is usually said to be at Well Head inside Waulud's Bank , a neolithic henge at Leagrave Common in Luton , Bedfordshire , although just downstream the river is joined by Houghton Brook , a stream that starts 2 miles (3 km) further west in Houghton Regis . After passing through Luton,
884-569: Is situated in Gladstone Place. A community and tenants' hall is nearby. Access to council services is dealt with by the Bow and North Poplar One Stop Shop in Ewart Place. The Percy Dalton Peanut Factory was at Fish Island, occupying Britannia Works and gatehouse along Dace Road, and another building on Smeed Road. Britannia Works has been run as an artists studio building by SPACE since 2000, who led
952-525: The Anglo-Saxon period include Lig(e)an in 880 and Lygan in 895, and in the early medieval period it is usually Luye or Leye . It seems to be derived from a Celtic (brythonic) root lug -meaning 'bright or light' which is also the derivation of a name for a deity, so the meaning may be 'bright river' or 'river dedicated to the god Lugus '. A simpler derivation may well be the Brythonic word cognate with
1020-504: The Battle of Bow Bridge , the Royalists headed for Colchester and were besieged there . During WWI, parts of London on either side of the Lea were badly hit by German Army and Navy airship raids. It is believed the crews mistook the extensive reservoir chain for the Thames and released their bombs on what they took to be central London. The ecological, landscape and recreational importance of
1088-602: The Congreve Rocket Factory on the site of Stratford Langthorne Abbey . Improvements were made to the river from 1424, with tolls being levied to compensate the landowners, and in 1571, there were riots after the extension of the River was promoted in a private bill presented to the House of Commons . By 1577, the first lock was established at Waltham Abbey and the river began to be actively managed for navigation. The New River
1156-692: The Lee Navigation where proceeding north leads to Hackney Marshes . Turning south along the Lea leads through Bow Locks , into Bow Creek and thence to the River Thames , but the tow-path can often be blocked. West from Wick Road leads to the Hertford Union junction where the canal joins the Regent's Canal , near Mile End . There is a footbridge over the East Cross Route linking Fish Island. River Lea The River Lea ( / ˈ l iː / LEE )
1224-516: The Middle Lea . During the Middle Ages , Temple Mills , Abbey Mills , Old Ford and Bow were the sites of water mills (mainly in ecclesiastic ownership) that supplied flour to the bakers of Stratforde-atte-Bow, and hence bread to the City. It was the channels created for these mills that caused the Bow Back Rivers to be cut through the former Roman stone causeway at Stratford (from which the name
1292-713: The North London Railway and at Coborn Road on the Great Eastern Main Line . Old Ford is connected to the National Road Network via Parnell Road and Tredegar Road to the A12 ( East Cross Route ) running north/north east-south. Access to the Hertford Union Canal is via the tow-path (which the National Cycle Route 1 also passes along) from Wick Road at St Marks Gate (Victoria Park). East leads to
1360-467: The Prescott Channel to maintain water levels on the Lea, within the park at a depth of 2 metres (7 ft). This allowed access to the site by 350–tonne barges with the aim that at least half of the material required for construction could be delivered or removed by water. In January 2024, the River Lea burst its banks as Hackney Wick residents tell of 'knee-high' flood water. Millfields Park on
1428-537: The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park . In that park, and just to the south of it, the river's course splits, running almost entirely in man-made channels, the Bow Back Rivers . These channels were once much more numerous and originally created to power water mills including, at the southern end, the restored tidal mill called Three Mills . The area around the Bow Back Rivers subsequently became a thriving industrial zone. Around Bow Creek , major industry prevailed, including
SECTION 20
#17328484407111496-598: The River Lee Diversion . These reservoirs come to an end on the boundaries of the London Boroughs of Haringey and Hackney and form part of a broad undeveloped green space, a mile (800 m) wide in places, which extends deep into London. On Hackney's northern edge, the Lea shifts to a south-south-easterly direction, the reservoirs end, but the broad green corridor continues as the river passes through Walthamstow Marshes , Leyton Marshes , Hackney Marshes and
1564-483: The River Thames . The Lee Navigation was established by Acts of Parliament and only that spelling is used in this context. The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority also uses this spelling for leisure facilities. However, the spelling Lea is used for road names, locations and other infrastructure in the capital, such as Leamouth , Lea Bridge , the Lea Valley Walk and the Lea Valley lines (railway). This spelling
1632-521: The Thames Ironworks , Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks and West Ham Power Station . In the 1960s and 1970s, changing economic conditions led to a steep decline and deindustrialisation along this section of the Lea. The river was historically tidal as far north as Hackney Wick , but now the tide is held back by the Bow Locks between Bromley-by-Bow and West Ham. Although watercraft can follow the Lea down to
1700-488: The ecosystem , but also leads to de-oxygenation of the water. Dumping, litter and microplastics are a major problem on the Lea with much of this waste arriving in the river in sewage. In April 2021, Hackney Council wrote to the Environment Agency calling for action to address sewage discharge and pollution in the river. In November 2021, local volunteers stated they were removing 100kg of plastic pollution from
1768-662: The Baroness Burdett Coutts Drinking Fountain in the park was given Grade II* listed status by Historic England . In 1986 the Greater London Council transferred responsibility for the park to the London borough of Tower Hamlets and the London Borough of Hackney , through a joint management board. Since 1994 Tower Hamlets has run the park alone. In 1991, St Paul's, Old Ford was closed due to maintenance and safety concerns. The Parochial Church Council and local people were determined to see that
1836-450: The Lea at Hackney, is the reputed site of a victory of Aescwine of Essex over Octa of Kent in 527, which allowed Aescwine to become the first King of Essex . However, the historicity of these events and the very existence of Aescwine are disputed. Somewhere between 878 and 890, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum was drawn up that amongst other things used the course of the Lea to define
1904-427: The Lea. Evidence has been found of a late Roman settlement at Old Ford dating from the 4th and 5th centuries. Excavations in 2002–03 discovered a substantial 'ribbon' development along the line of the road, surrounded by fields. Near the river there was evidence for a cluster of wooden buildings dominated by a large open-ended barn. Large amounts of cattle bone were also discovered, suggesting butchery to supply
1972-419: The London market. The Lea was thought to be used to supply Roman London with agricultural products and pottery from Hertfordshire and the north. Old Ford was where the goods were transferred to continue their journey into London by wagon. Old Ford, as the name suggests, was the ancient most downstream crossing point of the then unchannelised River Lea . At this time the Lea was a wide fast-flowing river and
2040-461: The Lower Lea every month. Water extraction, for drinking water, farming and industry, has led to a reduction in river flow impacting wildlife and concentrating the pollutants present in the remaining river water. Projects such as that led by Thames21 installing reedbeds help to remove pollutants whilst oxygenating the water, as well as creating habitat for the likes of water voles and improving
2108-765: The Steam Regatta is always held on the first Sunday in July. Old Ford is served by bus route 8 to Tottenham Court Road station and Bow Church as well as a number of local bus routes 277, 276, 339, 425 and 488 and D6. It is also linked to the London Night Bus network by the N8 and N277. Old Ford has no access to the London Underground network, but was formerly connected to the British rail network at Old Ford railway station on
Lakeview Estate - Misplaced Pages Continue
2176-534: The Thames, it is generally more practical to follow the Limehouse Cut (which meets the Lea at Bow Locks) down to Limehouse Basin , and use the Limehouse Basin Lock to join the Thames. The communities on the west side of the lower Lea include Hackney , Bow and Bromley-by-Bow . On the east side, they include southern parts of Walthamstow , then Leyton , Stratford and West Ham . The last few miles of
2244-475: The accessibility of the area and contributing to the ribbon development that made the character of the west side of the valley much more developed than the east. Just after Hertford, the river passes the medieval river port of Ware and the Hertfordshire bank soon becomes entirely developed. On the west bank the river passes Hoddesdon , Broxbourne and Cheshunt in Hertfordshire; then Enfield , Edmonton , Tottenham and Tottenham Marshes in north London. On
2312-516: The aesthetics of the man-made concrete sections of the canalised river. In their early days, Tottenham Hotspur played their games at Tottenham Marshes on the Middle Lea while Leyton Orient have had a number of home grounds in the Lower Lea Valley , with both having their current grounds within a mile of the river. West Ham United was established as the works team of the Thames Ironworks ,
2380-442: The area that year, ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games . The river is threatened by pollution, with sewage frequently discharged into the river as well as less common events causing major damage, such as an oil leak in 2018, or the toxic runoff from a warehouse fire in 2019. The sewage pollution, as well as that of fertiliser washed in from agricultural fields causes eutrophication , an excess of nutrients, which not only unbalances
2448-618: The border between the Danes and the English. In 894, a force of Danes sailed up the river to Hertford, and in about 895 they built a fortified camp, in the higher reaches of the Lea, about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of London. Alfred the Great saw an opportunity to defeat the Danes and dug a new channel to lower the level of the river, leaving the Danes stranded. In 1216, during the First Barons' War ,
2516-488: The boundaries of London's parliamentary constituencies, the Boundary Commission treats the Thames and Lea as London's major internal barriers. It will not allow a new or altered constituency that spans either river, viewing such a construct as artificial and not reflective of local communities or identities. They have compromised on this further south, on the lower Lea, where the quality and quantity of cross-river links
2584-618: The boundary between the core territory of the Kingdom of the East Saxons and its Middle Saxon Province . The whole of the Lea was subsequently used as the boundary between English-ruled territory to the west and the Danelaw , established in the late 9th century, to the east. From around the ninth or tenth century, and the establishment of counties in this part of England, the Lea-Stort line has formed
2652-528: The church remained open and, in fact, was improved. The "A New Heart for Bow" project was born. More than £3,000,000 was raised from more than a dozen sources and philanthropies. Matthew Lloyd Architects was appointed to refurbish the building and enable it to serve the wider community as well as the church. Work began in March 2003 and ended over a year later, in May 2004. St Barnabas Community Fete , also known as Bowstock,
2720-560: The eastern side the river passes Waltham Abbey on the largely rural Essex bank, and then Chingford and Walthamstow in east London. South of Hertford, the river is lined by lakes; to the north these are primarily flooded former gravel pits but in London they are reservoirs: the 13 reservoirs of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain , fed by the branches of the river known as the River Lee Flood Relief Channel and
2788-643: The ford used to be. This lies at the end of 'Hackney Cut', an 18th-century artificial channel, and the natural channel (known as the Waterworks River) rejoins the channel below the lock. n June 1648, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , a Royalist force of some 500 to 600 men won a minor battle against the Tower Hamlets Militia at Bow Bridge and occupied Stratford for three days, before heading off along
Lakeview Estate - Misplaced Pages Continue
2856-459: The future Louis VIII of France besieged Hertford Castle for a month, leading to its surrender. He only held the castle for a relatively short time as he lost the war soon after. In 1648 during the second English Civil War a Royalist force crossed the Thames from Greenwich and hoped to cross Bow Bridge, over the Lea and into Essex. After inconclusive clashes with the Tower Hamlets Militia and other Parliamentarian forces, an engagement known as
2924-448: The historic boundary between Essex to the east and Hertfordshire and Middlesex to the west. Within London the river is always used as a boundary between London Boroughs - which in turn inherit more ancient county and parish boundaries which also used the Lea as a boundary. Between 1889 and 1965, the lower Lea was the eastern boundary of the County of London with Essex . When reviewing
2992-407: The many watermills in the area that supplied flour to the bakers of Stratforde-atte-Bow, and hence bread to the City. Due to their isolation, residents were given dispensation to worship in the chapel of ease at Stratforde-atte-Bow, later Bow Church , to save the often difficult journey to the parish church of St Dunstan's at Stepney . A lock and weir now exist on the Lee Navigation near where
3060-483: The marshes known as Wanstead Slip (now in Leyton). The route then continued through Essex to Colchester . At this time, the Lea was a wider river, and the tidal estuary stretched as far as Hackney Wick . Evidence has been found of a late Roman settlement at Old Ford, dating from the 4th and 5th centuries. In 1110, Matilda , wife of Henry I , reputedly took a tumble at the ford, on her way to Barking Abbey and ordered
3128-596: The mid-Victorian period, although civil administration has always been associated with Bow. Victorian OS maps show an illustrative location of the, by then, former ford, which was just to the south of the Northern Outfall Sewer and immediately south of the confluence of the Lea and the Hackney Brook . The confluence is likely to have caused the Lea to eddy and slow, causing much alluvial material from both watercourses to be dropped at this point, which may have been
3196-500: The modern Welsh "Li" pronounced "Lea" which means a flow or a current. Much of the middle Lea were historically known as 'Mereditch', the first element deriving from the Old English ‘gemaera’, meaning boundary. This was due to that section of the river’s role as the dividing line between territories, for instance separating Middlesex and Essex. By the 20th century 'Mereditch' had evolved to 'Mare Dyke' and referred to just one channel of
3264-405: The new factories on the Lea and Lee Navigation and to serve the new railways. In 1865, a 30-acre plot was purchased to be used as a gasworks, but the Gas Light and Coke Company established what would become known as Fish Island , giving it its distinctive road names, and building a mixed residential and industrial development instead. The North London Railway had a line through the area with
3332-486: The occasional seal . Some boat trippers reported observing on 5 August 2005 a Canada goose being pulled underwater very quickly. The London Wildlife Trust suggested that this was most likely caused by a pike . In 2011, Mike Wells claimed that he saw a "goose go vertically down" in the river. Again a pike or mink was suggested as most likely. Vice Magazine suggested that Wells' story may have been invented to publicise authorities' attempts to evict houseboats from
3400-494: The old Roman Road to the Siege of Colchester . During that those three days they carefully guarded Bow Bridge and a number of local fords so that the Lea would secure their flank against attack from the City of London and the Tower Hamlets. Farming and market gardening prevailed in the settlement until the 19th century when Old Ford became a part of the seamless London conurbation as a district, with large estates of relatively poor houses and much poverty. These were built to serve
3468-419: The other than had been possible before. Lea Bridge , the second bridge over the lower Lea was built after 1757, to replace the pre-existing ferry. It connected Clapton to the west, and Leyton and Walthamstow to the east. The Iron Bridge carrying the Barking Road over the river to Canning Town was built in 1810. There are significantly more crossings over the more central Lower Lea , than there are over
SECTION 50
#17328484407113536-424: The outside of the building. Victoria Park became known for its open air music festivals , often linked with a political cause in the 1970/80s. In 1978, Rock Against Racism organised a protest event against growth of far-right organisations such as the National Front . The concert was played by The Clash , Steel Pulse , X-Ray Spex , The Ruts , Sham 69 , Generation X , and the Tom Robinson Band . In 1975,
3604-406: The reason that fording the river was possible here. This may have been reinforced by the fact that the Lea's tidal head was in the vicinity. Excavations have shown that in the Roman period, the ford lay a very short distance to the north of this point, immediately north of the Northern Outfall Sewer. The Romans dumped materials to improve the ford and at one time appear to have had a bridge over
3672-417: The rest of Bow , it separated from Stepney to become a (late formed) Ancient Parish of Bow in 1719. Ancient Parishes were, until the 19th century responsible for both civil and ecclesiastical local administration, after that there were divergent civil and ecclesiastical parish areas. It expanded rapidly in the Victorian era into a outer suburb of London and was designated an independent Anglican parish in
3740-437: The river and its surrounding areas change significantly. Around Hertford, the Lea is joined by a number of major tributaries: the Mimram , Beane , Rib , Ash , and then the Stort . This extra volume of water has created a broad flood plain with sometimes steep hills on either side. The river passes through this valley in several channels, which are a result of both human intervention and natural causes. The increased flow made
3808-404: The river and its surrounding land has been recognised through inclusion in a number of parks and by several planning policy designations. Much of the river lies within the Lee Valley Park . Some of the land surrounding the river has been designated as Metropolitan Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land in order to prevent further urbanisation. The river contains fish and other wildlife such as
3876-415: The river are known as Bow Creek and the river meets the Thames between Blackwall (on the west side) and Canning Town (on the east). In the Roman era , Old Ford , as the name suggests, was the most downstream crossing point of the River Lea. This was part of a pre-Roman route that followed the modern Oxford Street , Old Street , through Bethnal Green to Old Ford and then across a causeway through
3944-494: The river between Chingford and Enfield . The channel was replaced by parts of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain in the mid 20th century. The River Lea is the major component in a number of place-names, including Leagrave , the suburb of Luton where the source of the river is located, and of Luton and Leyton : both mean "farmstead on the River Lea" . The spelling Lea predominates west (upstream) of Hertford , but both spellings ( Lea and Lee ) are used from Hertford to
4012-459: The river for burying in Ware, but there is no evidence for this. The extensive level of waterborne trade led the historian John Stow , writing in 1603, to describe the Lea as “this pleasant and useful river”. The riverside has hosted a number of major armaments manufacturers, such as the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills , the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock (which is now a housing development known as Enfield Island Village ) and
4080-420: The river has since medieval times had alterations made to make it more navigable for boats between the Thames and eastern Hertfordshire and Essex , known as the Lee Navigation . This stimulated much industry along its banks. The navigable River Stort , the main tributary, joins it at Hoddesdon . While the lower Lea remains somewhat polluted, its upper stretch and tributaries, classified as chalk streams , are
4148-447: The river navigable from Hertford, a situation improved by the creation of the Lee Navigation , a deep canal which begins at Hertford Castle Weir . The Stort, the most important tributary of the Lea, joins a short distance from Hertford at Feildes Weir , and is itself navigable as far upstream as Bishops Stortford . The Hertford East railway line passes along the west side of the Lea's flood plain, from Hertford to Tottenham, improving
SECTION 60
#17328484407114216-403: The succeeding centuries. In 1766, work also began on the Limehouse Cut to connect the river, at Bromley-by-Bow , with the Thames at Limehouse Basin . The Waterworks River , a part of the tidal Bow Back Rivers , has been widened by 8 metres (26 ft) and canalised to assist with construction of the Olympic Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics . In 2009, Three Mills Lock was installed on
4284-468: The tidal estuary stretched as far as Hackney Wick . Two routes may have used the ford, both continuing through Essex and including Colchester amongst their destinations. Colchester was where the Romans set up their initial capital for their occupation, and the road was upgraded to run from the area of London Bridge as one of the first paved Roman roads in Britain . The routes using the ford were: In 1110, Matilda , wife of Henry I , reputedly took
4352-454: The war, with damaged housing demolished post-war to make way for factories and warehouses. St Barnabas's, Bethnal Green was also badly damaged by bombing during the same World War; the steeple was removed and the church rebuilt, retaining the tower and north and south walls. The remodelling was carried out by J Anthony Lewis of architects Michael Tapper & Lewis, who commissioned the sculptor Don Potter to create The Four Evangelists on
4420-458: The young river passes through the Luton Hoo estate and, six miles from its source, enters Hertfordshire . The river then flows east-south-east through Harpenden , Wheathampstead – once capital of the Catuvellauni tribe – through the narrow green gap between the new towns of Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City , and on to the county town of Hertford . At Hertford the shallow river turns briefly north before turning to head due south, and here
4488-570: Was an annual fête and music festival held on Wennington Green in Mile End Park . Fish Island has a long history as a home to artists and art spaces, having one of the highest densities of fine artists, designers and artisans in Europe according to a 2009 study which found around 600 artists' studios. The Percy Dalton Peanut Factory was at Fish Island, occupying Britannia Works and gatehouse along Dace Road, and another building on Smeed Road. Britannia Works has been run as an artists studio building by SPACE since 2000. Channel 4 ’s The Big Breakfast
4556-514: Was broadcast live from a former lockkeeper's cottages on Fish Island, from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002. The Palm Tree is a public house which was Grade II listed in 2015 by Historic England . The Bow Wharf is the point where the Regent's Canal meets the Hertford Union Canal at the Hertford Union Junction between Mile End Lock and Old Ford Lock on the Regent's Canal. Local council facilities are grouped around Roman Road market. The local library, now called an Idea Store ,
4624-441: Was constructed in 1613 to take clean water to London, from the Lea and its catchment areas in Hertfordshire and bypass the polluting industries that had developed in the Lea's downstream reaches. The artificial channel further reduced the flow to the natural river and by 1767 locks were installed below Hertford Castle Weir on the canalised part of the Lea, now the Lee Navigation with further locks and canalisation taking place during
#710289