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 build new lengthy canal sections to shorten the route between the Thames and Hertford
An introduction to the Lee
The River Lea rises near Luton, and for the first part of its course to the Thames, it is a small river that winds its way through the Hertfordshire countryside. Upon reaching Hertford, it essentially becomes the Lee Navigation. The original navigable River Lea, or the 'Barge River' as it was known prior to 1770, the year the Lee Navigation was opened, has lost possibly at least 80% of its original course through construction of flood relief channels and huge reservoirs that are now a prominent feature of the Lea Valley
In many places the 'real' River Lea is now a shallow waterway in an ugly concrete channel thats so devoid of wildlife and fauna. It is only recently that redressing the balance was made with the construction of several new channels, one southwards from Fielde's Weir, and another from Holyfield Weir past Cheshunt and Waltham Abbey.
The Lee Navigation, the original man-made route, is without a doubt the more pleasant watercourse through the rather dreary Lower Lea Valley southwards from Enfield. It as one would expect, consists mostly of canal. In its heyday it linked up with a number of sections of the River Lea. Alas most of these connections into the River Lea have now been lost. The complete loss of the route into the centre of Waltham Abbey, as well as a number of secondary river channels that consituted many extra miles of navigation, is nothing short of a massive disappointment
The Lee and Stort Navigations are the only waterways connected to the national system that offer an incursion into the County of Essex. Substantial lengths of the Lee Navigation lie within Essex, especially around Waltham Abbey, and from Carthagena Lock towards Fieldes Weir. Another point of interest is that the Lee Navigation offers a chance to sail in and out of the western hemisphere, whilst the Stort Navigation is entirely within the eastern hemisphere of Planet Earth! The only other waterways on the entire network that transit the Greenwich meridan line are the eastern extremity of the River Witham and the Witham Navigable Drains
This feature looks at the Lee Navigation (and those remaning bits of River Lea that are used as part of the navigation) between Bow Locks and Hertford, a distance of about 26 miles
The River Lea enters the Thames at Lea Mouth, near Canning Town, opposite the Millnenium Dome. The first part of the River Lea is known as Bow Creek and its a fiercely tidal stretch of waterway that is rarely used for navigation. This section is under the supervision of the Port of London Authority and BW's role kicks in just to the south of Bow Locks. Anyhow, boats are more likely to enter the Lee Navigation via the Limehouse Cut, which connects the Regents canal dock (aka Limehouse Marina) with the Lee navigation. To all purposes and intents the Limehouse Cut is an extension of the Lee Navigation. The other alternative is a passage via the Hertford Union canal, entering the Lee Navigation in what is known as the Hackney Navigation Canal (or Cut) above Old Ford Locks
Bow Locks to Old Ford
Bow Locks are the last/first locks on the Lee Navigation. They're not used much at present as most traffic goes via Limehouse. This view looks across to Canary Wharf
Three Mills at Bow. This lovely tidal mill is open to the public and part of the buildings are a TV studio turning out renowed programmes such as Bad Girls, Footballers Wives and Tim Burton's recent film Corpse Bride
At Bow Bridge, the River Lea/Lee Navigation dives under a lengthy bridge and passes the entrance to the Bow Back Rivers. The A12/A102 motorway Blackwall Tunnel and Great Eastern railway lines are passed. Traffic on the motorway can often be slower than boats on the Lee Navigation
The North Outfall Sewer cross the waterway below Old Ford locks. This is Land & Water's dredging team heading under the aqueduct towards the Old River Lea
NEXT: Old Ford, Lea Bridge and Springfield
The Lee Navigation pages:
intro old ford & springfield tottenham & picketts lock enfield & rammey marsh cheshunt & kings weir broxbourne & rye house stanstead & ware hertford
