The Lee Navigation

The Lee Navigation was actually built in stages from the 1600's to the Mid 1800's, with the main body of the work being undertaken in the 1770's to shorten the route from Limehouse to Hertford

Through Ware Park, past the New Gauge and onto Hertford

The final section of the Lee Navigation is just over three miles long. The course of the River Lea has been utilised since the weir below Ware bridge. The approach to Ware lock is actually a man made channel built to avoid the local mill. The navigation uses the River Lea for a further stretch after Ware lock before making off a final section of canal that takes one through Hertford lock. From here to the visitor moorings the navigation is very narrow and also shallow. Beyond here one can cruise past the attractive houses along the waterway and under Folly bridge where there's an opportunity to wind the boat. The final few yards between Folly bridge and Hertford Town Bridge is the only original stretch of River Lea remaining in Hertford. There have been proposals to extend the navigation the quite short distance to the weir just below Hertford Castle.  

Ware Lock Ever wanted to cruise an Environmental Agency waterway without paying for a licence? Well the stretch of waterway around Ware lock, including the lock itself, is controlled by the Environmental Agency, not British Waterways! The lock has EA notices and the different types of paddle and construction are immediately apparent, as is the extra care that is tended on the lock structure. The EA controls the section because of the need to regulate the water abstraction that is neccessary to feed the nearby New River. Its so short a length that a licence would be ridicolous anyway!

The approach to Ware Lock from the Hertford direction. The River Lea goes to the left over the weirs. The river itself however used to be situated on the south side of the valley through Ware, its original course now nothing more than a muddy ditch that used to serve as an overflow from the nearby New River. The Lee Navigation once again uses an artificial cut from here through the lock as far as the Ware Priory car park visitor moorings, as well as having moved the course of the river for a considerable distance above Ware lock to the north side of the valley

The New River intake above Ware. Water is taken to supply the New River which provides a substantial part of London's water supply. Next time you drink your water it probably came from the River Lea!

A lone canoeist and a swan on the River Lea at Ware Park, just below Hertford. The scenery on the final stretch is quite nice

    

The River Lea sadly departs once again across fields (right picture) as the Lee Navigation takes off on its own, heading in a dead straight line for the final lock at Hertford using the alignment of the old tailrace from Dickers Mill (left)

Hertford Lock. Its quite a deep one

    

Hertford Weir. The River Lea uses the channel which was built by, and is used by the Lee Navigation and which the boat is crusing on - left picture. spills over the weir into the original course of the River Lea. This is now exclusively the minor relief channel's since the Lea was diverted from its original barge river alignment

Beyond the weir is the visitor moorings at Hertford on the diverted alignment of the River Lea. The topmost of the old River Lea's (aka the Barge River) locks was just a short distance to the right of the new alignment

    

Past the visitor moorings are these attractive 'riverside' houses. They're not really on a riverside though. The River Lea's original course around the other side of Folly Island was at a lower level, it was blocked off and forced down the Lee Navigation's newly constructed cut. This is a rare example of a river being forced along a canal navigation (as opposed to sharing part of a river's channel, such as those found on the Grand Union and Oxford canals) and as a consequence the lie of the land to the north is below the level of the River Lea

A butty type boat outside the Old Barge Inn

Summertime at the Old Barge Inn, Folly Bridge Hertford

The River Lea beyond Folly Bridge. This the turning point for boats. This is the point where the original River Lea and the diversion built by the Lee Navigation diverges. The original River Lea went the other way (off the picture to the right) where it then began its descent through the first of the old Barge River locks. Its difficult to believe, but boats actually used to enter Hertford from the opposite direction to now, and what is now the Lee Navigation Channel was originally part of a small stream which served a mill. There isnt anything to see of this alignment or of the old Barge River and its locks. A minor relief channel replaced the original river.

On the section of the original River Lea in Hertford. Its quite a short run to the final end of the navigation at Hertford Town bridge (seen in the distance) but boats must reverse as its not wide enough to turn along here

The very final navigable bit of the River Lea and the very end of the Lee Navigation as viewed from Hertford Town bridge. Not many people know but it is possible to moor up at the pub right by the bridge on the north side of the channel (extreme left of picture)

    

Left - Hertford Town bridge - The River Lea comes through both bridgeholes. Right - The larger of the two bridgeholes can take a boat, but beyond its very shallow and on our attempt we didnt get any more than three quarters of a boat through (right picture) Its just a few metres to the weirs at Hertford Castle that see the clear waters of the River Lea tumbling its way down from Luton and Welwyn Garden City. There has been talk of providing a basin at the foot of Hertford Castle for visiting boats

 

In Retrospect: What is the Lee Navigation - a canal or river?

 

From Hertfordshire.com:
"The River Lee (or Lea) runs through Hertford on its way to London and it is joined in Hertford by three other rivers, the River Mimram, the River Beane and the River Rib. A canal called the Lee Navigation runs south from Hertford and barges can be hired for pleasure use. There are many good walks along the rivers and canals in and around Hertford."
From RiverLee.Org:
"The Lee Navigation is a canal. Many buildings and structures were built by the side of canals to help with navigation."

 

These sites (and others) recognise that the Lee Navigation is a canal, its not even a canalised river as some suggest. That attribute might have been applicable in the past when the Lee Navigation was incomplete and still relied on susbtantial lengths of river for navigation. One could probably argue that the Lee Navigation has been 're-canalised' meaning it has migrated from being a canalised river to being virutally nothing more than a canal. The information about the River Lea and Lee Navigation is much mis-managed, or perhaps confusingly handled, giving many people the romantic notion that they can boat along the River Lea/Lee from London to Hertfordshire. It is simply not the case. Take the example of BW publicity (click here to see examples). 15 years ago BW called it the Lee Navigation and told us that "Hertford is the upper limit for cruising on the Lee Navigation." (Lee & Stort Navigations; pub 1989) - Recently they were calling it the River Lee (The Rivers Lee & Stort; pub 2004) telling us that for example "Hertford is the upper limit of the River Lee" (that confuses it even more because it implies the source of the river is at Hertford) Since their move to Sheldon Square their new leaflets call it the River Lee Navigation (Walking in Broxbourne/The Lee Valley; pub 2005) Its perhaps a little better but still confusing! I prefer the original publicity from 1989 because at least it was concise and did a good job of publicising the Lee Navigation as a potentially attractive waterway

 

Examples of th mass confusion (alomost a mythology perhaps) on what to call the waterway are numerous, and examples crop up all the time. Here's this news item about a police helicopter chasing a narrowboat on the Lee Navigation. It is clear they think the Lee Navigation is the river (the poor old River Lea doesnt even get a look in no one thinks it exists! Of course no-one wants to know its been shoved into an ugly concrete channel!)

 

The correct spelling also is another problem for debate. Generally its the Lea for the entire 50 miles of river throughout from Leagrave near Luton to Leamouth. Above Hertford its always the Lea. Below Hertford its mostly the River Lea, and sometimes the River Lee. The Lee Navigation is the most oft used name, but sometimes its called the Lea Navigation. The name Lee Navigation was established by an act of Parliament and in this respect it is this description that MUST be used when describing the bits that the boats use. Other interpretations could be construed as an illegal description.

 

The Lee Navigation is 28 and a half miles long from Limehouse to Hertford. The lengths of apparent river used make eight and a half miles total, whilst 20 of this is by the Lee Navigation's canal. Even this river mileage total of eight and half miles is probably inaccurate for it has been estimated that only three and half miles of original River Lea is actually used! A compare with the Wey Navigation reveals that this much shorter Surrey waterway has much more navigable river and off river cuts The sections of Lee Navigation canal that takes a substantial flow of water from the Lea is the short bit in Hertford and between Dobbs Weir to Old Nazeing Bridge in Broxbourne

 

Locks: There are 20 of these on the Lee Navigation. Most of the lower locks are mechanised and can be operated by boaters with a BW key. These locks are; Old Ford, Tottenham, Stonebridge, Ponders End, Enfield (partial) and Rammey Marsh (partial.) When the power locks are not working at some locations there are alternative manual locks. Stonebridge west lock (the manual one) is extremely hard to operate but works. Ponders End east manual lock is easy to use (probably the easiest manual of all the Lee navigations locks!) Tottenham west manual lock has been known to be made to work, and Old Ford west, there's absolutely not a chance in hell of getting it to work!

 

Lock Dimensions: Limehouse/Bow to Ponders End; 95ft x 19ft 6ins Enfield to Hertford; 84ft x 16ft

 

Sanitary Stations, water and rubbish points can be found at Limehouse, Old Ford, Springfield Marina, Stonebridge, Hazlemere Marina, Fielde's Weir, Stanstead Marina (small fee payable) Hertford

 

The best moorings are at: Springfield Park. Stonebridge Lock. Above or below Waltham Town lock. Cheshunt. Dobbs Weir. Stanstead Abbotts. Ware. Hertford. Other places with visitor moorings (Broxbourne and Enfield etc) are ok for a visit to the shops or pubs. Ware or Hertford are best for shopping. Just up the hill from Springfield are large shops at Stamford Hill (Nettos, Somerfield, Morrisons etc). There is a huge Tesco's superstore right by the Lee/River Lea at Three Mills.

 

There are also good superstores (including a Lidls) just up the road from Tottenham Lock, one can moor above the lock, though it is best to moor at Stonebridge and walk back if longer stays are intended. The advantage of Stonebridge is that it also gives access to the massive Ikea and Tesco stores that are about 20 minutes walk away (or take bus 192 from the main road adjacent to Stonebridge Lock).

 

Dont go up the Lee Navigation without a run up the River Stort! Its an absolute must!

London Canals